Of the 54 U.S. jurisdictions in this table, 31 state an architect seal diameter in some form, 45 put a license, registration or certificate number on the face, and 36 allow a seal applied electronically, digitally or as a computer generated image. The other 23 leave size to a printed figure or give no figure. A few faces add an emblem, such as the Louisiana pelican or the Texas star. This page sets all 54 rules in one sourced table, then compares them question by question.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against the statute or board rule cited in each row. Sources read September 2026.
| Jurisdiction | What the seal must show | Size, devices and electronic seal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Name and registration number; STATE OF ALABAMA and REGISTERED ARCHITECT on the outer ring | 2 in. circle; stamp or impression seal; computer seal if the authority having jurisdiction approves | Ala. Admin. Code r. 100-X-5-.03 |
| Alaska | Registered name, number in numerals, State of Alaska, Registered Professional Architect, signing space | No diameter stated; electronic version allowed if it closely follows the illustration | Alaska Stat. § 08.48.221(a) |
| Arizona | Registered name and number, Registered Architect, Arizona U.S.A., the words date signed | 1-1/2 in. outer, 1-1/8 in. inner; ink seal; no e-seal standard named | A.A.C. R4-30-303(A) |
| Arkansas | Registered name, license registration number, REGISTERED ARCHITECT, STATE OF ARKANSAS | 1.5 in. outer, 1 in. inner; metal impression, rubber stamp or printed seal; release legend on e-files | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XI.D |
| California | Licensed name and number, licensed architect, State of California, renewal date indicator | 1 to 2 in. circle; inked stamp or computer generated image; no separate e-seal rule | Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 5536.1(b) |
| Colorado | Name; number centered inside; COLORADO LICENSED and ARCHITECT arcs | Nominal 1-5/8 in. outer, 15/16 in. inner; crimp, rubber stamp or computer seal; e-seal allowed | 4 CCR 730-1, Rule 1.7(A)(1) |
| Connecticut | Legend fixed by statute; no other face item in rule text | No size, shape, device or electronic seal provision | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-293 |
| Delaware | Legal name, registration number, REGISTERED ARCHITECT and STATE OF DELAWARE | Specimen sets size; rubber stamp by default; computer seal after five conditions | 24 DE Admin. Code 300, r. 7.6.1 |
| District of Columbia | Licensed name and number, LICENSED ARCHITECT-DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, per the specimen | No size, shape or device named; e-seal under a four part test | 17 DCMR § 3413.1 |
| Florida | One architect's name and number; State of Florida above, Registered architect below | Round, about 2 in.; inked, embossed or computer generated; e-seal under a federal standard | Fla. Admin. Code r. 61G1-16.002(1) |
| Georgia | Name, certificate number, REGISTERED ARCHITECT, STATE OF GEORGIA | Exactly 1 3/4 in. circle; inked device or computer seal; e-seal allowed | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 50-2A-.01(9) |
| Guam | Registered name and number, professional designation, board authorized design | No size; any permanent medium the Board approves; computer signatures refused | 22 GCA § 32116 |
| Hawaii | Licensed name; Licensed Professional Architect and number in center; Hawaii, U.S.A. on the ring | 1-1/2 in. outer, 1-1/8 in. inner; embosser or inked rubber stamp; e-seal image not addressed | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Idaho | Name, Idaho license number, state of Idaho, licensed architect | No size or device stated; may be applied electronically | Idaho Code § 54-304(1) |
| Illinois | Licensed name and number, Licensed Architect, State of Illinois | No size or shape; reproducible seal or facsimile, electronic application allowed | 225 ILCS 305/14 |
| Indiana | Name and number as on your certificate (AR prefix optional), in the printed design | 1 5/8 to 1 7/8 in.; embossed, stamped, electronic or other permanent method | 804 IAC 1.1-2-7(a), (b), (c) |
| Iowa | Name, Iowa license number, Licensed Architect, Iowa | About 1 3/4 in.; rubber stamp, electronic image or other legible facsimile | Iowa Admin. Code r. 481-1064.1(7)"a" |
| Kansas | Licensed name, certificate number, LICENSED, KANSAS and ARCHITECT | 1 5/8 in. outer, 1 1/16 in. inner; rubber stamp, embosser or digital seal | Kan. Admin. Regs. 66-6-1(a) |
| Kentucky | Name and Architect in the band; Registered No., number and Commonwealth of Kentucky inside | 1 9/16 in. outer, 1 in. inner; no device named; no e-seal provision | 201 Ky. Admin. Regs. 19:265 Section 1 |
| Louisiana | Name, license number, Registered Architect, State of Louisiana, pelican | Round, about 1-3/4 in.; rubber seal or computer generated seal | LAC 46:I § 1303.A, B |
