Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 30 - Professions and Occupations › Part 201 - Mississippi State Board of Architecture › Chapter 4 - Professional Code of Conduct › Rule 30-201-4.5 - Professional Conduct

Current through June 25, 2024
4.5.1 Each office
				maintained for the preparation of drawings, specifications, reports or other
				professional work shall have an architect in that office having direct
				knowledge and supervisory control of such work.
Any office which is advertised or promoted as an
				  architectural office must have an architect employed in responsible control of
				  that office who is in responsible control of work produced in that location.
Commentary - This rule addresses the subject of
				  main, branch or satellite offices of an architectural firm and protects the
				  public in that such offices are continually supervised by an architect
				  registered in the jurisdiction where the office is located.
4.5.2
A. "Responsible control" shall be control
				over all phases of the practice of architecture as is ordinarily exercised by
				architects applying the required professional standard of care, including, but
				not limited to control over and detailed knowledge of the content of technical
				submissions throughout preparation by the architect and the architect's
				employees.
B. An architect shall
				not sign or seal drawings, specifications, reports or other professional work
				which was not prepared by or under the responsible control of the architect;
				except that (i) the architect may sign or seal those portions of the
				professional work that were prepared by or under the responsible control of
				persons who are registered under the architectural registration laws of this
				jurisdiction if the architect has reviewed in whole or in part such portions
				and has either coordinated their preparation or integrated them into the
				architect's work, and (ii) the architect may sign or seal portions of the
				professional work that are not required by the architectural registration law
				to be prepared by or under the responsible control of an architect if the
				architect has reviewed and adopted in whole or in part such portions and has
				integrated them into the architect's work.
C. Plans, specifications, drawings, reports
				or other documents will be deemed to have been prepared under the responsible
				control of an architect only when:
1. the
				client requesting preparation of such plans, specifications, drawings, reports
				or other documents makes the request directly to the architect, or to the
				architect's employee, so long as the architect has the right to control and
				direct the employee in the material details of how the work is to be performed;
				and
2. the architect supervises,
				directs and is involved in the preparation of the plans, specifications,
				drawings, reports or other documents and has input into and full knowledge of
				their preparation prior to their completion; and
3. the architect reviews the final plans,
				specifications, drawings, reports or other documents; and
4. the architect has the authority to, and
				does, make any necessary and appropriate changes to the final plans,
				specifications, drawings, reports or other documents; and
5. contributions of information or predrawn
				detail items or detail units that are incidental to and intended to be
				integrated into an architect's technical submissions are from trusted sources
				(including, but not limited to, manufacturers, installers, consultants, owners,
				or contractors), are subject to appropriate review, and are then coordinated
				and integrated into the design by the architect.
D. Review, or review and correction, of
				technical submissions after they have been prepared by others outside of the
				architect's employ does not constitute the exercise of responsible control
				because the reviewer has neither control over nor detailed professional
				knowledge of the content of such submissions throughout their preparation.
Commentary - This provision reflects current
				  practice by which the architect's final construction documents may comprise the
				  work of other professionals as well as work of the architect. It covers
				  architects registered in this state who may be engaged to do a portion of the
				  work without being subject to the principal architect's supervisory control. If
				  an architect does not expect to be responsible for the adequacy of the
				  architect's consultant's work, the architect should not sign or seal such
				  work.