Seventeen of the 54 U.S. jurisdictions require a credentialed interior designer to seal or stamp covered documents, and Connecticut and Minnesota prescribe a seal that is optional. Twenty-five jurisdictions issue no interior design credential at all. Four use a signature rule instead of a seal, two register only the title, Alaska and Missouri have a seal duty with no design yet, and New Jersey and Puerto Rico remain unverified. The table gives each one's status, contents and source.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against state interior design statutes, board seal rules and published board guidance for all 54 jurisdictions. Sources read September 2026. Updated 8 November 2026.
| Jurisdiction | Seal status | What the seal carries or why there is none | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Required | A two-inch circle: STATE OF ALABAMA across the top, REGISTERED INTERIOR DESIGNER across the bottom, your name and registration number inside. No business name. | Ala. Admin. Code r. 485-X-4-.01(3), (5) |
| Alaska | In statute, no design yet | The statute lists name, number and legend, but the board has adopted no interior design seal and the new credential cannot be held yet. | AS 08.48.221(a); AS 08.48.101(c) |
| Arizona | No credential | Interior design is outside A.R.S. § 32-101, and the board's closed list of seal legends covers five other professions. | A.R.S. § 32-101; A.A.C. R4-30-303(A) |
| Arkansas | Required | Concentric circles of 1.5 and 1 inch. The ring reads REGISTERED INTERIOR DESIGNER and STATE OF ARKANSAS; name and number sit in the inner circle. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XIII.A |
| California | Required | Name, an identifying number and Certified Interior Designer. The council issues the stamp; it is required on filings with a government agency. | Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 5801, 5802 |
| Colorado | No credential | Colorado licenses, registers and certifies no interior designers, so nothing is prescribed. | Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations list; C.R.S. Title 12 |
| Connecticut | Optional | A seal is optional. When used, it is limited to the legend Registered Interior Designer, State of Connecticut, your name and your registration number. | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-377l |
| Delaware | No credential | No interior design board exists; the architects' rules count interior design among services for the use of space within structures. | Delaware Division of Professional Regulation listing; 24 DE Admin. Code 300, r. 2.2.2 |
| District of Columbia | Required | The rule's printed specimen sets size and format; the face shows LICENSED INTERIOR DESIGNER-DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA together with the name and license number. | DCMR 17-3214.1 |
| Florida | Required | A hexagon about two inches across: State of Florida at the top, registered interior designer at the bottom, one designer's name and number. | Fla. Stat. § 481.221(3); Fla. Admin. Code r. 61G1-16.002(1) |
| Georgia | Required | Follow the printed sample: a 1 3/4 inch square showing the designer's name and certificate number with the legends STATE OF GEORGIA and GEORGIA REGISTERED INTERIOR DESIGNER. | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 50-9-.07(8) |
| Guam | No credential | Interior design does not appear in Chapter 32, which covers registration of architects, engineers, land surveyors and landscape architects. | 22 GCA ch. 32 |
| Hawaii | No credential | Chapter 464 licenses four design professions, and the four seal legends leave out interior design. | Haw. Rev. Stat. ch. 464; Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Idaho | No credential | The state licensing division runs no interior design program, and Title 54 has no chapter for it. | Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses listing; Idaho Code § 54-304 |
| Illinois | Required | A reproducible seal showing name, registration number and Registered Interior Designer, State of Illinois. Signature, dates and expiry go beside it. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1255.45 |
| Indiana | No seal; title registry | The agency's registry protects the title registered interior designer and prescribes no seal or stamp. | IC 25-20.7 |
| Iowa | Required | About 1 3/4 inches across the outer circle, pairing your name with Registered Interior Designer and your registration number with Iowa. | Iowa Code § 544C.14; Iowa Admin. Code r. 481-1004.1(5)"a" |
| Kansas | No credential | Interior design is not one of the five professions regulated by the Board of Technical Professions. | Kan. Stat. Ann. § 74-7003(w) |
| Kentucky | No seal; signature rule | Certified interior designers sign, add their certification number and show the title or its abbreviation. No date rule. | 201 Ky. Admin. Regs. 19:450 Section 3 |
| Louisiana | Required | The Board's sample design with only your name and registration number changed, at least 1.5 inches in diameter. | La. R.S. 37:3179.2; Board Stamp and Registration guidance |
| Maine | No seal; signature rule | Filings for public record need your signature and license number, a statement certifying licensure, and the date. | 32 M.R.S. § 225-A |
| Maryland | Required | A 2 inch circle reading down: Certified Interior Designer, number, the Great Seal of Maryland, name, State of Maryland. | COMAR 09.18.02.06C, D; Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-403 |
| Massachusetts | No credential | Its occupational licensure division lists no interior design board and issues no number. | Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure boards listing |
