Board backs draft change to reciprocity to create path for NCARB-certified architects

The Mississippi State Board of Architecture voted Jan. 22 to recommend draft amendments to state reciprocity law that would create a licensure path for architects who hold a National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) Certificate but do not hold a National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)-accredited professional degree.

Guest Marietta Roth Haywood, an architect licensed in other jurisdictions but not in Mississippi, told the Board the current reciprocity requirements preclude her from obtaining a Mississippi license. Executive Director John Cothron and Andrew Kilpatrick presented draft statutory language intended to amend Miss. Code Ann. §73-1-21 to waive the NAAB-degree requirement for applicants who hold an NCARB Certificate and have substantial post-registration practical experience.

The draft presented would apply the same standard to applicants who hold an NCARB Certificate through a mutual-recognition agreement with a foreign jurisdiction and contemplated eight years of practical experience after initial registration as the qualifying threshold. The Board’s motion, made by Richard H. McNeel and seconded by Larry Bishop, recommended approval of the draft language subject to a later decision on the precise number of required post-licensure years; the motion passed unanimously.

Board members and staff said the change would require statutory amendment and that any new pathway could take effect only after legislative action; staff indicated possible implementation in 2027 if the Legislature enacts the change. The Board also noted correspondence from Maurice Brown of NCARB about the proposed changes and directed staff to continue drafting the statutory language for consideration.

Next steps: the Board will finalize the language and return it for formal submission and legislative review; the motion as recorded did not set the final number of post-licensure years required.