STAMP REQUIREMENTS BY STATE

Do you need an architect's stamp on your house plans?

In seven of the eight states below, no: state law lets a non-architect prepare plans for a single-family home, within limits. New Jersey is the exception. Engineering is a separate question everywhere, and it's where most stamps come from.

State	Architect required for a single-family home?
California	California does not require an architect for a wood-frame single-family home of up to two stories plus a basement, but any part that departs from conventional wood framing must be designed and stamped by a licensed architect or engineer.
Texas	Texas does not require an architect for a private single-family home or duplex; the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners lists them as exempt from the Architectural Practice Act.
Florida	Florida does not require an architect for one- or two-family homes, townhouses or their outbuildings, regardless of cost, but wind design often means an engineer has to seal the structural portion.
Arizona	Arizona does not require an architect or engineer to design, alter or add to a detached single-family home; A.R.S. §32-144 exempts non-registrants for that work.
Colorado	Colorado does not require an architect for one- to four-family dwellings or their accessory buildings, including additions and alterations that keep them within those limits (C.R.S. §12-120-403).
Washington	Washington does not require an architect for residential buildings of up to four dwelling units, regardless of size, under RCW 18.08.410(5).
Oregon	Oregon does not require an architect for a single-family home or its accessory structures; ORS 671.030 lets non-architects prepare the technical submissions.
New Jersey	New Jersey requires residential construction plans to be sealed by a New Jersey architect or engineer; the only exception is a homeowner who personally prepares the plans for their own detached home and signs an affidavit saying so.

Read from statute and regulation text on October 2, 2026. General information, not legal advice; your building department decides what your project needs.