| Michigan | No credential | The Occupational Code has articles for architects and landscape architects and none for interior design. | Mich. Comp. Laws, 1980 Act 299 |
| Minnesota | Optional | An optional seal reads certified interior designer with your name. The signed, dated certification with your certificate number is mandatory. | Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subds. 2, 3; Minn. R. 1800.4300 |
| Mississippi | No credential | Title 30 of the state's administrative code has no interior design agency or part. | Mississippi Secretary of State, Administrative Code agency listing |
| Missouri | In statute, no design yet | Since August 28, 2026 a licensed interior designer must hold a seal in a board-prescribed form. No form has been prescribed yet. | § 327.411.1, RSMo; 20 CSR 2030-3.060 |
| Montana | No credential | None of Montana's licensing boards covers interior design. | Montana Department of Labor and Industry licensing boards listing |
| Nebraska | No credential | Chapter 81 has no interior design act, and § 81-3437.01 reserves the seal to architects and engineers. | Neb. Rev. Stat. ch. 81; § 81-3437.01 |
| Nevada | Required | An equilateral triangle with 2-1/2 inch sides showing your name, certificate number and Registered Interior Designer. | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 623.185(1); Nev. Admin. Code § 623.755 |
| New Hampshire | No credential | No interior design board is on the licensing office's list, and RSA 310-A contains no subdivision for the field. | New Hampshire OPLC Find a Board directory |
| New Jersey | Not verified | Certified Interior Designer matters fall under the State Board of Architects. Seal wording under N.J.A.C. 13:27 was not retrieved, so what the seal must contain is unconfirmed. | New Jersey State Board of Architects FAQ; N.J.A.C. 13:27 |
| New Mexico | Required | Name, license number and Licensed Interior Designer State of New Mexico, with your signature written across the seal or stamp. | 16.42.1.12(C)(2), (3) NMAC |
| New York | No seal; signature rule | Certified interior designers sign original final documents by hand. Article 161 contains no seal. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 8302 |
| North Carolina | Required | A seal as the Board prescribes. The statute states no wording or size, so the design comes from the Board. | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 83A-10(b) |
| North Dakota | No credential | Title 43 has no interior design chapter, and no document calls for an interior designer's stamp. | N.D.C.C. title 43; N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-03 |
| Ohio | No credential | Title 47 has no interior design chapter, and interior design practice is open. | Ohio Rev. Code tit. 47 |
| Oklahoma | Required | A circle with name, Oklahoma license number and Licensed Interior Designer, State of Oklahoma. | 59 O.S. § 46.42; Okla. Admin. Code 55:10-11-8(a)(2) |
| Oregon | No credential | No interior design board or rule chapter exists, and ORS ch. 671 creates no credential. | Or. Rev. Stat. ch. 671; OAR chapter index |
| Pennsylvania | No credential | The Pennsylvania Code has seal chapters for architects, landscape architects and engineers only. | 49 Pa. Code, pt. I, subpt. A |
| Puerto Rico | Not verified | A Junta Examinadora licenses interior designers and decorators, but no seal rule could be read. | Ley Núm. 125 de 1973; Departamento de Estado board page |
| Rhode Island | No credential | Four design boards operate and none covers interior design; Title 5 has no chapter for it. | R.I. Gen. Laws title 5 |
| South Carolina | No credential | No board, no Title 40 chapter and no device exist for interior design. | S.C. Code Ann. title 40 |
| South Dakota | No credential | SDCL 36-18A-44 permits seals for four titles, and interior designer is not one. | SDCL 36-18A-44 |
| Tennessee | No seal; title registry | The title registration act protects the words registered interior designer; the § 62-2-306(b) seal legends leave it out. | Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 62-2-903, 62-2-306(b) |
| Texas | Required | The board's star design reading Registered Interior Designer and State of Texas, with your name and number, at least 1.5 inches. | Tex. Occ. Code § 1053.058; 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 5.112 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | No credential | No interior design license exists. Interior decorating is a listed occupation for a business license instead. | V.I. Code title 27; 27 V.I.C. §§ 301, 302 |
| Utah | No seal; signature rule | Commercial interior design plans carry the designer's signature and state certificate number. | Utah Code § 58-86-401(2) |
| Vermont | No credential | Interior design is missing from the professional regulation roster and from Title 26. | Vermont Office of Professional Regulation professions list |
| Virginia | Required | A 2 inch circle: name, Cert. No. with the last six digits, COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA and CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNER. | 18VAC10-20-760 B, F |
| Washington | No credential | RCW Title 18 has no interior design chapter. | RCW Title 18 |
| West Virginia | No credential | Chapter 30 has no interior design article. | W. Va. Code ch. 30 |
| Wisconsin | Required | Between 1-5/8 and 2 inches overall, carrying your name, credential number and city. | Wis. Stat. § 443.17(3); Wis. Admin. Code § A-E 2.02(1) |
| Wyoming | No credential | Wyoming has no interior design rules agency and no Title 33 chapter for the profession. | Wyoming administrative rules agency list |
Which states require an interior designer seal?
