There’s progress afoot in the world of interior design legislation. Last month, on March 19, Utah passed a bill to modernize their current legislation — and became the first state to pass legislation in 2026. Then, just 11 days later, Idaho passed legislation to recognize the profession of interior design in the state and allow permitting privileges, becoming the 30th state (and 32nd U.S. jurisdiction, including Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.) in a long-term effortto enact legislation in all 50 states. Talk about momentum.
Why does this matter? Because interior designers specifically, and the interiors industry in general, play a pivotal role in protecting public health, safety, and well-being. From practitioners to manufacturers, everyone benefits when states legally recognize the profession. Legislation that enshrines the rights of qualified (that is, NCIDQ-certified) interior designers to practice independently pays dividends: the built environment becomes safer, public awareness and understanding of interior design increases, and the image of the entire industry is burnished. What’s more, the recent Utah and Idaho wins serve as uplifting reminders to be persistent, stay optimistic, and keep striving toward the future we want to see.
Now, let’s dig a little deeper into these recent legislative wins.
In Utah, Senate Bill 286 updates the scope of practice for qualified interior designers in the state, building on legislation passed in 2016. The bill removes outdated limitations, along with making key technical updates and clarifications. It will go into effect May 6. This is particularly meaningful, because a surprising number of legislators in neighboring states were looking to Utah’s 2016 legislation (and its outdated limitations) as the model for their own states.
In Idaho, House Bill 790 was passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Brad Little on March 30. Here’s what’s remarkable: This legislation passed in its first year, a rare feat. The law establishes a voluntary title act for qualified interior designers, creating a protected designation and registry for NCIDQ-certified professionals. Qualified interior designers in the state will soon be able to independently practice within a defined scope and to stamp and seal construction documents for permitting.
These wins are especially heartening because there were no obvious legislative gains in 2025 — no changes to the map. Yet, while we didn’t gain new laws regulating interior design last year, we also did not lose any legislated jurisdictions, despite deregulation efforts that crept up. In hindsight, 2025 became largely a year of defense. Advocates in Florida and Nevada fought hard and successfully defeated deregulation attempts in their states.
Unfortunately, negative legislation, including deregulation, is an ongoing battle. Proving the worth of licensed professions will always be a reality for any career within the occupational licensing realm. In every instance, it reveals a constant need for advocacy: it is so important to continually educate decision-makers about the role that qualified interior designers play in protecting public health, safety, and well-being.
Still, I am hopeful that Utah and Idaho are indicative of a positive trend this year. While anything can happen in a legislative session, I do know that we are better positioned than ever before. The Consortium for Interior Design — a collaboration between IIDA, ASID (the American Society of Interior Designers) and CIDQ (the Council for Interior Design Qualification) — has been helping facilitate better unity among professional organizations.
CIDQ’s Model Legislation is providing a gold standard of legislative language that has been successful in a growing number of states. And most importantly, we have amazing leaders at the local level. Both IIDA and ASID chapters are producing advocates who are mastering their political environments. Their expertise is growing exponentially as they continue to observe and learn from each other’s legislative efforts. I’m honored to be a part of it.
Interior design advocacy requires persistence and patience, not just to establish legislation but to maintain it. Today, we have legislation in 30 states, which means we’ve got 20 to go. Daunting, but doable. As renowned scientist and two-time Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie once said, “I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy.” With time, perseverance, and strategy, I believe we’ll reach our advocacy goals.
Editor’s Note: Marci Merola is the Senior Director of Advocacy at IIDA, where she works with state chapters around the country to strengthen their advocacy efforts, as well as to maintain and expand regulation of interior design. Marci brings more than 20 years of advocacy experience to IIDA, working at both the state and national level, and mostly in the association and nonprofit sector.