| Maine | No face wording in the rules cited | No size, shape or device; no e-seal technology standard | 32 M.R.S. § 225 |
| Maryland | Licensed name and number in the board approved design | No size or device set; electronic use handled in the signature definition | Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 3-501 |
| Massachusetts | Name, registration number, city or town of registration; home jurisdiction if out of state | Printed figure sets size; rubber seal; e-seal not addressed | 231 CMR 4.02(1) |
| Michigan | Licensed name, full license number, State of Michigan, Licensed Architect, per figure 404 | No diameter; three device families legal; e-seal authorized by statute | Mich. Admin. Code R 339.15404(1) |
| Minnesota | Optional seal: name and licensed architect; number goes in the required block | No size; regular seal or rubber stamp copy; electronic certification allowed | Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subds. 2 and 3 |
| Mississippi | Name, registration number, Registered Architect State of Mississippi | Exactly 1 1/2 in. circle; rubber stamp or official seal; e-seal image not mentioned | 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 201, R. 3.4 |
| Missouri | Licensed name, A-prefixed number, State of Missouri and Architect, two circles | 1 3/4 in. circle; embossing seal, rubber stamp or computer image | 20 CSR 2030-3.060(1) |
| Montana | No face wording in the statute | No size, device or electronic seal provision | Mont. Code Ann. § 37-65-308 |
| Nebraska | Licensed name and number, Architect, State of Nebraska; legible | No size; embossed, computer generated or other type; e-seal allowed | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-3437.01(1) |
| Nevada | Registered name, certificate number, Registered Architect, NAC 623.750 design | Round, about 1-7/8 in.; embossed, rubber stamp or electronic | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 623.185(1) |
| New Hampshire | Full name and number centered; Licensed Architect over The State of New Hampshire | 1-9/16 in. outer, 15/16 in. inner; rubber stamp or impression seal; no e-seal provision | N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02(b) |
| New Jersey | Codified text not retrieved; our face shows STATE OF NEW JERSEY, REGISTERED ARCHITECT, a 21AI number | No size or shape stated; Board supplies a seal press; no architect e-seal rule found | N.J.A.C. 13:27, codified text not retrieved |
| New Mexico | Name and number inside; STATE OF NEW MEXICO over REGISTERED ARCHITECT | 1 3/4 in. outer, 1 1/4 in. inner; device not specified; e-seal on conditions | 16.30.3.18(A) NMAC |
| New York | Licensed name and number, Registered Architect, State of New York, Great Seal | About 1 3/4 in.; embosser, rubber stamp or electronic version | 8 NYCRR § 69.5 |
| North Carolina | North Carolina and licensed name outside; Registered Architect and number inside | 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 in.; stamp, embosser, computer seal or similar; e-seal under a federal standard | 21 N.C. Admin. Code 02.0206(a)(2) |
| North Dakota | Licensed name and number, LICENSED ARCHITECT-STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA, DATE: line | 1-1/2 to 2 in.; rubber stamp, embosser or digital image | N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-02 |
| Ohio | Name and number centered; state of Ohio and registered architect in the ring | 2 in. circle, 1 3/8 in. inner; four device families; e-seal after five conditions | Ohio Admin. Code 4703-3-01(A) |
| Oklahoma | Name, Oklahoma license number, Licensed Architect, State of Oklahoma, a circle | No diameter; device defined by function; electronic image accepted | Okla. Admin. Code 55:10-11-8(a)(2) |
| Oregon | Your name alone, city and state of principal office; number optional | No size or shape; crimp, rubber or computer stamp; electronic stamping allowed | Or. Admin. R. 806-010-0045(1), (6)(b)(C) |
| Pennsylvania | Licensed name and number, Registered Architect, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania line | No diameter or shape; metal, inked or digital seal, alone or combined | 49 Pa. Code § 9.141(a) |
| Puerto Rico | Name, Arquitecto, license serial number, Puerto Rico, expiry date; nothing else | 2 in. circle; device not specified; digital seals left to the Junta | Reglamento Núm. 7717, Art. XIII |
| Rhode Island | Name above, Architect below; state emblem, Registered and certificate number inside | 1 1/2 in. outer, 1 1/8 in. inner; hand stamp under a board right; e-seal may replace it | 415-RICR-00-00-1 § 1.7(A) |
| South Carolina | State of South Carolina, Registered Architect; one name, business location and number inside | 1-3/4 in. outer, 1-3/16 in. inner; no device named; e-seal after five conditions | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 11-11.C |