Seventeen jurisdictions do: Alabama, Arkansas, California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. In each one, a registered, licensed or certified interior designer has to apply the seal or stamp to the documents the rule covers.
States differ on what triggers sealing. Alabama ties the requirement to final drawings, plans, specifications and reports delivered to a client or to a public agency for a construction permit. California calls for its stamp only on documents submitted to a government regulatory agency, and no supplier can produce it, since the only issuer is the California Council for Interior Design Certification itself. Virginia permits interior design practice without its certificate, but certificate holders must seal under 18VAC10-20-760.
Two more states describe a seal without requiring one. Connecticut lets a registrant use a seal under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-377l and limits it to three items. Minnesota lets a certified interior designer add a seal alongside the signed certification that Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subd. 3 makes mandatory.
What does an interior designer seal have to carry?
Of the 19 jurisdictions that prescribe a seal, 18 put your name on it, 17 your credential number and 16 a legend naming the credential. Thirteen add the jurisdiction's name. Wisconsin adds your city, and North Carolina leaves the face to its Board.
The word in the legend is where orders go wrong. Registered Interior Designer is the wording in nine states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Nevada and Texas. Licensed appears in three: the District of Columbia, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Certified appears in four: California, Maryland, Minnesota and Virginia. Georgia adds its own name ahead of the title, so the face reads GEORGIA REGISTERED INTERIOR DESIGNER along with STATE OF GEORGIA.
Some states require artwork or labels past the basic items. Maryland centers an image of the Great Seal of Maryland and, in COMAR 09.18.02.06C, sets the order of the five items from top to bottom. Texas uses the board's star device, placing the Texas star in the middle. Virginia prints the label Cert. No. ahead of the last six digits of the number. Alabama keeps business entity names off the seal, and Connecticut allows its three items and nothing more.
Which jurisdictions have no interior designer seal, and why?
Thirty-one jurisdictions have no interior designer seal in their law. Twenty-five issue no interior design credential, four authenticate documents by signature and number instead, and two register the title only. Alaska and Missouri name a seal in statute but have adopted no design.
The twenty-five with no credential are Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. In these places no board issues a number or approves a legend. Several guard neighboring titles instead: Idaho Code § 54-305 and Mont. Code Ann. § 37-65-301 bar unlicensed use of words or devices implying architectural licensure.
Among the signature states, Kentucky requires your signature, certification number and title under 201 KAR 19:450. Maine requires signature, a certification of licensure, license number and date under 32 M.R.S. § 225-A. New York requires a manual signature under Educ. Law § 8302. Utah requires signature and certificate number on commercial plans under Utah Code § 58-86-401(2).
Alaska created a Registered Interior Designer credential, but the board says the credential is not yet available, and its Seal Specifications page shows five designs, none for interior design. Missouri's § 327.411.1, RSMo, in force since August 28, 2026, requires a personal seal, yet 20 CSR 2030-3.060 still describes seals for four other professions only.
Which states protect only the title, and which regulate practice?
Few sources call a law a title act or a practice act, so this page labels only those that do. Louisiana alone records a practice act. Six describe a credential built on a protected title, and four of those say the work itself stays open.
Louisiana: the Board records a title act passed in 1984 and updated to a practice act in 1999, and its sealing duty covers drawings, renderings and specifications. Tennessee: Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-903(b) lets anyone offer interior design services and reserves only the title registered interior designer. Indiana: the IC 25-20.7 registry grants the exclusive right to that same title. Connecticut: the Department of Consumer Protection says chapter 396a restricts the title, not who may practice.
