The short answer is yes. Once you become an Oregon registered architect, you must abide by all statutes and rules that apply to Oregon architects regardless of the type of project. Whether a project is residential or otherwise exempt does not change this obligation, as the primary purpose of ORS 671.030 (activities not considered as “practice of architecture") is to identify those specific projects and activities that non-architects may engage in.
A longer answer would begin with the definitions in the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) used by the Oregon State Board of Architect Examiners.
- "Architect" means a registered architect or a foreign architect.
- "Building" means a structure that has the purpose of supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy.
- "Practice of architecture" means engaging in the art and science of designing, in whole or in part, buildings and the space within and appurtenant to buildings and providing related services that include, but are not limited to, planning, developing design concepts, preparing technical submissions and other documents that define a building’s form and function, coordinating construction work and the work of other consultants and providing construction phase services.
- Exempt works are activities not considered the practice of architecture which can be found in ORS 671.030. This includes, but is not limited to the following: “. . . . a building, or an appurtenance to a building, if the building or the appurtenance has a ground area of 4,000 square feet or less and is not more than 20 feet in height . . .".
So is a registered architect who creates exempt works practicing architecture by definition? Technically no, that architect is not; however, that does not mean the registered architect is exempt from the rules and laws that apply to registered architects. It simply means that other individuals are not practicing architecture while working on exempt projects. It does not mean architects get to remove their architect hat while working on exempt projects. When applying the statutes and rules, it helps to clarify which group of individuals you are defining: architects or non-architects.
For example, Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 806-010-0045, states that every registered architect shall have a stamp and all technical submissions which are required by public authorities for building permits or regulatory approvals, or are intended for construction purposes, including all addenda and other changes to such submissions, shall be stamped and signed by the architect. The stamp with the registrant's manual or digital signature must appear on the title page of specifications and on every sheet of the drawings intended for permit or construction, whether or not the project is exempt under ORS 671.030, and must be the stamp of an Oregon registered architect with control and supervision of the project. Hence, residential plans drawn by an Oregon registered architect must be stamped by that architect.
Does this mean registered architects must provide observation for exempt projects if they must stamp and seal exempt work? No. OAR 806-010-0050 Observation states that architects must observe all projects they stamp, with the exception of exempt projects.
What about the written contract rules; should an architect use a written contract when providing professional services for a residential or other exempt project? In this case the answer is yes, unless it meets the exceptions noted in OAR 806-020-0020(2).
OAR 806-020-0020: Responsibility to the Public
(3) 806-020-0020(2) shall not apply to any of the following:
(a) Professional services rendered by an architect or architectural firm for which the client will not pay compensation.
(b) If the client knowingly states in writing, after full disclosure of the requirements of this section, that a contract that complies with these requirements is not necessary.
(c) Professional services rendered by an architect or architectural firm to a professional engineer registered to practice engineering.
To summarize, if you are an Oregon registered architect working on a residential or other project listed in ORS 671.030, you are not exempt from the body of Oregon rules and laws regarding the practice of architecture.