Does anyone know if Ohio Law requires architects to have written agreements. If so, do they need to be signed by the client.

Would an email approval suffice for evidence to the state board of architects that the architect had fulfilled their obligation under state law if a written contract is required.

I have never seen a law that requires a written contract. It is advisable to get it in writing to protect both parties and spell out what is to be done.

Chuck

A written contract is protection for both you and your client. I'm not sure WHY you wouldn't want one. Have your attorney draw up a standard services contract and put it in a word processing form. Then you can copy the standard and edit it to suit each situation.

An e-mail acknowledging receipt of the contract and approval of it should suffice. But a signed document is better.

According to the Ohio Architects Board, a written agreement (http://www.arc.ohio.gov/ConsumerInformation.aspx#wcoh) is required to engage the services of an Architect. All of the agreement's requirements are included in the above link.

There is no apparent e-mail clause in the regs. There has been an "e-signature" law in effect since the Clinton administration, however I do not know how that would help with a state regulatory board which chooses to deal only with written, hand-signed documents.

You should contact a lawyer familiar with Ohio case law in this area to be completely safe. A cursory Google Search returns this Construction Attorney (http://www.jnormanstark.com/), as an example.