In many places,  building codes and legislation of professions allow persons to design single family residential buildings and, in some cases, light commercial buildings without an architectural license. As such, “Building designer” is a common designation in the  United States,  Canada,  Australia and elsewhere for someone who offers building design services but is not a licensed architect or engineer.

Anyone may use the title of “building designer” in the broadest sense. In many places, a building designer may achieve certification demonstrating a higher level of training. In the U.S., the National Council of Building Designer Certification (NCBDC), ^[2]  an offshoot of the American Institute of Building Design, ^[3]  administers a program leading to the title of Certified Professional Building Designer (CPBD). Usually, building designers are trained as  architectural technologists or draftspersons; they may also be architecture school graduates that have not completed licensing requirements. ^[4]

Many building designers are known as “residential” or “home designers”, since they focus mainly on residential design and remodeling. ^[5]  In the  U.S. state of  Nevada, “Residential Designer” is a regulated term for those who are registered as such under Nevada State Board of Architecture, Interior Design and Residential Design, and one may not legally represent oneself in a professional capacity without being currently registered.