A Hawaii architect seal is two concentric circles, 1-1/2 inches across outside and 1-1/8 inches inside, with Licensed Professional Architect and your license number in the center while the outer ring reads Hawaii, U.S.A. Your name as licensed also appears. You may use an embosser or an inked rubber stamp. Below: wording, size, devices, sealed documents, signing, digital signatures and license expiry.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Sources read September 2026: Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) and material from Hawaii's Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, and Landscape Architects. Updated 8 November 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Outline | Two circles, one set inside the other. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Circle diameters | Outer circle 1-1/2 inches; inner circle 1-1/8 inches. | 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 Architect, with your license number also placed in the center. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Name | The name under which you hold your license. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Devices | Embosser or inked rubber stamp. The statute allows a seal or a rubber stamp of the board's authorized design, and the rule uses seal or stamp throughout. | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 464-11 |
| Authentication format | Something other than a bare signature with a date. These subsections set the format. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-9(a), (b), (c), (e) |
| Documents to seal | Plans, specifications, maps, reports, surveys and descriptions, down to each sheet of a design drawing set, prepared by a licensee or under one's supervision, once filed with public officials. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-9(a) |
| Digital signature | Defined as a code produced and authenticated through public encryption and attached to an electronically sent document to confirm its contents and its sender. An electronic seal image is not addressed. | Haw. Admin. R. §§ 16-115-2, 16-115-9(e) |
| License expiry | Licenses run out on April 30 in every even-numbered year and are invalid afterward unless renewed. | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 464-9(c), 464-11 |
Licensed in more than one place? Check each jurisdiction in architect seal requirements by state. The seal follows registration; the degree, experience and exam routes that lead to a Hawaii license are compared in how to become a licensed architect.
What does a Hawaii architect seal say, and where does each item go?
The outer ring reads Hawaii, U.S.A. The center holds the legend Licensed Professional Architect together with your license number. Your name as licensed completes the face, all within two concentric circles.
These elements come from Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a). Placement is part of the requirement for the state wording, the legend and the number, so a layout that swaps the ring and the center does not match the rule. Use the full legend as written; a shortened title is not what the rule prescribes. Our overview of Hawaii architect stamp requirements has more background.
How large are the two circles on a Hawaii seal?
The larger circle measures 1-1/2 inches in diameter and the smaller circle, set inside it, measures 1-1/8 inches. Both figures are fixed by Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a)(1), and the shape is circular.
The rule gives two specific figures, which settles the size question for your order. The band between the circles is the outer ring where Hawaii, U.S.A. sits, and at these diameters it is roughly 3/16 inch wide, so the lettering there is small.
Can a Hawaii architect use an embosser, or only a rubber stamp?
Either one. Haw. Rev. Stat. § 464-11 authorizes a seal or a rubber stamp of the design the board authorizes, and the rule refers to seal or stamp throughout, so you may lawfully use either an embosser or an inked rubber stamp.
This is a practical decision, not a legal one. An inked stamp leaves a visible mark that appears when a sheet is printed or scanned, and an embosser leaves a raised impression in the paper. Choose whichever fits the way your sets are issued. For style ideas within the fixed layout, see our page of Hawaii architect stamp design ideas.
Which documents need the seal in Hawaii?
Any plans, specifications, maps, reports, surveys or descriptions a licensee prepares or supervises, once filed with public officials. Every individual sheet of a design drawing set falls under the rule.
That list comes from Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-9(a). Two points matter for a submission. The trigger is filing with public officials, and the unit is the sheet, so a single seal on a cover page does not carry a whole drawing set.
How does signing work on a sealed Hawaii document?
Hawaii departs from the simple signature-plus-date approach. The format that applies instead is set out in Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-9(a), (b), (c), (e), which is the provision to follow on a sealed sheet.
This page does not restate those subsections, and it does not guess at their wording. Read them before you set up a title block or a signing routine, because the format is specific to Hawaii and a habit carried over from another state may not fit it.
Does Hawaii accept a digital signature or an electronic seal?
The rules define a digital signature. Under Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-2 it is a code generated and authenticated through public encryption, attached to an electronically sent document to confirm the contents and the sender, protected by algorithm-based encryption.
What the cited rules do not address is an electronic image of the seal itself. The definition covers the signature, not the seal graphic, so the rules neither describe nor approve a digital seal image. The source for the definition is Haw. Admin. R. §§ 16-115-2, 16-115-9(e).
When does a Hawaii architect license expire?
Licenses expire on April 30 in every even-numbered year, and after that date a license is invalid unless it has been renewed. That schedule comes from Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 464-9(c), 464-11.
The cited sources do not separately address using the seal after expiry. What they do make plain is that the license behind the seal stops being valid, so track the April 30 date in every even year and renew ahead of it. For more on the credential side, see our look at Hawaii architect stamps and your credentials.
What should you send when ordering a Hawaii architect seal?
Your license number and the name under which you are licensed. The rule fixes the diameters, the two-circle outline, the ring wording and the center legend, leaving nothing to choose there.
What you do choose is the device: an embosser, an inked rubber stamp or both. Check the proof for the legend spelled out in full and for the license number sitting in the center rather than in the ring. Our roundup of Hawaii architect seal styles has more on appearance.
How do you check a Hawaii seal impression before use?
Stamp a test sheet and measure it. Expect 1-1/2 inches across the outer circle and 1-1/8 inches across the inner one. The ring should read Hawaii, U.S.A., and the center should hold the legend and number.
Then read every character of your name and license number. A small ring band makes cramped lettering likely, so look for letters that fill in or run together. If you plan to scan sealed sheets, scan the test impression too and read it on screen.
Frequently asked questions
Do both circles have to appear, or only the outer one?
Both. The rule describes two concentric circles with set diameters, so a single ring with the wording inside it does not match the prescribed design.
Can I order a larger outer circle for easier reading?
No. The rule fixes the larger circle at 1-1/2 inches and the smaller at 1-1/8 inches, so a bigger seal departs from the stated dimensions.
Do sheets drawn by my staff need my seal?
Yes, when they were prepared under your supervision and are filed with public officials. The rule covers documents prepared by a licensee or under a licensee's supervision.
Do documents I never file with a public official need the seal?
The sealing duty in Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-9(a) is tied to filing with public officials. The cited rule text frames the requirement around that filing.
Is a digital signature the same thing as an electronic seal in Hawaii?
No. The rules define a digital signature in detail but do not address an electronic seal image. Treat them as separate questions, and do not assume the signature definition authorizes a seal graphic.
With your licensed name and number in hand, order from our Hawaii stamps and seals collection and approve the proof before it goes to production.
