CheckMyDesignerQuestions to ask an architect before you sign
Last checked Nov 6, 2026
The questions at a glance
- Are you licensed in California? What is your license number?
- Who will stamp the drawings, and who does the structural engineering?
- Have you done projects like mine in San Francisco?
- How long did your recent permits take, and what kind of review did they go through?
- Will we sign a written contract before you start?
- What happens if the city asks for changes during plan check?
- Who owns the drawings when the project is done?
- Has a licensing board ever taken action against you?
Bring these to your meeting with an architect or designer. Each one comes with why it matters and how to check the answer in public records, so you can compare candidates on facts.
The questions, one by one
1. Are you licensed in California? What is your license number?
Why it matters: Only a licensed architect may use the title “architect” or “architectural designer” (B&P Code §5536). A building designer without a license can still draw some projects, so the answer tells you what you're hiring, not whether it's allowed.
How to check: Look the number up on the architect license lookup and confirm the name, license type and status match.
2. Who will stamp the drawings, and who does the structural engineering?
Why it matters: If part of your project departs from conventional wood framing, the city must require drawings for that part stamped by a licensed architect or engineer (B&P Code §5537). That person is often a separate structural engineer.
How to check: Get the engineer's name and license number, and look them up on the engineer license lookup.
3. Have you done projects like mine in San Francisco?
Why it matters: Experience with the same kind of work, such as an ADU, an addition or a seismic retrofit, is easier to judge than a general portfolio.
How to check: Ask for the permit numbers or addresses. Permits are public, and our reports list the San Francisco permits that name a licensed person.
4. How long did your recent permits take, and what kind of review did they go through?
Why it matters: Over-the-counter permits and permits that go through full plan review can take very different amounts of time, so compare like with like.
How to check: Compare their answer with their permit history in our report, which shows each permit's review type and how long it took.
5. Will we sign a written contract before you start?
Why it matters: A licensed architect must use a written contract, signed before work begins, with a few exceptions (B&P Code §5536.22). The list below shows what it must include.
How to check: Read the contract against that list before you sign.
6. What happens if the city asks for changes during plan check?
Why it matters: The architect's contract must describe how additional services and changes to the project, services or fees are handled (B&P Code §5536.22).
How to check: Ask whether answering plan check comments is part of the fee, and find where the contract says so.
7. Who owns the drawings when the project is done?
Why it matters: The contract must include a statement on the ownership and use of the drawings and other documents the architect prepares (B&P Code §5536.22).
How to check: Find that statement in the contract and make sure you understand it.
8. Has a licensing board ever taken action against you?
Why it matters: Board actions such as citations or discipline are public records.
How to check: Don't rely on the answer alone. The license record on DCA License Search shows public record and disciplinary actions.
What an architect's written contract must include
Under B&P Code §5536.22, a licensed architect's contract must include at least:
- A description of the project.
- A description of the services the architect will provide.
- How the architect will be paid, and the payment method you both agree on.
- The architect's name, address and license number, your name and address, and the project address.
- How additional services and changes to the project, services or fees will be handled.
- How either of you can end the contract.
- Who owns, and may use, the drawings and other documents the architect prepares.
- A notice that architects are licensed and regulated by the California Architects Board.
The law lists exceptions, for example when the work is unpaid or you knowingly waive a written contract in writing. A building designer without a license isn't covered by this section. See architect vs building designer.
Statutes quoted from the official California Legislative Information site, checked Nov 5, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
More guides
- When do you need a building permit in San Francisco?Which home projects need a San Francisco building permit, the short list of jobs that don’t, and how to check before you start.
- Do you need a permit to remodel a bathroom or kitchen in San Francisco?Why San Francisco requires a permit even for like-for-like kitchen and bathroom remodels, and when you also need drawings.
- What happens if you build or remodel without a permit in San Francisco?How San Francisco finds work done without a permit, what it costs when it does, and how to make the work legal.
- Selling or buying a house with unpermitted work in CaliforniaWhat California sellers must disclose, what a San Francisco 3R Report shows, and your options before closing.
- Architect vs draftsman vs building designer in CaliforniaWho may draw your plans in California, which homes are exempt, and who must stamp the rest.
- When do you actually need an architect in California?Which projects a designer without a license may draw in California, which need a licensed architect or engineer, and who to hire first.