An Ohio landscape architect seal is a two-inch circle with a 1-3/8 inch inner circle, applied over your signature on the plans, specifications, drawings and other documents you prepare or directly supervise. The band reads state of Ohio above and landscape architect below, with your name and registration number across the center. No date is required. This page covers the face, devices, signing, electronic seals and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(A). Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Upper band | The words state of Ohio | Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(A) |
| Lower band | The words landscape architect | Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(A) |
| Center | Your name and registration number, both set horizontally inside the inner circle | Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(A) |
| Size and shape | Round, 2 inches across, with a 1-3/8 inch inner circle on the same center | Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(A) |
| Devices | Four families: embosser, rubber stamp, electronically generated seal, or any other reproducible facsimile | Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(A) |
| Signature | The seal is applied on top of the signature | Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(B) |
| Date | No dating requirement | Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(B) |
| Documents to seal | Plans, specifications, drawings and other documents you prepare or directly supervise | Ohio Rev. Code § 4703.36(C) |
| Electronic seal and signature | May stand in for the original seal and signature when every listed condition is met | Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(B), (C) |
| Registration term | Ends on a set calendar date; the seal rule is silent on use after lapse | Ohio Rev. Code § 4703.36 |
Licensed in more than one place? Check each jurisdiction in landscape architect seal requirements by state.
What appears on an Ohio landscape architect seal?
Four items in two zones. The ring between the circles carries state of Ohio along its upper edge and landscape architect along its lower edge, and the inner circle holds your name and registration number, each written horizontally.
Those placements come from Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(A). The bottom wording is the two words landscape architect, so check that a template has not added a qualifier in front of them. Our overview of Ohio landscape architect seal requirements puts these elements next to the rest of the rule.
How big is the seal and its inner circle?
The seal is round and measures 2 inches across, and a second circle of 1-3/8 inches sits inside it on the same center. Both numbers are exact, so a die built to a different outer size or a different inner ring does not match the rule.
The inner circle is what separates the ring text from your name and number, which makes it part of the specification rather than a style choice. Our post on Ohio landscape architect stamp design shows how the two circles frame the lettering.
Which devices can produce the seal?
Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(A) names four device families: an embosser, an inked rubber stamp, a seal generated electronically, or some other reproducible facsimile. Any of them satisfies the rule if it carries the prescribed design.
The fourth category is defined by a quality, reproducibility, rather than by a named tool. Choose the device that suits how your sets are issued, on paper, electronically or both.
Does the seal go over or beside the signature?
Over it. Under Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(B), you apply the seal on top of your signature. Sign first, then place the seal so it covers the signature.
That order affects how you choose a device. An inked impression laid over handwriting needs to leave both readable, so test the combination before a real set goes out. Our post on Ohio landscape architect stamp guidelines covers day-to-day use of the seal.
Do Ohio landscape architects have to date the seal?
No. The seal rule at Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(B) has no date requirement, so the face of the seal needs no date line and the rule does not ask you to write one beside it.
Your own office or a client may still want issue dates on drawings, but that is a project choice rather than a seal rule. The seal itself stays the same from sheet to sheet.
Which documents need the Ohio seal?
Every plan, specification, drawing and other document prepared by you or under your direct supervision. Ohio Rev. Code § 4703.36(C) sets that scope for landscape architects.
The scope turns on authorship and supervision. Work you produced, or work produced by others while you directly supervised it, carries your seal. Our post on what an Ohio landscape architect seal does for your practice looks at the seal from the client's side.
When can an electronic seal replace the original?
Under Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(B), (C), an electronic seal and signature can stand in for the original seal and signature, but only when each condition in the rule is met. The conditions follow the pattern of Ohio's architect rule.
- It identifies you, and only you.
- It can be verified.
- It stays under your direct and sole control.
- It is linked to the document so that any change to the file after you apply it is easy to detect and shows visibly.
- A graphic image of it is readily available and is produced in a way the board accepts.
Treat the list as all or nothing. If any one condition fails for a file, the electronic route is not available for that file.
What does the electronic seal image need to look like?
It must carry the same wording as your physical seal and look substantially the same, at substantially the same size. In practice that means the two-inch circle, the inner ring, both band legends, and your name and number.
Build the electronic image from the same artwork as your physical seal rather than redrawing it. That is the simplest way to keep the wording identical and the size and appearance close.
How does registration timing affect sealing?
Ohio registration ends on a set calendar date under Ohio Rev. Code § 4703.36. The seal rule itself does not address what happens to the seal if registration lapses.
Because the term ends on a set date, keep track of it alongside your project calendar. The rule's silence on lapse is not permission, so plan renewals so they do not fall in the middle of an issue deadline.
What should you tell us when ordering?
Your name and registration number as they should appear, and the device you want. The two-inch size, the 1-3/8 inch inner circle and the band wording are fixed by rule, so they are not options.
Mention that the seal is for an Ohio landscape architect so the two-word bottom legend is used. For how the finished seal supports your standing with clients, see our post on the Ohio professional landscape architect stamp and client trust.
How can you check the impression before use?
Make a test impression and measure it: 2 inches across, 1-3/8 inches for the inner circle. Then read the two band phrases, upper and lower, and your name and number straight across the middle.
Finally, sign a test sheet and apply the seal over the signature, the way the rule places it. If either the seal text or your signature becomes hard to read, adjust the ink or the device before real sheets go out.
Frequently asked questions
Can I add registered or licensed in front of landscape architect?
The rule assigns the lower part of the band to landscape architect and the upper part to state of Ohio. It lists no other words for the band, so keep to those two phrases.
Does the seal need my registration expiration date?
No. The face holds the two band phrases, your name and your registration number, and the rule sets no date requirement.
Is a scan of my signed and sealed sheet the same as an electronic seal?
The electronic route under Ohio Admin. Code 4703:1-3-01(B), (C) depends on conditions such as verification, sole control and visible detection of later changes. A file only qualifies as an electronic seal and signature when it meets all of them.
Can a drafter's work carry my seal?
Yes, if it was prepared under your direct supervision. Ohio Rev. Code § 4703.36(C) covers documents prepared by you or under your direct supervision.
Does an embosser work if the seal goes over my signature?
An embosser is one of the named device families. Because the seal sits on top of your signature, test a raised impression over handwriting to see that both stay legible, and that copies of the sheet still show the seal.
Choose your device from our Ohio stamps and seals collection and include your name and registration number with the order.