| South Dakota | South Dakota, name, number, Architect with optional Licensed or Registered | 1 to 2 in., inner at 5/8 of outer; stamp, embosser, computer seal or facsimile | SDCL 36-18A-44 |
| Tennessee | Registered name and number, Registered Architect, State of Tennessee or Tennessee | Diagram only, no dimension; four device types; e-seal allowed on criteria | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) |
| Texas | Registered Architect and State of Texas on the band; star, number and name inside | At least 1 1/2 in.; rubber stamp, impression seal or electronic image | Tex. Occ. Code § 1051.654 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Name and Architect, in a board authorized design; no number prescribed | No size or shape; no device required or excluded; e-filing set per agency | 27 V.I.C. § 286 |
| Utah | Licensed name and number, Licensed Architect, State of Utah | Circle of at least 1 1/2 in.; no device named; electronic seals acceptable | Utah Admin. Code R156-3a-601(1) |
| Vermont | Office supplied design with your name; sample impression on file | No size or shape; no device specified or barred; no e-seal provision | Vermont Board of Architects Administrative Rules, rule 3.2 |
| Virginia | Name, Lic. No. and last six digits, COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA and ARCHITECT arcs | 2 in.; device not stated; e-seal after three tests | 18VAC10-20-760 B and F |
| Washington | Registered name and number, Registered architect, State of Washington | No size or shape; e-seal allowed under a four part digital test | RCW 18.08.370(2) |
| West Virginia | Design given as a Figure, not a word list | No size; inked rubber stamp or embosser; digital signature tests | W. Va. Code St. R. § 2-1-9.6 |
| Wisconsin | Credentialed name, credential number, city | 1-5/8 to 2 in.; four common device types; digital placement allowed | Wis. Admin. Code § A-E 2.02(1) |
| Wyoming | Licensed name and number, LICENSED ARCHITECT-STATE OF WYOMING, Date: label | 1-1/2 to 2 in.; rubber stamp, embosser or digital image | Wyoming Board of Architects and Landscape Architects Rules, ch. 9 § 2(a) |
The seal comes after registration. Degree routes, AXP, the ARE and the state exams a few boards add are laid out for every jurisdiction in how to become a licensed architect.
What does an architect seal show in most states?
Most faces carry three things: your name, your license, registration or certificate number, and a legend giving the profession and the jurisdiction. Georgia, Utah and Washington follow that pattern closely, pairing a title and a state name with your own name and number.
By our count, 49 rows put your name on the face in rule text and 38 name the jurisdiction in the legend. Titles differ: Registered Architect in Texas, Licensed Architect in Illinois, Registered Professional Architect in Alaska, Licensed Professional Architect in Hawaii, Arquitecto in Puerto Rico, and the single word Architect in Missouri and Virginia.
Where a rule sets the legend as one run, such as LICENSED ARCHITECT-STATE OF WYOMING, the die should repeat it as written. Delaware also wants your legal name, matching both your certificate and your license.
Which states leave the license number off the seal?
Forty-five rows put a number on the face. Oregon makes the registration number optional, Minnesota moves the license number into the signed certification block, and the U.S. Virgin Islands statute prescribes no number, prefix, territory name or date.
Where a format is set, it is specific: numerals only in Alaska, a capital A prefix in Missouri, an optional AR prefix in Indiana, and Lic. No. with the last six digits in Virginia.
In six rows no rule text read calls for a number: Connecticut, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, Vermont and West Virginia. The faces we manufacture for Connecticut, Maine, Montana and New Jersey carry one as a production layout, not as a statutory requirement.
Which states add an emblem, a date or a location line?
A handful go past name, number and legend. Louisiana requires a pelican, Texas a star, New York the Great Seal and Rhode Island a state emblem, while Puerto Rico requires the license expiry date and bars any further emblem or coat of arms.
Dates appear on or near the face. California asks for a way to show your renewal date, Arizona's face carries the words date signed, and North Dakota and Wyoming add a Date: label. Ohio puts the expiration date beside the impression, and Illinois wants the license expiration date on the first sheet.
Four rows add a place: Massachusetts the city or town of registration, plus a home state, province or territory for registrants based elsewhere; Oregon the city and state of your principal office; South Carolina a business location; and Wisconsin your city.
Which states define the seal by a printed figure?
