The District of Columbia places its landscape architect seal elements in DCMR 17-1911, and because that section's text could not be read, this page does not confirm the required wording, size or device. What is confirmed: commercial plan sets sent to the Department of Buildings (DOB) must be stamped and signed by a District-licensed design professional, and licenses expire on 30 April. This page separates settled points from open ones.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against DCMR chapter 17-19 section list, dcregs.dc.gov. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Where the elements are set | In DCMR 17-1911, the seal section of chapter 17-19. | DCMR chapter 17-19 section list, dcregs.dc.gov |
| Required wording | Not confirmed. The District posts the section text only as a downloadable file, and that file could not be read. | DCMR chapter 17-19 section list, dcregs.dc.gov |
| Size and shape | Not confirmed. No readable District source gives either one or excludes either one. | DCMR chapter 17-19 section list, dcregs.dc.gov |
| Device | Not confirmed. No readable District source names a sealing instrument. | DCMR chapter 17-19 section list, dcregs.dc.gov |
| Signing and stamping | The statute mentions a professional design document being signed and stamped. The detailed signature and date rule is not confirmed. | D.C. Official Code 47-2853.65(c) |
| Commercial permit plans | Stamped and signed by a design professional who holds a District license. | DOB ProjectDox Application Prescreening Guide |
| Electronic seal standard | None separate. The chapter gives seals a single section and has no section on digital signatures, unlike the engineering chapter. | DCMR chapter 17-19 section list; DCMR 17-1516.10 |
| License expiration | 30 April. | DLCP Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture page; DCMR 17-1906 and 17-1907 |
| Renewal years | Odd-numbered years. | DLCP Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture page; DCMR 17-1906 and 17-1907 |
| Sealing after a lapse | Not addressed in any District source cited here. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
Licensed in more than one place? Check each jurisdiction in landscape architect seal requirements by state.
What do District sources confirm about a landscape architect seal?
Three points are confirmed. DCMR chapter 17-19 has a single seal section, DCMR 17-1911, which lists what the seal must show; D.C. Official Code 47-2853.65(c) mentions a professional design document being signed and stamped; and DOB expects commercial plan sets to arrive stamped and signed.
Those points establish that a seal exists in District rules and that commercial permit plans need one. They do not tell you what the seal looks like, and the sections below mark each question as confirmed or open so you can see exactly where the gaps are.
What wording must the seal carry?
Not confirmed here. The wording is set in DCMR 17-1911, and the District publishes that section's text only as a downloadable file, which could not be opened and read for this page. No element list appears below for that reason.
Filling the gap with wording from another profession or another jurisdiction would risk a die that does not match District law. Before any artwork is approved, get the current text of DCMR 17-1911 from the Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture and build the order from it. Our notes on DC landscape architect stamp requirements give more background.
What size and shape should the seal be?
Not confirmed. None of the readable District sources gives a size or a shape for a landscape architect seal, and none excludes one. Any dimension you see quoted for the District should be traced to the text of DCMR 17-1911 before you rely on it.
Settle size and wording together once you have the section text, so the proof is built to the rule from the start. A diameter picked in advance may have to change once the required lines are known.
Which device should you order?
Not confirmed. None of the readable District sources names a sealing instrument, whether embosser, inked stamp or electronic image. Chapter 17-19 has no separate digital signature section either, so the device question also waits on DCMR 17-1911.
What is known is where the seal ends up: on commercial plan sets sent to DOB, whose ProjectDox Application Prescreening Guide expects them stamped and signed. Choose the device with that filing route in mind once the section text is in hand. Our article on the DC professional landscape architect stamp has more on the stamp itself.
Do you sign as well as stamp?
For commercial plan sets sent to DOB, yes: the prescreening guide expects both the stamp and a signature. D.C. Official Code 47-2853.65(c) likewise pairs the two, describing a professional design document as signed and stamped.
Where the signature goes in relation to the seal, and whether a date is required beside it, are not confirmed in the District sources read. Keep room for a signature near the seal area of your title block so either answer can be accommodated.
Which plans need the seal for a District permit?
Commercial plan sets submitted to the Department of Buildings. Under the DOB ProjectDox Application Prescreening Guide, those sets must be stamped and signed by a design professional who holds a District license.
That is the one document rule confirmed for this page. No document list specific to landscape architects is confirmed here, so treat the commercial plan requirement as the floor rather than the full picture.
Is there a separate electronic seal standard?
No. DCMR chapter 17-19 gives seals a single section and has no section on digital signatures, unlike the engineering chapter. The only seal text for landscape architects is therefore DCMR 17-1911, which is not confirmed here.
Do not borrow the engineering chapter's digital signature rules for landscape architecture work. Chapter 17-19 has no counterpart to them, and nothing confirmed here extends them to your profession.
When do DC landscape architect licenses expire?
On 30 April, and renewal falls in odd-numbered years. The DLCP page for the Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture, together with DCMR 17-1906 and 17-1907, sets out that schedule.
Mark the date well ahead of each odd-numbered year's deadline. Because DOB expects commercial sets from a design professional who holds a District license, the renewal date deserves the same attention as the seal itself.
Can you seal after your license lapses?
The District sources cited here do not address sealing after a license lapses. Neither the renewal material nor the confirmed seal material speaks to it, and DCMR 17-1911 could not be read to settle the point.
What is confirmed points one way: DOB expects commercial sets to be stamped and signed by someone who holds a District license. Renew on time rather than rely on a gap in the rules.
What should you gather before ordering a DC seal?
Start with the current text of DCMR 17-1911. Add your license details as the District issued them, the format you file in, and a note of whether you need an inked stamp, an embosser, an electronic image or several.
Send the section text with your order so the proof can be built line by line from it. Our piece on the DC landscape architect seal and your professional reputation covers the seal's role in practice.
How should you check the proof and first impression?
Read the proof against the text of DCMR 17-1911 one element at a time, and approve nothing the section does not call for. Then stamp a test sheet and confirm the impression stays clear on the kind of plan sets you submit to DOB.
Check as well that your title block leaves room for a signature near the seal, since commercial plans need both marks. A set that arrives stamped but unsigned falls short of the prescreening guide.
For the land surveyor side of practice in District of Columbia, read what a District of Columbia land surveyor seal requires.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a seal from another state on District plans?
DOB expects commercial plan sets to be stamped and signed by a design professional who holds a District license. A seal tied to a license from another state does not show that.
Do DC licenses expire on 30 April every year?
No. Licenses renew in odd-numbered years, and 30 April is the expiration date within that cycle.
Will the seal show my license number?
Not confirmed. The element list is in DCMR 17-1911, which could not be read, so include the number, like every other line, only if the section text calls for it.
Is it safe to order from a generic template before reading DCMR 17-1911?
No. The required wording, size and device are all unconfirmed until you have that text, so a template order risks a die that has to be made again.
Where is the District renewal schedule published?
On the DLCP page for the Board of Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture, and in DCMR 17-1906 and 17-1907.
When you have the text of DCMR 17-1911, order your District of Columbia landscape architect stamp built line by line from it.
