HF 991

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to licensing; changing certification for interior designers to licensing
requirements; amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 326.02, subdivision
4b.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 326.02, subdivision 4b, is amended to read:

Subd. 4b.

Certified interior designer.

deleted text begin (a) For the purposes of sections 326.02
to 326.15, "certified interior designer" means a person who is certified under section
326.10, to use the title certified interior designer and who provides services in connection
with the design of public interior spaces, including preparation of documents relative to
non-load-bearing interior construction, space planning, finish materials, and furnishings.
deleted text end

deleted text begin (b) No person may use the title certified interior designer unless that person has
been certified as an interior designer or has been exempted by the board. Registered
architects may be certified without additional testing. Persons represent themselves to
the public as certified interior designers if they use a title that incorporates the words
certified interior designer.
deleted text end

deleted text begin (c) Nothing in this section prohibits the use of the title interior designer or the term
interior design by persons not certified by the board.
deleted text end

deleted text begin (d) Nothing in this section restricts persons not certified by the board from providing
interior design services and from saying that they provide such services, as long as they do
not use the title certified interior designer.
deleted text end

deleted text begin (e) Nothing in this section authorizes certified interior designers to engage in the
practice of architecture as defined in subdivision 2 or the practice of engineering as
defined in subdivision 3.
deleted text end

new text begin (a) Any person shall be deemed to be practicing licensed interior design within
the meaning of sections 326.02 to 326.15 who holds out as being able to perform or
does perform any professional service such as the planning, design, or administration of
construction for the purpose of assuring compliance with specifications and design, in
connection with any private or public interior spaces, including preparation of documents
relative to non-load-bearing interior construction, programming, space planning, finishes,
materials, and furnishings where the safeguarding of the occupants' life, health, safety, and
welfare is concerned or involved, when the professional service requires the application
of design theories related to human behavior and aesthetics, acquired by education and
experience. Licensed interior designers are design professionals who are qualified by
means of education, experience, and examination. For the purposes of this paragraph:
new text end

new text begin (1) "administration" means a professional service as distinguished from
superintending of construction and means the performance of reasonable and ordinary
on-site observations to determine that the interior construction is in substantial compliance
with the approved drawings, plans, and specification;
new text end

new text begin (2) "non-load-bearing interior construction" means interior elements or components
that do not require design computations for a building's structure and do not support a
vertical load of a structure other than its own weight, but may support loads attached to it
such as cabinetry, shelving, or grab bars; and
new text end

new text begin (3) "human behavior" means the characteristics and behaviors of individuals
and groups that relate to the physical environments in which they function, and to the
processes of environmental modification and change.
new text end

new text begin (b) Nothing contained in sections 326.02 to 326.15 concerning the practice of
licensed interior design shall be construed to apply to:
new text end

new text begin (1) an architect licensed under the laws of this state;
new text end

new text begin (2) an employee or owner of a retail establishment providing consultation in the
furtherance of a retail sale or prospective retail sale regarding interior finishes, furnishings,
or cabinetry on behalf of the retail establishment; or
new text end

new text begin (3) a person who provides services or assistance in selection, sale, lease, or
supply of surface materials, window treatments, wall coverings, paint, floor coverings,
surface-mounted fixtures, and loose furnishings for the interiors of exempt buildings
as described in section 326.03.
new text end

new text begin (c) The designation licensed interior designer or any title or device indicating or
representing that the person is a licensed interior designer or is practicing licensed interior
design shall only be used by a person licensed under the provisions of sections 326.02
to 326.15.
new text end

new text begin (d) Licensed interior designers shall not engage in the practice of architecture as
defined in subdivision 2 or the practice of engineering as defined in subdivision 3.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin REVISOR'S INSTRUCTION.
new text end

new text begin The revisor of statutes shall change the term "certified interior designer" to "licensed
interior designer" in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 326. Wherever "certified" appears in
Minnesota Statutes, section 326.02, subdivision 4b, change the term to "licensed."
new text end