To amend section 4703.18 of the Revised Code to eliminate a grandfather exemption from the requirements of the Architects Law granted to certain corporations.

SECTION 1. That section 4703.18 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 4703.18.  (A) No person shall enter upon the practice of architecture or hold forth as an architect or registered architect, unless the person has complied with sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code and is the holder of a certificate of qualification to practice architecture issued or renewed and registered under those sections.

(B) Sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code do not prevent persons other than architects from filing applications for building permits or obtaining those permits.

(C) Sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code do not prevent persons other than architects from preparing plans, drawings, specifications, or data, filing applications for building permits, or obtaining those permits for residential buildings, as defined by section 3781.06 of the Revised Code, or buildings erected as industrialized one-, two-, or three-family units or structures within the meaning of the term "industrialized unit" as provided in section 3781.06 of the Revised Code.

(D) Sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code do not prevent persons other than architects from preparing drawings or data, from filing applications for building permits, or from obtaining those permits for the installation of replacement equipment or systems that are similar in type or capacity to the equipment or systems being replaced, and for any improvement, alteration, repair, painting, decorating, or other modification of any buildings or structures subject to sections 3781.06 to 3781.18 and 3791.04 of the Revised Code where the building official determines that no plans or specifications are required for approval.

(E) Sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code do not exclude a registered professional engineer from architectural practice that may be incident to the practice of engineering or exclude a registered architect from engineering practice that may be incident to the practice of architecture.

(F) Sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code do not prevent a firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation of architects registered under those sections from providing architectural services and do not prevent an individual registered as a landscape architect under sections 4703.30 to 4703.49 of the Revised Code or as a professional engineer under Chapter 4733. of the Revised Code from being a member or trustee of a firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation of that type, but a member or trustee of that type shall not engage in the practice of architecture or hold forth as an architect contrary to sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code and shall not practice a profession in which the person is not licensed.

(G) A firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation may provide architectural services in this state as long as the services are provided only through natural persons registered to provide those services in this state, subject to the exemptions in section 4703.17 of the Revised Code and subject otherwise to the requirements of sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code.

(H) No firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation, except a corporation that was granted a charter prior to August 7, 1943, to engage in providing architectural services or that was otherwise lawfully providing architectural services prior to November 15, 1982, shall provide architectural services, hold itself out to the public as providing architectural services, or use a name including the word "architect" or any modification or derivation of the word, unless the firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation files all information required to be filed under this section with the architects board and otherwise complies with all requirements of sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code. A nonprofit membership corporation may use a name including the word "architect" or any modification or derivation of the word without complying with this section.

(I) A corporation may be organized under Chapter 1701. of the Revised Code, a professional association may be organized under Chapter 1785. of the Revised Code, or a limited liability company may be formed under Chapter 1705. of the Revised Code for the purpose of providing professional engineering, surveying, architectural, or landscape architectural services, or any combination of those services. A corporation organized under Chapter 1701. of the Revised Code for the purpose of providing those services also may be organized for any other purpose in accordance with that chapter.

(J) No firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation shall provide or offer to provide architectural services in this state unless more than fifty per cent of the partners, members, or shareholders, more than fifty per cent of the directors in the case of a corporation or professional association, more than fifty per cent of the managers in the case of a limited liability company the management of which is not reserved to its members, and more than fifty per cent of the trustees in the case of an employee stock ownership plan, are professional engineers, surveyors, architects, or landscape architects or a combination of those professions, who are registered in this or any other state and who own more than fifty per cent of the interests in the firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation; unless the requirements of this division and of section 1785.02 of the Revised Code are satisfied with respect to any professional association organized under Chapter 1785. of the Revised Code; or unless the requirements of this division and of Chapter 1705. of the Revised Code are satisfied with respect to a limited liability company formed under that chapter.

A corporation is exempt from the requirements of division (J) of this section if the corporation was granted a charter prior to August 7, 1943, to engage in providing architectural services or was otherwise lawfully providing architectural services prior to November 15, 1982, in this state.

