Hawaii's landscape architect seal is two concentric circles: an outer circle 1-1/2 inches in diameter around an inner circle of 1-1/8 inches. The outer ring carries the words Hawaii, U.S.A., and the center holds the legend Licensed Professional Landscape Architect with your license number. A signed authentication block goes below the impression. This page covers the face, devices, signing, filed documents, digital signatures and renewal.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) and the Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, and Landscape Architects. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | Two circles sharing one center. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Circle sizes | Outer circle 1-1/2 inches across; inner circle 1-1/8 inches across. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a)(1) |
| Outer ring wording | Hawaii, U.S.A. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Center wording | The legend Licensed Professional Landscape Architect, together with your license number. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Your name | Shown in the form under which you hold your license. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Devices | A seal or a rubber stamp made to the design the board authorizes, so an embosser or an inked stamp. | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 464-11 |
| Authentication block | Placed under the seal: a prepared-by statement, your signature, and a line captioned Expiration Date of the License. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-9(a), (b), (c), (e) |
| Documents covered | Plans, maps, specifications, reports, surveys and descriptions you prepared or supervised that are filed with public officials, down to each sheet of a design drawing set. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-9(a) |
| Digital signature | Defined as an encrypted code attached to an electronically sent document that verifies its contents and the sender. | Haw. Admin. R. §§ 16-115-2, 16-115-9(e) |
| License expiration | April 30 in every even-numbered year. Restoration is open for two years; after that, a new application. | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 464-9(c), 464-11 |
Hawaii is one row in our landscape architect seal requirements by state table, which sets each jurisdiction's rule side by side.
What does the Hawaii landscape architect seal have to show?
Five elements, all listed in HAR § 16-115-8(a): two concentric circles; your name, in the form under which you are licensed; Hawaii, U.S.A. around the outer ring; and, at the center, the legend Licensed Professional Landscape Architect with your license number.
The rule assigns the state wording to the outer ring and puts the legend and number in the center. It gives your name in the form on your license, so send it exactly that way. Every element is part of one design authorized by the board, which is the design your seal or stamp follows. Our summary of Hawaii landscape architect stamp requirements is a shorter reference to the same list.
How big are the two circles on a Hawaii seal?
The outer circle is 1-1/2 inches in diameter and the inner circle is 1-1/8 inches, as set out in HAR § 16-115-8(a)(1). Both diameters are given, so every Hawaii landscape architect seal shares the same round outline.
The two figures differ by 3/8 of an inch, which leaves a band about 3/16 of an inch deep all the way around for the outer ring wording. The center has to fit a four-word legend plus your number inside 1-1/8 inches. Proof both areas at full size before the die is made. For layout ideas, see our post on custom Hawaii landscape architect seal design.
Is an embosser or a rubber stamp allowed in Hawaii?
Both are lawful. HRS § 464-11 refers to a seal or a rubber stamp made to the design the board authorizes. That language covers a raised embosser and an inked rubber stamp on the same terms, provided the face follows the authorized design.
If you want both, order them from the same artwork so the two faces match line for line. An inked stamp reproduces the face in ink on the sheet; an embosser presses it into the paper. Choose by how your documents are filed. Our post on Hawaii landscape architect seal embossing looks at the raised option.
What goes in the authentication block under the seal?
Three parts, per HAR § 16-115-9(a): the statement "This work was prepared by me or under my supervision," then your signature, then a line captioned Expiration Date of the License. The whole block sits below the seal impression.
The date that line asks for is the one its caption names, which is when your license expires. Read it from your current license and update it after each renewal. Build the block into your sheet template under the space reserved for the seal, so the statement and caption are already in place when you sign.
Which Hawaii documents must be sealed?
Plans, maps, specifications, reports, surveys and descriptions that you prepared or supervised and that are filed with public officials. HAR § 16-115-9(a) carries this down to each sheet of a set of design drawings, not only a cover or title sheet.
The trigger in this rule is filing with a public official. For a set bound for an agency, that means a seal and an authentication block on every drawing sheet. Our post on meeting Hawaii's stamp requirements for landscape architects is a companion read for planning a submittal.
Can a Hawaii landscape architect sign electronically?
Yes, by digital signature. HAR § 16-115-2 defines one as a code generated and authenticated through public encryption and attached to a document sent electronically, so that both the content of the document and the identity of the sender can be verified.
The definition also expects encryption protections that rely on a set of algorithms to test authenticity. Measure any signing tool against that description before you adopt it: it has to produce an encrypted code tied to the file, not just a picture of your handwriting on the page.
When does a Hawaii license expire, and what does that mean for the seal?
Licenses expire on April 30 of every even-numbered year and are no longer valid after that date unless renewed. Restoration remains possible for two years if you pay the fee due for every renewal period; after two years you apply again as a new applicant.
The sources read for this page do not include a separate rule on applying the seal after expiration. Two points still connect the seal to renewal: the license itself is invalid after April 30 unless renewed, and the authentication block under every impression shows your expiration date to anyone reviewing the sheet.
What details should you send when ordering a Hawaii seal?
Send your name exactly as licensed and your license number, and choose an embosser, an inked stamp or both. The circle sizes, the Hawaii, U.S.A. wording and the center legend are set by rule, so those are not choices you need to make.
Have your license at hand when you review the proof, because the name and number on the face need to match it. If your name is long, look closely at how it sits on the proof before you approve it, since every element shares a face only 1-1/2 inches across. Our post on the seal's role for Hawaii landscape architects is a companion read.
How do you proof a Hawaii impression before first use?
Make a test impression and check both circles, the Hawaii, U.S.A. wording in the outer ring, and the legend and license number in the center. Then write a sample authentication block beneath it and confirm everything reads on a copy.
The center is the tightest part of the face, so look there first for letters that close up or run together. With an embosser, check the raised image under a low light from the side. Keep the test sheet with your license records.
Frequently asked questions
Does my name go in the outer ring or the center?
The element list gives your name as licensed without assigning it to a ring. It puts Hawaii, U.S.A. around the outer ring and the legend and number at the center. Take the name position from the design the board authorizes.
Should the outer ring read Hawaii or Hawaii, U.S.A.?
Hawaii, U.S.A., written with the comma and the periods. That is the wording the element list gives for the outer ring.
Do I also write the date I signed?
Subsection (a) describes the block as the prepared-by statement, your signature and the expiration caption. A signing date is not one of the three parts it lists.
Can I order a larger seal so the center is easier to read?
The rule states both diameters, 1-1/2 inches outside and 1-1/8 inches inside. A larger face would not match those figures, so order the stated sizes and keep the lettering clean instead.
Is the authentication block part of the stamp?
It sits on the sheet below the seal, separate from the circles. The seal's element list has no signature and no date, so both belong in the block rather than on the die.
Once your name and license number are confirmed, choose an embosser or inked stamp from our Hawaii stamps and seals collection, made to the two-circle layout.
