An Illinois landscape architect seal must carry the name you are registered under, your registration number and the legend Registered Landscape Architect, State of Illinois. It has to be reproducible, it may be applied on paper or electronically, and you may use it only while your registration is fully in force. No size or shape is set. This page covers the wording, devices, documents and renewal.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a). Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Your name in the form it appears on your registration. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a) |
| Number | Your landscape architect registration number. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a) |
| Legend | The legend reads Registered Landscape Architect, State of Illinois, word for word. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a) |
| Documents | Landscape architecture plans, specifications and reports you prepared or supervised, stamped at the time they are filed. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a) |
| Device | A seal or facsimile that reproduces, whether pressed on paper or placed electronically. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a) |
| Electronic affixing | Seal, signature and dates may all go on electronically. No technology is named. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a) |
| Registration status | Your registration has to be fully in force before you seal anything. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a) |
| Size | No dimension. The printed figure is labeled a suggested facsimile. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A (silent) |
| Shape | No shape is stated. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A (silent) |
| Expiration and renewal | Registrations end on August 31 of each odd numbered year, with renewal open in the month before. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.70(a), 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a) |
To compare Illinois with every other jurisdiction, see our table of landscape architect seal requirements by state.
What must an Illinois landscape architect seal say?
Three things, under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a): the name you are registered under, your registration number and the legend Registered Landscape Architect, State of Illinois. The rule lists no other element for the face.
Use the name exactly as your registration shows it, since the rule ties the name to the registration rather than to how you sign letters. The number is your landscape architect registration number. Illinois landscape architect stamp and seal requirements sets these three items side by side.
Does the legend say Registered or Licensed?
Registered. The legend in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a) reads Registered Landscape Architect, State of Illinois. That matches the credential itself: Illinois landscape architects hold a registration under the Landscape Architecture Registration Act, and the seal carries the registration number.
A seal that swaps in the word Licensed does not match the legend the rule sets out. Proof the first word of the legend as carefully as your own name, because a one word difference is easy to miss on a proof. Our Illinois landscape architect seal design guide shows the legend in position.
Which documents must carry the seal?
Plans, specifications and reports tied to landscape architecture practice that you prepared yourself or that were prepared under your supervision. Under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a), those documents are stamped with the seal when they are filed.
Two points follow. Supervision counts, so work drafted by your staff under your direction is sealed by you. The trigger is filing, so the moment a plan set, specification or report is filed is the moment the seal has to be on it.
What does a reproducible seal mean for your device?
The rule asks for a reproducible seal or facsimile, and allows it to be applied physically or electronically. The test is whether the impression survives when the document is reproduced, not which tool made it.
An inked rubber stamp or self inking stamp gives a mark that copies and scans cleanly. A seal image produced on a computer serves the same purpose on electronic sheets. A raised impression with no ink is harder to reproduce, so test one on a copy before relying on it by itself. For device options, see choosing an Illinois landscape architect stamp.
What size and shape should the seal be?
Illinois sets neither. 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A fixes the content of the seal, labels its figure a suggested facsimile and gives that figure no measurement, and no other section of Part 1275 supplies a diameter.
That review covered the Part from section 1275.10 through 1275.90 as well as Illustration A. Treat the printed figure as a model for arrangement and pick a size that keeps the three elements readable on a reduced or copied sheet.
Can you seal Illinois documents electronically?
Yes. A single clause in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a) allows the seal, the signature and the dates to be affixed electronically. The rule names no technology for doing so.
In practice, build the electronic seal from the same artwork as your physical one so both carry the same name, number and legend. The reproducibility requirement applies either way, so the electronic image should read as clearly on a printout as it does on screen.
Does your registration have to be current when you seal?
Yes. The rule states outright that a landscape architect's registration has to be fully in force before that person may seal documents. Sealing on a registration that is not in force falls outside what 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a) allows.
The requirement attaches at the moment you seal, not at the moment the seal was made. A seal ordered while you were registered does not carry you past an expiration date. Illinois landscape architect seal requirements in more detail covers the status question.
When does an Illinois landscape architect registration expire?
On August 31 of every odd numbered year. Under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1275.70(a), 1275.ILLUSTRATION A(a), every registration granted under the Landscape Architecture Registration Act lapses on that date, and renewal is available during the month before it.
Put the renewal window in your calendar for each odd numbered year. Because the seal can only be used while the registration is in force, a missed August 31 deadline stops sealing until the registration is back in force.
What should you send with your order?
Your name exactly as your registration shows it, your registration number, the device you want and the size you prefer. The legend is fixed by the rule, so we set Registered Landscape Architect, State of Illinois as written.
If you plan to seal electronically as well, keep the electronic image identical in wording to the physical impression so the two agree. What goes into an Illinois landscape architect stamp covers the order details.
How should you test a new impression?
Stamp a blank sheet, then copy or scan it and read the copy. Because the rule calls for a reproducible seal, the copy is the real test: your name, every digit of the number and the full legend should all be legible.
Repeat the check at the reduction you use most for filed sets. If any letter fills in or breaks up, a larger size or a different device will usually fix it.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Illinois seal need an expiration date on it?
None of the three required elements is a date. The clause that mentions dates allows the seal, signature and dates to be affixed electronically, which concerns the document, not the face of the seal.
Do I have to copy the printed illustration exactly?
The rule labels its figure a suggested facsimile. The three elements in subsection (a) are what the face must contain; the drawing shows one way to arrange them.
Can I keep sealing during the renewal month?
Yes. The registration runs until August 31 and renewal opens in the month before, so it is still in force while you renew. What stops sealing is a registration that is no longer in force, such as one not renewed by August 31.
Can I put my firm name inside the seal?
A firm name is not one of the three elements the rule lists. The face identifies you as the registrant: your registered name, your registration number and the legend.
Does renewing my registration change the seal?
Nothing on the face refers to the renewal cycle, since the face holds only your name, number and legend. Renewal affects your right to use the seal, because sealing requires a registration in force.
Once your registered name and number are confirmed, pick a device from our Illinois stamps and seals collection and test the first impression on a copy.
