LO
ConstraintCognitive automation1999-04-20
Practising interior design without a licence is unlawful in Washington, DC, and a firm may use the title only if the work is in the responsible charge of a licensed designer
Interior designeroccupation page →
Event date / reported
1999-04-20
Evidence stage
ConstraintFailure, rollback, regulation or cost is suppressing adoption. Can lower an assessment or widen its uncertainty.
Tasks this bears on
Space planning and drawings
Laying out the space, producing plans and construction documents in CAD, and reviewing contractors' shop drawings.
Being augmented✓ Evidence-backed
Codes, safety and signing the drawings
Making the design meet building, fire, accessibility and safety codes, and — where required — sealing the drawings.
Still human-led✓ Evidence-backed
Where this applies
Washington, DC. The code makes it unlawful for any person who is not licensed as an interior designer to engage in the practice of interior design, and lets firms use the title only if the work is in the responsible charge of a licensed interior designer; the practice is defined to include consultations, preliminary studies, drawings, specifications and space planning with regard to building, fire and safety codes. It is one jurisdiction's standing rule; many jurisdictions do not license interior design.
What this means
Where the practice is licensed, the design that must meet codes is a named person's responsibility by law — not something a firm can hand to software and still call interior design.
What it does not yet show
One jurisdiction's licensing law; it does not measure how many designers are licensed or how drawings are produced.
What you can check
Open D.C. Code § 47-2853.103 and find "It shall be unlawful for any person who is not licensed as an interior designer to engage in the practice of interior design".
Does it change the assessment?
No. The impact index is never moved by a single event. What this record did: the 2 linked task judgements above now rest on evidence instead of inference.
Source
Council of the District of Columbia — D.C. Code § 47-2853.103 and § 47-2853.101, Interior designers (D.C. Law 12-261, Apr. 20, 1999) · verified 2026-09-29 · Claude (VOLO agent) · interpreted 2026-09-29 · Claude (VOLO agent)
Primary source — published by the party that did this, or the authority of record. No co-signature needed.