The Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB) tracked 164 pieces of legislation that specifically affected Landscape Architects and professional regulation throughout 2025. The legislative trends involve the deregulation of professions, licensure board reform efforts, license mobility initiatives, and criminal history reform. Most of these legislative trends emphasize the need for a centralized licensing authority within each state.

 

Earlier in the year, Nebraska and Hawaii both planned to adopt the Uniform Licensure Standard put forward by CLARB. New Mexico sought to lower the required minimum years of experience for a licensure applicant with bill SB 6, but it was postponed indefinitely after it was reported by a committee with a passing recommendation. A month later, New Mexico's landscape architects were in danger of losing their licenses if the operational authority state's Board of Landscape Architecture was not extended. The New Mexico ASLA chapter was successful in getting SB 113 on the agenda before the legislative session ended, resulting in the bill being passed by the House of Representatives.

In Florida, legislation was proposed to reduce or eliminate continuing education requirements and eliminate professional licensure boards. The licensing authority would shift to a centralized administration within the state licensing department. A similar bill was also presented in Alabama to move the autonomous boards into a centralized agency. Legislation in Nevada sought to restructure their licensure boards by merging standalone boards into one large, centralized agency with multi-disciplinary licensing boards.

The measures highlight the scrutiny professional regulation is facing in the current legislative environment and reinforces the need to protect public health and safety through effective licensure. CLARB will continue to address these issues as the 2026 legislative sessions begin.