Several rules draw the seal instead of measuring it. Delaware and the District of Columbia tie it to a printed specimen, Massachusetts to the figure in its regulation, Michigan to figure 404, and Tennessee and West Virginia to a diagram or Figure.
Others pair a drawing with a number. Indiana prints a design and a 1 5/8 to 1 7/8 inch range, Nevada's NAC 623.750 design runs about 1-7/8 inches, and Virginia's illustration may not be to scale, so its 2 inch figure controls.
Some boards supply or approve the design. Vermont's Office sends it once you are licensed and keeps your sample impression on file, Maryland, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands use a board approved or authorized design, and Rhode Island's Board controls the right to buy the stamp.
How do architect seal sizes compare across states?
Thirty-one rows state a diameter. Sixteen give one exact figure, from 1 1/2 inches in Mississippi and Rhode Island to 2 inches in Ohio, Virginia and Alabama; six more are approximate or nominal, seven set a range, and two set only a minimum.
The exact figures are 1 1/2 inches in Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Mississippi and Rhode Island; 1 3/4 inches in Georgia, Missouri, New Mexico and South Carolina; 2 inches in Alabama, Ohio, Puerto Rico and Virginia; 1 9/16 inches in Kentucky and New Hampshire; 1 5/8 inches in Kansas. The approximate or nominal ones are Colorado at nominally 1-5/8 inches, Florida at about 2, Nevada at about 1-7/8, and Iowa, Louisiana and New York at about 1 3/4.
California and South Dakota allow 1 to 2 inches, while Indiana and North Carolina allow only a quarter inch of play. Texas and Utah set a 1 1/2 inch floor with no ceiling. Inner circles are stated in 11 rows, from 15/16 inch in Colorado and New Hampshire to 1 3/8 inches in Ohio, and South Dakota sets its inner circle at five-eighths of the outer.
Which sealing devices do the rules name?
Inked devices, from rubber stamps to hand stamps, are named in 29 rows and embossers, impression seals or crimps in 20. Kansas, North Dakota and Wyoming put a rubber stamp, an embosser and a digital version side by side, while Kentucky, Utah and South Carolina name no device.
Some rules narrow the choice. Massachusetts names a rubber seal, Arizona an ink seal, Hawaii and West Virginia an embosser or an inked rubber stamp, and New Hampshire a rubber stamp or impression type seal with no computer form.
Four rows report how many device types are permitted rather than listing them: three families in Michigan, and four in Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin. New Jersey's Board supplies a seal press, Colorado lets you hold more than one device, and Vermont and the U.S. Virgin Islands neither require nor bar a stamp or an embosser.
Which states allow an electronic architect seal?
Thirty-six rows allow a seal applied electronically, digitally or as a computer generated image. Florida and North Carolina tie it to a named federal standard and Colorado names two technologies; Alabama, outside that count, accepts a computer generated seal only where the authority having jurisdiction does.
Many rows set tests rather than products. Delaware, Ohio and South Carolina each list five conditions, the District of Columbia a four part test, New Mexico three conditions plus authentication, and Virginia three tests. Alaska, Kansas and Washington want a digital signature unique to you, verifiable, under your sole control and voided by any change. Utah and Wyoming add a security duty when electronically sealed documents go out.
Seven rows have no electronic seal provision: Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire and Vermont, plus New Jersey, where the only provision found covers engineers and land surveyors. Puerto Rico leaves digital seals to the Junta, and Arkansas handles electronic files with a release legend.
Where does the signature go, and must the seal be dated?
Ten rows put your signature across or over the seal, among them Oregon and Washington. Indiana, Virginia and Guam put it beside the seal instead, Nebraska and South Dakota accept either spot, and Pennsylvania lets you sign over the seal while protecting one element of the face.
The full across list is Alaska, District of Columbia, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wyoming. Guam and North Carolina want signature and date by hand, Puerto Rico wants your own handwriting, and Tennessee addresses wet ink expressly, while Idaho, Rhode Island and Wisconsin allow electronic signing.
Dating takes several forms: inside the seal or within two inches of it in Alaska, under it in Rhode Island, over or across it in Mississippi and Oklahoma, and with the issue date and purpose in Georgia. Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio route signing through an information, certification or four part block.
Seven rows say nothing on signature or date: Alabama, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana and Vermont. Michigan, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands require a signature but set no dating rule.
Which documents must carry an architect seal?
Sealing usually attaches to technical submissions or construction documents headed to a client or a public authority. Wisconsin seals every sheet by default, Colorado seals per sheet of drawings, Tennessee reaches each original sheet including tracings, and Illinois places the seal on the first sheet.
