A New Hampshire landscape architect must seal every document issued or filed for public record, using a set design of two circles ringed by twelve leaves. The outer circle is 1-5/8 inches, the inner circle 1-1/4 inches, and the leaves carry the full seal to 1-7/8 inches. Sealing ordinary plans, maps and reports is your call. This page covers the face, size, devices, signing, digital use, lapse and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(b). Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Top legend | Licensed Landscape Architect, running across the upper part of the band between the circles | N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(b) |
| Bottom legend | State of New Hampshire, running across the lower part of that band | N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(b) |
| Center | Full name and license number, each set straight across inside the inner circle | N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(b) |
| Border | A ring of twelve leaves around the whole seal | N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(b) |
| Size and shape | Round; 1-5/8 inch outer circle, 1-1/4 inch inner circle, 1-7/8 inches across the leaves | N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(b) (source ss by #13849, eff 3-10-24) |
| Devices | Three are named, and a digital seal is one of them | N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(a) |
| Digital seal | Allowed; no technology is specified | N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(a), (b) |
| Signature and date | Public record documents carry the responsible licensee's seal, signature and date together | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 310-A:152 |
| Documents to seal | Required for anything issued or filed for public record; optional for plans, maps and reports | N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(a), (c) |
| After lapse or surrender | No sealing once the license lapses, and a voluntary surrender also ends the right to seal | N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(c), Lsa 401.01 |
For the same rule in the other 53 jurisdictions, read landscape architect seal requirements by state.
Which New Hampshire documents have to carry the seal?
Any document you issue or file for public record must be sealed. For plans, maps and reports, the rule leaves sealing to your judgment, so the duty depends on where a document is headed rather than on what kind of drawing it is.
That split comes from N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(a), (c). A practical habit is to decide at issue time whether a set is going into the public record, and seal it without exception when it is. Our post on how a professional stamp builds credibility for New Hampshire landscape architects looks at sealing from the client's side.
What goes on the face of the seal?
Two legends in the band between the circles, your name and number in the middle, and a ring of leaves outside. N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(b) fixes where each item sits, so the layout is not left to the maker.
- Upper band: Licensed Landscape Architect
- Lower band: State of New Hampshire
- Inner circle: your full name, written straight across
- Inner circle: your license number, also written straight across
- Outer edge: twelve leaves surrounding the entire seal
The rule calls for your full name, so spell it out rather than shortening it to initials. The two legends are fixed wording and do not change from one licensee to the next.
Why does the border need twelve leaves?
The leaves are one of the listed elements of the seal, not an optional flourish. N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(b) requires twelve of them around the whole design, and they account for the step from the 1-5/8 inch outer circle to the 1-7/8 inch overall size.
A plain double circle without the leaf ring does not match the prescribed design, however clean it looks. When a proof comes back, count the leaves and confirm they run all the way around.
What size is a New Hampshire landscape architect seal?
The seal is round, with an outer circle of 1-5/8 inches and an inner circle of 1-1/4 inches. The leaf border sits outside both and brings the full seal to 1-7/8 inches across. These are fixed figures, not a range.
The source for these dimensions is N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(b) (source ss by #13849, eff 3-10-24). Give a maker all three numbers. A die built only to the 1-5/8 inch circle would leave no room for the leaves that the rule places outside it.
Which devices does the rule allow?
N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(a) names three devices, and a digital seal is one of them. Among New Hampshire's design boards, this landscape architect rule is the only one that names a digital seal at all.
The other two devices are named in the rule itself, and this page does not restate them. Our New Hampshire landscape architect stamp products page shows the formats we make for this design.
How do signature and date work with the seal?
Under N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 310-A:152, any landscape architecture document prepared for the public record has to carry three marks from the licensee responsible for it: a date, a signature and the seal. All three travel together on the same document.
The statute ties all three items to the same responsible professional, so the licensee named on the seal is the one who signs and dates. Treat them as a set: a public record document carrying only one or two of them falls short of the statute.
Can a New Hampshire landscape architect use a digital seal?
Yes. A digital seal is authorized for New Hampshire landscape architects, and the rule does not specify a technology for producing or applying it. The authority is N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(a), (b).
Whatever format you use, compare the digital image against the list of elements that defines the seal: both legends, your name and number, and the leaf ring. Keeping the leaves in the file keeps your digital seal consistent with the physical one.
What ends the right to seal in New Hampshire?
A lapsed license ends it, and so does a voluntary surrender. For landscape architects, New Hampshire counts a surrender you choose as a bar to sealing, which the other three New Hampshire design board rules do not do.
The citation is N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(c), Lsa 401.01. If you plan to retire or step away, stop sealing on the date the license ends and store the device where no one else in the office can use it.
What should you send when you order?
Send your full name and license number exactly as they should read, and tell us which device you want. The two legends and the twelve-leaf ring are set by rule, so they are not choices on the order form.
Say the seal is for a New Hampshire landscape architect so the leaf design and the 1-7/8 inch overall size are used. Our guide to getting a New Hampshire landscape architect stamp walks through the purchase step by step.
How do you check a new impression before using it?
Make a test impression on plain paper and hold it against the rule. Look for both legends in the band, your name and number running straight across the center, twelve leaves around the edge, and a width of 1-7/8 inches.
Measure the two circles as well, at 1-5/8 and 1-1/4 inches. Then read the name and number letter by letter against your license, since one wrong digit means the seal no longer matches you. Our post on how the New Hampshire landscape architect stamp looks on finished drawings has more on presentation.
Frequently asked questions
Does the seal show an expiration date or a firm name?
Neither appears in the required elements. The list in N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(b) covers the two legends, your full name, your license number and the twelve leaves, and nothing more.
Why are my name and number set straight across instead of along the curve?
The rule places them horizontally inside the inner circle. The curved band between the circles is reserved for the two legends, one across the top and one across the bottom.
Does a report I send only to a private client need the seal?
Reports sit in the discretionary group, so sealing one that stays outside the public record is your decision. Once a report is issued or filed for public record, the seal becomes mandatory.
Can I seal during a gap between expiration and renewal?
No. Sealing while the license is lapsed is prohibited under N.H. Code Admin. R. Lsa 305.03(c), Lsa 401.01. Hold off on sealing until the license is current again.
Is the 1-7/8 inch figure the outer circle?
No. The outer circle is 1-5/8 inches. The 1-7/8 inch figure is the overall size once the leaf border is counted, which is the number that decides how large the finished seal is.
When you are ready, choose your device from our New Hampshire stamps and seals collection and send your name and license number with the order.