(K) Each firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation through which architectural services are offered or provided in this state shall designate one or more trustees, partners, managers, members, officers, or directors as being in responsible charge of the professional architectural activities and decisions, and those designated persons shall be registered in this state. In the case of a corporation holding a certificate of authorization provided for in division (L) of this section, at least one of the persons so designated shall be a director of the corporation. Each firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation of that type shall annually file with the architects board the name and address of each trustee, partner, manager, officer, director, member, or shareholder, and each firm, partnership, association, limited liability company, or corporation of that type shall annually file with the board the name and address of all persons designated as being in responsible charge of the professional architectural activities and decisions and any other information the board may require. If there is a change in any such person in the interval between filings, the change shall be filed with the board in the manner and within the time that the board determines.

(L) No corporation organized under Chapter 1701. of the Revised Code shall engage in providing architectural services in this state without obtaining a certificate of authorization from the architects board. A corporation desiring a certificate of authorization shall file with the board a copy of its articles of incorporation and a listing on the form that the board directs of the names and addresses of all trustees, officers, directors, and shareholders of the corporation, the names and addresses of any individuals providing professional services on behalf of the corporation who are registered to practice architecture in this state, and any other information the board requires. If all requirements of sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code are met, the board may issue a certificate of authorization to the corporation. No Except for a corporation that was granted a charter prior to August 7, 1943, to engage in providing architectural services or that was otherwise lawfully providing architectural services prior to November 15, 1982, no certificate of authorization shall be issued unless persons owning more than fifty per cent of the corporation's shares and more than fifty per cent of the interests in the corporation are professional engineers, surveyors, architects, or landscape architects, or a combination of those professions, who are registered in this or any other state. Any corporation that holds a certificate of authorization under this section and otherwise meets the requirements of sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code may be organized for any purposes for which corporations may be organized under Chapter 1701. of the Revised Code and shall not be limited to the purposes of providing professional engineering, surveying, architectural, or landscape architectural services or any combination of those professions. The board, by rules adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, may require any firm, partnership, association, or limited liability company not organized under Chapter 1701. of the Revised Code that provides architectural services to obtain a certificate of authorization. If the board so requires, no firm, partnership, association, or limited liability company shall engage in providing architectural services without obtaining the certificate and complying with the rules.

(M) This section does not modify any law applicable to the relationship between a person furnishing a professional service and a person receiving that service, including liability arising out of that service.

(N) Nothing in this section restricts or limits in any manner the authority or duty of the architects board with respect to natural persons providing professional services or any law or rule pertaining to standards of professional conduct.

SECTION 2. That existing section 4703.18 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.

SECTION 3. This act shall not be interpreted as affecting the obligations imposed under any contract in existence on the effective date of this act, but any corporation that is providing architectural services pursuant to a contract on the effective date of this act shall comply with section 4703.18 of the Revised Code, as amended by this act, prior to renewing the contract.

SECTION 4. (A) The General Assembly hereby determines and declares that it recognizes and finds all of the following:

(1) Sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code are designed to protect the public from persons not qualified to provide architectural services.

(2) If the public is provided accurate information about the qualifications of persons that hold themselves as providers of architectural services, the public is better able to decide who to engage to provide those services.

(3) Persons who hold themselves out as providing architectural services should have the qualifications that the representation indicates they have.

(4) The existing exemption contained in division (H) of section 4703.18 of the Revised Code has outlived its usefulness in its current form.

(B) The General Assembly hereby declares that, in repealing the exemption in division (H) of section 4703.18 of the Revised Code from sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code to certain corporations authorized and in permitting those corporations to continue to provide architectural services if certain criteria are met, it is the General Assembly's intent to protect the safety and general welfare of the people of this state. The General Assembly further declares it is the policy of this state to require persons providing architectural services to comply with sections 4703.01 to 4703.19 of the Revised Code and to meet the quality standards that are included in those sections in order to maintain the provision of reliable architectural services. Consequently, the amendments made by this act are remedial and not punitive in nature.