New York certification is a title credential, with § 8301 governing use of the title. In California practice is open, and certification is a statutory title administered by the council. Virginia allows practice without its certificate. Maryland protects the title certified interior designer in Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-501. A protected title does not rule out a seal: Connecticut still fixes the optional seal's text, California requires its stamp on agency filings, and Virginia makes certificate holders seal.
What size and shape does each state set?
Eleven jurisdictions state a size in words, the District of Columbia sets size through a specimen printed in its rule, and seven prescribing jurisdictions give no size. Stated outer dimensions run from 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches.
- 2 inches: Alabama (circle), Maryland (circle), Virginia (circle) and Florida (about 2 inches).
- 1 3/4 inches: Georgia (square) and Iowa (about 1 3/4 inches, outer circle).
- 1.5 inches: Arkansas, measured on the outer circle, which surrounds a 1 inch inner circle.
- At least 1.5 inches: Louisiana and Texas, with no maximum published.
- 1-5/8 to 2 inches: Wisconsin.
- 2-1/2 inch sides: Nevada's equilateral triangle.
Three states depart from the circle. Georgia's rule calls for a square that has rounded corners and a 1/16 inch border; under Nevada's NAC 623.755, interior designers use a triangle and architects a circle; and Florida's rule 61G1-16.002(1) sets a hexagon for the interior designer seal and a circle for the architect seal.
The seven with no size are California, Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina and Oklahoma. Do not borrow a neighbor's figure. North Carolina's 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 inch band applies to architects, Missouri's 1-3/4 inch figure applies to four other professions, and New Mexico's two inch embossed circle is the Department's own official seal.
Which devices are allowed: embosser, ink stamp or digital image?
Thirteen of the 19 prescribing jurisdictions address the device. Most accept an inked stamp, several also accept an embosser or a computer image, and six attach a reproduction test that a dry emboss alone can fail.
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, Texas and Wisconsin name all three device types. Iowa will take an electronic image, a legible rubber stamp or some other facsimile, and Minnesota lets its optional seal take the form of a rubber stamp facsimile for tracings that a regular seal would damage.
The reproduction tests are in Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. Georgia's rule describes a seal that makes its impression by rubber stamp. Oklahoma's rule calls for a seal that leaves an image on originals and on copies and names a rubber stamp or an electronic image. Louisiana's copy test rules out an impression seal used by itself on anything that will be copied. Texas bars an embossing seal on a sealed document unless it passes the same legibility test.
Connecticut, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina and Virginia name no device and forbid none. Virginia's impression still has to match the illustrated design in detail and size.
Can an interior designer seal documents electronically?
Yes, in thirteen jurisdictions: Alabama, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. The other six jurisdictions that prescribe a seal set no electronic seal rule.
The conditions vary. Virginia accepts an electronic seal, signature and date when the electronic version uniquely identifies you, can be verified and stays under your direct control. Iowa Code § 544C.14 lets signatures and seals be applied electronically, scanned or by hand. Louisiana sets a legibility test in place of a technology. North Carolina applies 21 NCAC 02.0206(d) and (e) through its Seal Brochure, and Florida uses the architects' rule, r. 61G1-16.005, which names a federal standard.
Alabama is unusual: under r. 485-X-4-.01(5) for a fee, the board supplies an electronic seal file in AutoCAD format, requested in writing. The District of Columbia allows an electronic signature across the printed seal image, and Oklahoma accepts an electronically generated date across the seal. Minnesota lets the mandatory certification and signature be electronic, facsimile or digital under Minn. R. 1800.4200, subp. 1. The six without an electronic rule are Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland and New Mexico.
Which documents need the seal, and where do the signature and date go?
Coverage ranges from permit and public record filings to every document the designer issues. Fourteen of the 19 prescribing jurisdictions also require a date; Alabama, California, Connecticut, Louisiana and New Mexico set no dating rule.
Which sheets get sealed also varies. In Texas, every drawing or specification the office issues must carry the seal, and Georgia, Virginia and Wisconsin likewise go sheet by sheet. Illinois puts the seal on the first sheet, whether of a bound set or of loose sheets. Presentation documents are excluded in Arkansas, while Louisiana covers renderings.
