Ruling On Designer Licensing Delivered

HARTFORD (AP) — A federal judge has struck down a Connecticut law that required people to get a state license before calling themselves an interior designer.

The recent ruling by a federal judge came after the Institute for Justice sued the state’s Department of Consumer Protection last September on behalf of three Connecticut residents. Many states regulate the interior design industry, although none have a law as restrictive as Connecticut’s.

There are 640 registered interior designers in Connecticut, which collects an annual fee of $150 from each person. Violators could be fined up to $500 and could be put in prison for up to one year.