Interior design is one of the few design professions where the rules change sharply depending on the state line. Roughly half the states register or license some form of the title “interior designer,” while the rest leave the title open to anyone who wants to use it. Even where a state does register interior designers, the registration process is not a criminal background check, and employers, design firms, and property managers who hire interior designers to work inside occupied homes often need to run their own screening on top of whatever the state requires.
This guide looks at how state interior design registration actually works, what the national NCIDQ exam does and does not cover, where criminal history questions and fingerprinting show up, and what an employer or client should understand about screening a designer who will be in someone’s home.
Which states register or license interior designers
There is no single federal licensing scheme for interior design. States that regulate the profession generally fall into two categories: “title acts,” which restrict who can call themselves a registered or certified interior designer but do not stop anyone from doing design work under another name, and narrower “practice acts,” which limit who can stamp certain commercial construction documents. Many states have no interior design statute at all, and in those states the title is unrestricted.
| State | Regulatory body | Credential | NCIDQ required | Criminal history check at registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Texas Board of Architectural Examiners | Registered Interior Designer (RID) | Yes, all three sections | Yes. A fingerprint based criminal history check is required for new and renewing active registrants, alongside architects and landscape architects. |
| Florida | Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Board of Architecture and Interior Design | Registered Interior Designer | Yes, or an equivalent exam accepted by the department | No interior design specific fingerprint rule in statute. The state’s general occupational licensing law limits denial to felonies or first degree misdemeanors directly related to the profession. |
| Nevada | State Board of Architecture, Interior Design and Residential Design | Registered Interior Designer | Set by board regulation | State law sets a good moral character standard for some credentials issued under the same chapter; the statute does not spell out a fingerprint process specific to interior design registration. |
| Most other states | Varies; many have no board for the title | No state registration or license for the general title “interior designer” | Not applicable | Not applicable at the state level |
Because the list above only covers three examples, anyone hiring or verifying a designer in a specific state should check that state’s own licensing board rather than assume the pattern carries over. Texas publishes its registration and fingerprinting requirements directly on the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners site, and Florida’s requirements for a registered interior designer are set out in the Florida Statutes governing architecture and interior design.
What the NCIDQ exam actually tests
The NCIDQ exam, administered by the Council for Interior Design Qualification, is a three part written examination on life safety, building systems, codes, and construction documents for interior spaces. States that require registration generally require applicants to pass it, or in some cases an equivalent exam the licensing department accepts. Florida’s statute, for example, ties eligibility for a registered interior designer credential directly to passing “the qualification examination prescribed by the Council for Interior Design Qualification or its successor entity or … an equivalent exam as determined by the department.”
What the exam does not do is check anyone’s criminal history. It measures technical competence, not character or background. A passing NCIDQ score tells an employer or client that the designer understands egress requirements, accessibility codes, and construction documentation. It says nothing about whether that person has a disqualifying conviction, a lapsed license in another state, or a history of theft, fraud, or violent offenses. States that want a criminal history component build it into the registration process separately, and not every state that requires the exam also requires a background check.
Criminal history questions and moral character provisions
Several state licensing statutes include a general “good moral character” or “directly related” standard that a board can apply when deciding whether to issue or deny a credential, even without a dedicated fingerprinting program. Florida’s broader occupational licensing law is a useful example of how these standards are usually written: a license may be denied for a prior felony or first degree misdemeanor conviction only if the crime is “directly related to the standards determined by the regulatory authority to be necessary and reasonably related to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare for the specific occupation.” That directly related standard, not a blanket ban on anyone with a record, is the common legal framework across most state occupational licensing. The exact wording and scope varies by state, and some states that register interior designers (Nevada’s statute creating its design board among them) apply a good moral character standard to related credentials in the same chapter, so the specific language should always be checked against the current statute rather than assumed.
An application that asks about criminal history, a board that can deny a credential for a conviction directly related to the work, and a fingerprint based check that actually screens for new arrests over time are three different things. A state can have one without the others. Employers should not assume that a valid interior design registration in any state means a criminal background check was performed; in states without a fingerprinting requirement, it generally was not.
Where fingerprinting is actually required
Texas is the clearest example of a state that ties interior design registration to an ongoing, fingerprint based criminal history check. Texas law requires incoming and renewing active registrants under the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners, which includes Registered Interior Designers along with architects and landscape architects, to submit fingerprints that are run through the state Department of Public Safety and the FBI. The board’s fingerprinting page explains that the prints are also retained so the board can be notified of a later arrest or conviction, rather than only checking a registrant’s history once at the time of initial registration.