Specification sets take the seal on a cover, title or index page in North Carolina, Indiana and Wyoming. Delaware, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah extend sealing to addenda, Virginia seals each final cover sheet plus every sheet in a drawing set, and California has contracts signed but not stamped.
On Guam, a single family dwelling may carry either an architect's or a civil engineer's seal. Montana's statute gives no document list.
Can you keep sealing after your architect license lapses?
Not in any row that answers the question. Nineteen rows address it: Kansas and Nevada bar stamping until the license is renewed or reissued, Pennsylvania wants the device returned or destroyed, and Rhode Island wants the stamp returned to the Board.
Georgia and South Carolina check status at the moment of sealing, Indiana requires current registration in good standing, and Michigan ends sealing authority with the license. Arizona, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, Tennessee, Vermont and Washington make use after a lapse unlawful or prohibited, and Delaware and Florida require the seal handed back or destroyed. New Hampshire prohibits sealing after a lapse and on retired status, and Puerto Rico bars stamping while a license is expired, suspended or inactive.
The other 35 rows do not say whether a lapsed seal may be used, though some set terms: Colorado licenses expire October 31 in odd numbered years, Illinois licenses November 30 in even numbered years, and Oregon moves an unrenewed certificate to inactive status on day 61.
What changes when you hold licenses in several states?
Plan on one seal per jurisdiction. Thirty-eight rows name the jurisdiction in the legend, and fixed sizes conflict: Mississippi sets exactly 1 1/2 inches while Ohio and Virginia set 2 inches, so one die cannot meet all three.
The number changes too: Oklahoma asks for the number Oklahoma issued you, Iowa for your Iowa license number and Georgia for your Georgia certificate number. Massachusetts has registrants based elsewhere add their home state, province or territory, and Oregon's location line shows the city and state where your principal office sits.
Size is where overlap helps. A 1 3/4 inch seal fits all seven stated ranges and both minimum only rules (Texas and Utah) and matches the exact figure in Georgia, Missouri, New Mexico and South Carolina, though each still needs its own legend.
What should you supply when ordering an architect seal?
Supply your name exactly as your license, registration or certificate shows it, the number in the state's format, the jurisdiction, any location or date line your row calls for, and the device you want. In Arizona, Georgia and Kentucky the diameter is fixed, so size is not your choice.
In a range state, pick a figure inside the range; where no figure exists, follow the specimen or board design. Vermont licensees file a sample impression after buying, and New Jersey's Board supplies a seal press.
Minnesota architects may skip the seal but not the certification block, with its prescribed sentence, signature, name, date and license number. For electronic sealing, read your row's conditions before relying on a generated image.
Related: electronic seal rules for architects and engineers, firm seal and certificate of authorization requirements by state, and interior designer seal requirements by state.
Frequently asked questions
Is an architect stamp the same as an architect seal?
Both words name the same mark in these rules. Hawaii's statute allows either a seal or a rubber stamp in the board's design, Oregon's rule speaks of crimp, rubber and digital stamps, and Florida judges the mark left on the document, not the tool.
Does an architect seal have to be round?
Where a rule names a shape, it is a circle, as in Alabama, California, Georgia, Ohio and Utah. Illinois, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin state no shape, and Indiana allows a milled edge or two concentric circles as the border.
Can two architects share one seal?
None of the rows allows it, and several point the other way. Florida permits one architect per seal, South Carolina's inner circle holds a single architect's name, Oregon's stamp shows your name alone, and Massachusetts treats the seal as personal and not transferable.
Can I seal work that someone else prepared?
Where a row speaks to it, sealing is limited to your own work or work done under your responsible control or supervision. New York covers work by a subordinate under supervision, Maine requires direct supervision, and Georgia extends sealing to prototypical documents the architect of record takes responsibility for.
Is a digital signature enough without a seal image?
Not everywhere. Pennsylvania tests the digital seal and the digital signature separately, Hawaii defines a digital signature without addressing an electronic seal image, and Mississippi allows an electronic or digital signature while saying nothing of a seal image. Guam refuses computer generated or facsimile signatures and dates outright.
Do I need a new seal after renewal or reinstatement?
No row says so. Alabama reissues the same registration number on reinstatement, and Texas notes its seal carries no date, so it does not expire with the annual cycle. California and Puerto Rico, by contrast, put a renewal or expiry date on the face.
To order, choose the jurisdiction on your license in our state architect stamps and seals collection, and have the name, number and any location or date line from your row ready.
