1. A. The board shall issue a certificate of registration to each architect. An architect may, upon registration, obtain the seal of the design authorized by the board, which bears the registrant's name and the legend "Registered Architect--State of New Mexico". All plans, specifications, plats and reports prepared by an architect or under an architect's responsible charge shall be signed and sealed by that architect, including all plans and specifications prepared by an architect or under an architect's responsible charge on work described in Subsection B of Section 61-15-9 NMSA 1978.
2. B. Certificates of registration shall be valid for a period of time as set by rule and shall be invalid after the date of expiration unless renewed.
3. C. Except as provided in Section 61-1-34 NMSA 1978, issuance or renewal may be effected at any time prior to expiration by the payment of a fee in an amount set by the board. Fees shall be paid to the board.
4. D. The failure on the part of any registrant to renew a certificate prior to expiration shall not deprive that person of the right of renewal within three years of the expiration date of the certificate. Except as provided in Section 61-1-34 NMSA 1978, reinstatement of the certificate may be effected in a manner prescribed by rule and may include penalties and fees.
5. E. Except as provided in Section 61-1-34 NMSA 1978, renewal of a certificate that has been expired for more than three years shall require a demonstration of continued proficiency and qualification to practice architecture in addition to payment of penalties and fees and such other requirements as may be required by rule.

History: Laws 1931, ch. 155, § 6; 1939, ch. 82, § 6; 1941 Comp., § 51-1406; 1953 Comp., § 67-12-6; Laws 1961, ch. 153, § 1; 1975, ch. 175, § 1; 1979, ch. 362, § 6; 1987, ch. 282, § 8; 1999, ch. 263, § 5; 2021, ch. 92, § 12.

ANNOTATIONS

Delayed repeals. — For delayed repeal of this section, see 61-15-13 NMSA 1978.

The 2021 amendment, effective June 18, 2021, provided for the waiver of certificates of registration fees for military service members and veterans; in Subsection C, added "Except as provided in Section 61-1-34 NMSA 1978, issuance or"; and in Subsections D and E, added "Except as provided in Section 61-1-34 NMSA 1978".

The 1999 amendment, effective June 18, 1999, in Subsection A, added the first sentence, and substituted the language beginning "prepared by an architect or under" for "issued by a registrant shall be stamped with the seal during the life of a registrant's certificate" in the last sentence; substituted "be valid for a period of time as set by rule and shall be invalid after the date of expiration" for "expire on the last day of December following their issuance or renewal and shall be invalid after that date" in Subsection B; in Subsection C, substituted "prior to expiration" for "during December" in the first sentence, and deleted the former second sentence, which read "The registrant shall satisfy the board that he is still proficient and qualified to practice architecture, as required by the board"; in Subsection D, substituted "prior to expiration" for "annually in December", substituted "within three years of the expiration date of the certificate" for "thereafter, but the fee to be paid for the renewal of a certificate after December shall be increased ten percent for each month or a fraction of a month that the payment for renewal is delayed", and added the last sentence; and added Subsection E.

The 1987 amendment, effective June 19, 1987, in Subsection C deleted from the end of the first sentence "but not to exceed fifty dollars ($50.00) for a legal resident and one hundred dollars ($100) for a nonresident" and deleted from the last sentence "the secretary of" preceding "the board"; in Subsection D deleted the former last sentence which read "The maximum fee for a delayed renewal shall not exceed twice the normal fee for each and every year that registrant remains in default"; and made minor changes in language and punctuation throughout the section.

Initial registration certificate free. — This section does not provide for any registration fee to be collected at the time the applicant has been accepted by the board as being entitled to registration as a New Mexico architect. Thus, a New Mexico architect appears to be entitled to his original certificate of registration free of charge. 1966 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 66-44.

Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 5 Am. Jur. 2d Architects § 1 et seq.

Failure of architect to procure license as affecting validity or enforceability of contracts, 30 A.L.R. 851, 42 A.L.R. 1226, 118 A.L.R. 646.

What amounts to architectural or engineering services within license requirements, 82 A.L.R.2d 1013.

6 C.J.S. Architects §§ 7 to 15.