§34-17-4. Corporation or partnership not to be licensed or registered to practice; practice deemed personal right; final drawings, etc., to bear signature and seal; partnerships and corporations authorized as vehicle for practice.

(a) A corporation or partnership, as such, may not be licensed or registered to practice landscape architecture, but may, if issued a certificate of authorization by the board, use any form of the title "landscape architect" in connection with the corporate or partnership name.

(b) The right to engage in the practice of landscape architecture is a personal right, based upon the qualifications of the individual evidenced by his or her license and is not transferable. All final drawings, specifications, plans, reports, or other papers or documents involving the practice of landscape architecture, as defined in Section 34-17-1, when issued or filed for public record, shall be dated and bear the signature and seal of the landscape architect or landscape architects who prepared or approved them.

(c) Nothing in subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall be construed to prevent the formation of partnerships and corporations as a vehicle for the practice of landscape architecture subject to all the following conditions:

(1) The practice of or offer to practice landscape architecture for others as defined in Section 34-17-1 by individual landscape architects licensed under this chapter through a corporation as officers, employees, or agents, or through a partnership as partners, officers, employees, or agents, or the offering or rendering of landscape architecture services by a corporation or partnership through individual landscape architects licensed under this chapter is permitted, subject to the provisions of this chapter if all the following requirements are satisfied:

a. One or more of the corporate officers in the case of a corporation, or one or more of the partners in the case of a partnership, is designated as being responsible for the professional services described in Section 34-17-1 of the corporation or partnership and is a landscape architect under this chapter.

b. All personnel of the corporation or partnership, who act in its behalf as landscape architects, are licensed under this chapter.

c. The corporation or partnership has been issued a certificate of authorization by the board, as hereinafter provided.

The requirements of this chapter shall not prevent a corporation and its employees from performing landscape architectural services for the corporation, subsidiary, or affiliated corporations.

(2) A corporation or partnership desiring a certificate of authorization shall file with the board an application on forms provided by the board listing relevant information, including the names and addresses of all officers and members of the corporation, or officers and partners of the partnership, and also of an individual or individuals duly licensed to practice landscape architecture in this state who shall be in responsible charge of the practice of landscape architecture in this state through the corporation or partnership, and other information required by the board, accompanied by an original authorization fee to be determined by the board. A form, giving the same information, shall accompany the annual renewal fee to be determined by the board. In the event there is a change in any of these persons during the year, the change shall be designated on the same form and filed with the board within 30 days after the effective date of the change. If all of the requirements of this section are met, the board shall issue a certificate of authorization to the corporation or partnership, and the corporation or partnership shall be authorized to contract for and to collect fees for landscape architectural services.

(3) No corporation or partnership shall be relieved of responsibility for conduct or acts of its agents, employees, or officers by reason of its compliance with this section, nor shall any individual practicing landscape architecture as defined in Section 34-17-1 be relieved of responsibility for landscape architectural services performed by reason of his or her employment or relationship with such corporation or partnership.

(Acts 1971, No. 2396, p. 3819, §10; Acts 1995, No. 95-283, p. 523, §3.)