A South Carolina architect seal is a 1-3/4 inch circle around a 1-3/16 inch circle, with State of South Carolina across the top of the ring and Registered Architect across the bottom. The inner circle holds one architect's name, the business location and the registration number. Electronic seals are allowed on five conditions. This page covers each rule and your order.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 11-11.C. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Top of the ring | The words State of South Carolina. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 11-11.C |
| Bottom of the ring | The words Registered Architect. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 11-11.C |
| Inner circle | A single architect's name, plus the business location and the registration number. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 11-11.C |
| Diameters | Round, 1-3/4 inches overall, with a concentric inner circle of 1-3/16 inches. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 11-11.C, 11-11.D |
| Physical device | No device type is named anywhere in Regulation 11. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 11-11 (no device type prescribed) |
| Signature | The architect signs, and both seals appear with the signature. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 11-11.A, 11-11.E |
| Dating | Record documents carry a date. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 11-11.A, 11-11.E |
| Documents to seal | Architectural documents headed for the public record, and record documents used to get a building permit. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 11-11.A, 11-11.B |
| Electronic seal and signature | May replace the originals once five conditions are satisfied. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 11-11.E |
| Current registration | No use of the seal without a current Certificate of Registration at that moment. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 11-11.B |
Licensed in more than one place? Check each jurisdiction in architect seal requirements by state. The seal assumes you already hold the South Carolina license; how to become a licensed architect covers the degree, AXP and ARE routes.
What must a South Carolina architect seal contain?
Five items in fixed places, under S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 11-11.C. The ring carries State of South Carolina at the top and Registered Architect at the bottom, and the inner circle carries one architect's name, the business location and the registration number.
- State of South Carolina: top of the outer ring
- Registered Architect: bottom of the outer ring
- Architect's name: inner circle
- Business location: inner circle
- Registration number: inner circle
The business location is part of the required face, alongside your name and number, so settle exactly how your location should read before the seal is made. For background, see our South Carolina architect stamp overview.
Can one seal carry more than one architect's name?
No. Regulation 11-11.C allows the name of one architect in the inner circle, so each seal belongs to a single person. An office with several architects orders a separate seal for each one, with that architect's own name and number.
The same limit applies whatever the office structure. When partners, principals or staff architects seal documents, each does so with a device that bears only that architect's name.
Which documents need the seal?
Two groups: every architectural document to be filed for public record, and the record documents used to obtain building permits. Regulations 11-11.A and 11-11.B set out both groups.
A simple test before issuing a set: if it is going into the public record or to a permit office, it takes the seal. For more, see our guide to South Carolina architect stamp requirements.
How are sealed documents signed and dated?
The architect signs, and the signature goes on the document together with both seals the regulation calls for. Record documents also have to be dated. Regulations 11-11.A and 11-11.E set out the pairing and the dating duty.
The seal face described on this page, with one architect's name, is the one laid out in 11-11.C. Read 11-11.A before you issue a record set so that every seal it calls for is on the sheet next to your signature and the date.
What size is the seal?
The seal is round and 1-3/4 inches across, and a second circle of 1-3/16 inches sits inside it on the same center. Regulations 11-11.C and 11-11.D state both figures, so neither is left to the maker's judgment.
Those two numbers leave a ring 9/32 inch wide on each side, and that ring has to hold State of South Carolina at the top and Registered Architect at the bottom. The inner circle then has to fit three items: your name, the business location and your number. Give the maker both diameters, not just the outside one.
Does South Carolina require a stamp, an embosser or another device?
No device type is named. Regulation 11 sets out what the seal shows and how big it is, but it names no inked stamp, embosser or other physical format.
What the regulation controls is the face and the size. If you also seal electronically, order the physical seal and the electronic image from the same artwork, because the image has to match the physical seal closely (see below). For design examples, see our article on South Carolina architect stamp designs.
When can an electronic seal replace the original?
When five conditions are met. Regulation 11-11.E lets an electronic seal and signature stand in for the originals if the result identifies you, can be verified, stays under your control, uses an acceptable graphic, and follows state law on graphic display.
- Identification: it points uniquely to you as the architect in responsible charge.
- Verification: it can be checked, and it has been signed and dated.
- Control: it remains under the professional's direct control.
- Graphic: the image is readily available, produced in a way the board accepts, and matched to the physical seal.
- State law: the graphic display complies with it.
How closely must the electronic image match the physical seal?
Closely. Under Regulation 11-11.E the electronic graphic has to carry the same words as the physical seal and look substantially the same in appearance and size when compared against the original.
The simplest way to meet that is to build the image from the same artwork as your stamp, set at 1-3/4 inches, and print it at full size to lay against a real impression. For the physical stamp, see our article on South Carolina architect license stamps.
Can you use the seal without a current registration?
No. Regulation 11-11.B bars an architect from using the seal, or from performing any service as an architect, unless a current Certificate of Registration is held at that time. The test is your status on the day you seal.
Treat an expired registration as a hard stop on sealing until it is current again. Because the test is applied at the time of use, a seal made while you were registered does not carry that status forward.
What should you send with your order?
Your name, your business location as it should read, and your registration number. The ring wording and the 1-3/4 inch and 1-3/16 inch circles are set by the regulation, so those three details are what make the seal yours.
- Your name, as one architect
- Business location, spelled exactly as you want it on the face
- Registration number
- Your preferred device, since Regulation 11 names none
- Matching artwork if you plan to seal electronically
Further reading: our piece on the South Carolina architect seal.
How do you check an impression before use?
Stamp a test sheet and check position, spelling and size. State of South Carolina belongs at the top of the ring, Registered Architect at the bottom, and your name, location and number inside the inner circle.
- Outer diameter 1-3/4 inches; inner diameter 1-3/16 inches
- Only one architect's name on the face
- Business location matches what you supplied
- Registration number correct
- Electronic image printed at full size and compared with the impression
Frequently asked questions
Does my registration number change if I am reinstated?
Regulation 11 does not address it. The regulation says nothing on whether a number stays the same after reinstatement.
Must I surrender or destroy my seal after expiration, suspension or revocation?
Not addressed. Regulation 11 does not say whether a seal must be surrendered or destroyed in those cases. What it does settle is that the seal cannot be used without a current registration.
Does the seal carry a date?
No date appears among the five face items in 11-11.C. The dating requirement applies to record documents, not to the seal itself.
Can I order a 2-inch seal to make the lettering larger?
The regulation states 1-3/4 inches with a 1-3/16 inch inner circle. A 2-inch seal does not match those figures, so larger lettering has to be achieved within the stated circles.
If I move offices, does my seal need to change?
The business location is one of the five required items, so a seal showing a former location no longer shows yours. Plan a new seal with the move, and update the electronic image too, since it has to carry the same words.
With your name, location and number confirmed, order from our South Carolina architect stamps and seals collection.