Where a state does not publish an equivalent fingerprint requirement for interior designers, the honest answer is that the state has not built one, not that one exists somewhere unpublished. Employers evaluating a candidate’s credential from a state without a stated fingerprint process should treat the registration as proof of exam passage and standing with the board, not as proof that a criminal history check occurred.
Why employers and clients still run their own screening
Interior designers, unlike many registered professions, routinely work alone inside occupied private homes, sometimes with access to alarm codes, financial paperwork left on a desk, jewelry, firearms storage, or children and elderly family members present during a visit. A state registration, where one exists, verifies exam results and standing with a design board. It does not verify driving history, confirm identity against a Social Security number, or search county and federal court records in the places a candidate has actually lived. Design firms, staffing agencies, platforms that match homeowners with designers, and property management companies that bring in design staff for renovations commonly run their own background check as a condition of placement, independent of whatever the state registration process already covered.
Firms that screen their own interior design staff, contractors, or subcontractors should apply the same rule they would for any other role that enters a client’s home: screen for the specific risk (identity, driving if the role involves transporting materials or driving to job sites, and criminal history in every jurisdiction the person has lived or worked), and do not rely on a professional credential as a substitute for a jurisdiction specific records search.
FCRA duties when the screening is run by a third party
When an employer, staffing agency, or platform uses a third party consumer reporting agency to run a background check on a candidate rather than searching court records itself, the Fair Credit Reporting Act sets out duties that apply regardless of the job title. The employer generally must provide a standalone disclosure and get written authorization before ordering the report, give the candidate a pre-adverse action notice and a copy of the report before taking any adverse action based on it, and then provide an adverse action notice along with a summary of the candidate’s rights if the employer proceeds. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s implementing regulation for the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the definitions set out in the Code of Federal Regulations are the primary sources for how these duties are defined. A background check “showing” or “not showing” a particular record is never promised; what reports and how a record ages off varies by state law and the type of record.
Decisions about an applicant’s criminal history also sit alongside federal antidiscrimination law. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act continues to prohibit discrimination based on race or national origin, including hiring criteria that function as a proxy for discrimination, even after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission voted to rescind its 2012 enforcement guidance on considering arrest and conviction records in employment decisions. Employers should generally consult counsel before building a criminal history policy, since the legal framework in this area continues to evolve and can vary by state as well.
Frequently asked questions
Does every state require an interior designer to be licensed or registered?
No. Roughly half the states have a title act, practice act, or registration process for interior designers, and the rest do not regulate the title at all. Anyone verifying a credential should check the specific state’s own licensing board or statute.
Does passing the NCIDQ exam include a background check?
No. The NCIDQ exam tests technical knowledge of codes, life safety, and construction documents. It does not evaluate criminal history or character, which is a separate process some states build into their own registration requirements.
Which states require fingerprint based criminal history checks for interior designers?
Texas requires fingerprint based checks for incoming and renewing registrants under the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners, which covers Registered Interior Designers. Other states vary, and some do not publish an equivalent fingerprint requirement for the credential at all.
Can a criminal conviction disqualify someone from interior design registration?
In states with a general occupational licensing standard, a board may generally be able to deny or discipline a registration for a conviction that is directly related to the profession, rather than for any conviction at all. The exact standard and process varies by state statute.
If a designer holds a valid state registration, do I still need to run my own background check?
Many employers, firms, and platforms do, particularly because interior designers often work alone inside private homes. A state registration generally confirms exam results and standing with a design board, not a jurisdiction wide criminal records search or identity verification.
What does an employer have to do before taking action on a background check report?
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, an employer using a third party report generally must get written authorization in advance, then provide a pre-adverse action notice and a copy of the report before taking adverse action, followed by an adverse action notice and a summary of rights if it proceeds.
For related reading, see how registration and screening work for a closely related design credential in the architect license background check guide, and for a broader look at confirming any professional credential before hiring, see professional license verification background checks. For employment and tenant screening built around FCRA compliant process, visit Reveal Background.
This article is general information, not legal advice. State licensing rules change, and employers should confirm current requirements with the applicable state board and consult counsel for decisions involving criminal history.
