Bizee vs. Doola for Architecture Studios: Getting Licensed and Formed

Some states require a licensed architect to hold a majority or full ownership stake in the firm; others allow non-architect ownership with restrictions on who can sign and seal drawings. A handful of states don't require a special entity type at all for practicing architecture, while most do. Check your specific state board's rules before choosing between an LLC, a PLLC, and a professional corporation, since the wrong choice can mean re-registering later. Don't assume your state follows the same rule as a neighboring one.

If you're a licensed architect running a solo practice or small studio in a single state, and you've confirmed the correct entity type with your board, Bizee's flat filing fee and first-year included registered agent get the underlying paperwork filed cheaply. It won't verify board compliance or handle your firm's separate licensing registration, if your state requires one beyond individual licensure. Keep a copy of your board confirmation email alongside your entity filing records.

Architecture firms increasingly collaborate with renderers, technical drafters, and junior designers based outside the US, especially for visualization and construction documentation work. If a cofounder or key collaborator fits that pattern, Doola's EIN filing as a third-party designee skips the Social Security number requirement, and its bundled bookkeeping is useful if you'd rather not manage US tax filing alongside project deadlines.

Architectural plans carry their own federal copyright protection under the Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act, separate from any contract terms. Most standard architecture services agreements grant the client a license to use the plans for the specific project, while the architect retains copyright ownership of the design itself. Make sure your contract is explicit about this, especially the consequences if a client stops paying mid-project: an unclear contract can leave you unable to stop a client from building your unfinished design without you. This single clause has quietly saved more than one small architecture studio from a genuinely expensive dispute.

A firm that provides construction administration services, reviewing shop drawings, responding to contractor questions, inspecting the site during building, takes on liability that extends well past the design phase into how the building actually gets built. Professional liability insurance for architects needs to cover this extended engagement window, not just the design deliverable itself, and many states' statutes of repose allow construction-related claims for a decade or more after project completion. Confirm this scope explicitly with your carrier before you take on a project that includes it.

State filing fees average $132 nationally¹, a minor cost next to professional liability coverage built for a decade-plus claims tail. Net margins across the broader market average 8.56%², a useful anchor when a client pushes back on a fixed-fee proposal that already accounts for construction administration risk and long-tail insurance costs.

Say a client pays for a full set of construction documents, then decides to build the project without hiring your firm for construction administration, instead handing the drawings to a contractor to interpret on their own. Depending on your contract's license terms, this might be entirely within the client's rights, or it might exceed the license you granted for the specific engagement they paid for. Spell out in the contract exactly what the client's payment buys: a license to build this specific project as designed, not an unrestricted right to reuse, modify, or resell the design elsewhere, and not a substitute for construction administration if your contract assumes you'll be involved through that phase.

If you're a domestic, single-state studio that's already confirmed its entity type with the board, Bizee gets the underlying filing done cheaply. If you're collaborating with an international team or need EIN help for a founder outside the US, Doola's bundle of bookkeeping and non-resident support is worth the extra cost.

Run through these checks before you pick a formation service:

• Ask your state board of architecture whether it requires a professional entity and how much of the firm a licensed architect must own.
• Confirm whether your state requires a separate firm registration on top of the entity filing.
• Write the license terms into every services agreement so it is clear the client may use the plans only for the specific project.
• Scope your professional liability insurance to cover construction administration if you review shop drawings or visit the site during building.
• File the entity with Bizee for a single-state studio, or with Doola if a founder or collaborator is outside the US.