Placement is specific in several states. Your signature crosses the seal in New Mexico and the District of Columbia, and the date crosses it in Oklahoma. Illinois places signature, signing date and registration expiry beside the impression, and Virginia puts signature and date next to it. Georgia calls for an original signature in permanent blue ink, and Iowa uses an information block with a printed certification sentence.
Certain requirements apply to the sheet itself, not to the seal face. Maryland and California want the document identified as an interior design document; Nevada wants a statement that a registered interior designer prepared it; Arkansas wants a printed statement saying it is not an architectural or engineering document.
What happens to the seal when a registration lapses?
Three states bar using the seal once the credential is no longer current: Georgia, Minnesota and Nevada. Two require the device back: the District of Columbia and Florida. Alabama treats the seal itself as something suspended and reinstated with the certificate.
Nevada's NRS 623.185(3) makes it unlawful for any person, not only the registrant, to seal with a certificate that has expired or been suspended or revoked. Minnesota's § 326.12, subd. 2 likewise makes sealing unlawful after expiry, revocation or suspension unless the certificate is renewed or reissued, and Georgia's r. 50-9-.07(6) requires a current certificate at the moment of sealing. A licensee suspended or revoked in the District of Columbia surrenders the seal within thirty days under DCMR 17-3214.5, and Florida's surrender duty sits in § 481.221(11) and (12).
If a date appears next to the seal, watch the renewal cycle. All Illinois registrations expire together on August 31 of odd-numbered years, which means everyone's expiry line beside the seal changes at the same time. Texas renews every year, yet no date appears on its seal, so one device lasts through each renewal.
What should you confirm before ordering an interior designer stamp?
Confirm your state actually prescribes a seal, then match the legend word, number label, extra lines, size and shape to the rule. Where the board supplies a sample or specimen, get that artwork first and build the stamp to it.
- Legend, letter for letter: the District's hyphenated LICENSED INTERIOR DESIGNER-DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, or Connecticut's comma after Designer.
- Number format: Virginia's Cert. No. with the last six digits.
- Extra lines: Wisconsin's city, Maryland's Great Seal and the Texas star.
- Shape: Georgia square, Nevada triangle, Florida hexagon.
- Board artwork: Louisiana's sample, the Texas board design, the District's specimen and North Carolina's Board-prescribed design.
- Stale wording: Oklahoma's 2026 Act changed the legend to Licensed, so an older die reading Registered should be replaced.
- Hold the order: in California the council issues the stamp, Alaska and Missouri have no design yet, and New Jersey and Puerto Rico need confirmation from the board.
Frequently asked questions
If my state does not regulate interior design, may I still use a stamp?
Yes. With no rule prescribing a design, you decide what it shows. Do not include Registered, Licensed or any state title you were not issued, since several of these states restrict neighboring titles and devices.
Can my firm name go on an interior designer seal?
Not in Alabama, where r. 485-X-4-.01(3) keeps seals for individual use without a business name, or in Connecticut, where the seal holds only three items. Nevada has no firm seal under NRS 623.349. Separately, Wis. Stat. § 443.08 makes firms get a certificate of authorization, and registered interior designers fall inside it.
Do I need two seals if Florida registers me as an architect and as an interior designer?
No. Rule 61G1-16.002(2) has a dual registrant use one seal that carries both registration numbers.
Is an older Florida seal reading Licensed Interior Designer still usable?
Yes. Rule 61G1-16.002(1) lets registered interior designers keep using a Licensed Interior Designer seal they lawfully obtained before January 1, 2015. New devices read registered interior designer.
Does the expiration date belong on the seal die?
Not in Illinois or Connecticut. Illinois puts the expiry date beside the seal rather than on it, and Connecticut's closed list leaves no room for one. A date cut into the die goes stale at the next renewal.
Can I seal work that falls outside interior design?
Not in North Carolina or Iowa; their rules deal with scope instead. In North Carolina a designer may not seal work outside their competence or certification, and the Board restricts the seal to interior design work within the G.S. 83A-1 definition. In Iowa, only submissions inside the scope of registered interior design may be sealed.
How long does California's certification stamp system run?
Business and Professions Code § 5810(b) keeps the chapter in effect only until January 1, 2027, when it is repealed. Check the chapter's status before relying on the stamp after that date.
Once your board's wording, size and shape are confirmed, order from the Engineer Seal Stamps interior designer seals and stamps collection and match the layout to your rule before you approve it.
