Colorado Code § 12-120-403

Exemptions - definitions
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(1) Nothing in this part 4 shall prevent any
person, firm, corporation, or association from preparing plans and specifications for, designing,
planning, or administering the construction contracts for construction, alterations, remodeling,
additions to, or repair of, any of the following:
(a) One-, two-, three-, and four-family dwellings, including accessory buildings
commonly associated with those dwellings;
(b) Garages, industrial buildings, offices, farm buildings, and buildings for the
marketing, storage, or processing of farm products, and warehouses, that do not exceed one story
in height, exclusive of a one-story basement, and, under applicable building codes, are not
designed for occupancy by more than ten persons;
(c) Additions, alterations, or repairs to the buildings referred to in subsections (1)(a) and
(1)(b) of this section that do not cause the completed buildings to exceed the applicable
limitations set forth in this subsection (1);
(d) Nonstructural alterations of any nature to any building if the alterations do not affect
the life safety of the occupants of the building.
(2) Nothing in this part 4 shall prevent, prohibit, or limit any municipality or county of
this state, home rule or otherwise, from adopting such building codes as may, in the reasonable
exercise of the police power of said governmental unit, be necessary for the protection of the
inhabitants of the municipality or county.
(3) Nothing in this part 4 shall be construed as curtailing or extending the rights of any
other profession or craft, including the practice of landscape architecture by landscape architects
pursuant to article 130 of this title 12.
(4) Nothing in this part 4 shall be construed as prohibiting the practice of architecture by
any employee of the United States government or any bureau, division, or agency of the United
States government while in the discharge of the employee's official duties.
(5) Nothing in this part 4 shall be construed to prevent the independent employment of a
licensed professional engineer practicing pursuant to part 2 of this article 120.
(6) (a) Except as provided in subsection (6)(b) of this section, nothing in this part 4
prevents an interior designer from preparing interior design documents and specifications for
interior finishes and nonstructural elements within and surrounding interior spaces of a building
or structure of any size, height, and occupancy and filing the documents and specifications for
the purpose of obtaining approval for a building permit as provided by law from the appropriate
city, city and county, or regional building authority, which city, city and county, or regional
building authority may approve the filing in the same manner as for other professions and may
only reject the filing for a reason provided in law, which reason may be based on a local
government's ordinance, resolution, or building code adoption policy.
(b) (I) Interior designers shall not be engaged in the construction of:
(A) The structural frame system supporting a building;
(B) Mechanical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, ventilation, or electrical vertical
transportation systems;
(C) Fire-rated vertical shafts in any multistory structure;
(D) Fire-related protection of structural elements;
(E) Smoke evacuation and compartmentalization;
(F) Emergency sprinkler systems;
(G) Emergency alarm systems; or
(H) Any other alteration affecting the life safety of the occupants of a building outside
the content of the interior design documents and specifications listed in subsection (6)(a) of this
section.
(II) An interior designer shall, as a condition of filing interior design documents and
specifications for the purpose of obtaining approval for a building permit, provide to the
responsible building official of the jurisdiction proof of the interior designer's professional
liability insurance coverage that is in force. An interior designer is not subject to any of the
restrictions set forth in subsections (1)(b) and (1)(d) of this section.
(c) As used in this subsection (6), "interior designer" means a person who:
(I) Engages in:
(A) Consultation, study, design analysis, drawing, space planning, and specification for
nonstructural or nonseismic interior construction with due concern for the life safety of the
occupants of the building;
(B) Preparing and submitting interior design documents for the purpose of obtaining
approval for a building permit as provided by law for nonstructural or nonseismic interior
construction, materials, finishes, space planning, furnishings, fixtures, equipment, lighting, and
reflected ceiling plans;
(C) Designing for fabrication nonstructural elements within and surrounding interior
spaces of buildings; or
(D) The administration of design construction and contract documents, as the clients'
agent, relating to the functions described in subsections (6)(c)(I)(A) to (6)(c)(I)(C) of this
section, and collaboration with specialty consultants and licensed practitioners in other areas of
technical expertise; and
(II) Possesses written documentation that the interior designer:
(A) and (B) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2020.)
(C) Has met the education and experience requirements of, and has subsequently passed,
the qualification examination promulgated by the Council for Interior Design Qualification or its
successor organization; and
(D) Maintains active certification with the Council for Interior Design Qualification or
its successor organization.
(d) As used in this subsection (6), "nonstructural or nonseismic" includes interior
elements or components that are not load-bearing, do not assist in the seismic design, and do not
require structural computations for a building. Common nonstructural or nonseismic elements or
components include ceiling and partition systems that employ normal and typical bracing
conventions and are not part of the structural integrity of the building.
(7) Nothing in this article 120 shall prohibit a person who is licensed to practice
architecture in another jurisdiction of the United States from soliciting work in Colorado. The
person shall not perform the practice of architecture in this state without first having obtained a
license from the board or having associated with an architect licensed in this state who is
associated with the project at all stages of the project.
(8) Nothing in this section authorizes an individual, including an individual authorized to
engage in conduct under subsection (6) of this section, to engage in the practice of architecture,
engineering, or any other occupation regulated under the laws of this state or to prepare, sign, or
seal plans with respect to such practice or in connection with any governmental permit unless the
individual is licensed or otherwise permitted by law to so act.

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