The law
Architectural work in South Africa may only be done by people registered with the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP), and each registration category may only take on certain kinds of building. A registered professional may only take on the architectural work identified for their category, and councils expect plans to be submitted by such a professional.
The current rules are SACAP's Board Notice 901 of 2026 (Identification of Work), published on 27 March 2026. It replaced Board Notice 27 of 2021, so lists you find online from before 2026 may be out of date. The notice's Scope of Practice Matrix (Schedule 2) sets which categories may do each type of work; the table below follows it.
The four categories
| Category | Typical house work it covers (2026) |
|---|---|
| Professional Architectural Draughtsperson | Single-storey dwelling units, boundary walls, fences and retaining walls, agricultural barns and sheds, minor works, and (per the matrix) freestanding carports and private garages. Low complexity only. |
| Professional Architectural Technologist | Everything above, plus double-storey dwellings, livestock shelters, breeding units and other farm buildings. Low and medium complexity. |
| Professional Senior Architectural Technologist | A wider list, including dwellings of three storeys and more, guest houses and complex dwellings. |
| Professional Architect | Not restricted. |
Candidates (people in training) may only work under the direction of a registered professional who takes responsibility. They do not sign plans in their own right.
Check a registration
SACAP publishes its register. Before you pay a deposit, ask for the person's name and registration number and check it.
If someone is not registered
Doing architectural work while unregistered is an offence under the Architectural Profession Act, with a fine equal to double the fee earned, or a fine worked out on the three-years-imprisonment scale under the Adjustment of Fines Act. In June 2026 a magistrate's court in Palm Ridge convicted an unregistered person for illegally doing architectural work.
Minor building work is open to every registered category.
Questions people ask
Can a draughtsman draw a double-storey house?
Not under SACAP's 2026 rules. Double-storey dwellings are work for an architectural technologist or above.
Can a draughtsman draw a carport or garage?
SACAP's 2026 Scope of Practice Matrix (Schedule 2) rates freestanding carports and private garages as low-complexity work open to all four categories, draughtspersons included. The notice's own summary table for draughtspersons does not list them, so confirm with SACAP if it matters.
Sources
- SACAP Board Notice 901 of 2026, Identification of Work
- SACAP Board Notice 27 of 2021 (replaced)
- Architectural Profession Act 44 of 2000, s41 (acts.co.za)
- SACAP: unregistered person convicted (June 2026)
Checked October 2026. Councils change their tariffs every July, so confirm fees before you pay.