A North Carolina landscape architect seal has to carry your registered name, your certificate number and the legend N.C. Registered Landscape Architect. Neither G.S. 89A-2 nor any rule in 21 NCAC 26 gives it a diameter or a shape, and your signature runs across its face. This page covers the face, size, devices, signing, sealed documents, electronic files, lapse and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against N.C. Gen. Stat. § 89A-2(c). Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name and certificate number | Both go on the face, with the name in the form under which you are registered. | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 89A-2(c) |
| Legend | N.C. Registered Landscape Architect, keeping the N.C. abbreviation the statute uses. | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 89A-2(c) |
| Diameter | Silent. No measurement is given in the statute or anywhere in 21 NCAC 26. | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 89A-2(c) (silent) |
| Shape | Silent. No outline, round or otherwise, is stated. | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 89A-2(c) (silent) |
| Devices | A seal or a facsimile of one. Rubber stamps and computer generated seals both qualify. | 21 N.C. Admin. Code 26.0207(c), (f) |
| Signature | Written across the face of the seal. | 21 N.C. Admin. Code 26.0207(c), (d) |
| Date | The effective date has to appear on the document. | 21 N.C. Admin. Code 26.0207(c), (d) |
| Documents to seal | Four groups: drawings and specifications going to a public agency for approval, drawings and specifications released for bids, negotiation or construction, technical reports, and letters or certificates giving a professional opinion. | 21 N.C. Admin. Code 26.0207(a), (b), (e) |
| Electronic seals | Allowed, although stripping the seal is the default treatment. | 21 N.C. Admin. Code 26.0207(f), (g), (h) |
| Use after lapse | Not allowed. The seal is usable only while your certificate stays fully in force and effect. | N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 89A-2(c), 89A-5 |
To compare North Carolina with every other jurisdiction, see our table of landscape architect seal requirements by state.
What does a North Carolina landscape architect seal have to show?
Three items: your registered name, your certificate number, and the legend N.C. Registered Landscape Architect. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 89A-2(c) sets all three, and the legend keeps the abbreviation N.C. instead of spelling out the state.
Copy the name from your registration record, not from a business card or letterhead, because the statute ties the face to the registered form. Check the certificate number digit by digit against that same record before you approve a proof.
The statute's list stops at those three items. It names no border, no emblem and no expiration date, so the face stays short and personal to you. Our North Carolina landscape architect stamp guidelines add further background.
Which documents must carry the seal?
Rule 21 NCAC 26.0207(a) names four categories. They are drawings and specifications going to a public agency for approval, drawings and specifications released for bids, negotiation or construction, technical reports, and letters or certificates that give a professional opinion.
The list reaches well past permit drawings. A letter stating your professional opinion is sealed just as a construction set is, so the seal belongs wherever opinion letters are signed, not only where drawings are plotted.
The duty is read from 21 N.C. Admin. Code 26.0207(a), (b), (e) together. Keep that full citation in your office procedures so anyone preparing a submittal checks the same paragraphs.
Is there a required size or shape?
No. Neither G.S. 89A-2 nor any rule in 21 NCAC 26 states a diameter, and no shape is given either. The review behind this page took in the rule list for 21 NCAC 26, the text of 21 NCAC 26.0207 and chapter 89A of the General Statutes.
Because the rule leaves size open, choose it for the way you sign. Your signature has to cross the face, so pick a diameter that leaves the name, number and legend readable once ink runs over them.
Whatever size you settle on, use it for both the physical stamp and any computer generated version. A reviewer then sees the same seal on every sheet, paper or electronic.
Which devices can carry the seal?
The rule speaks of the seal itself or a facsimile of one, and paragraph (f) of 21 NCAC 26.0207 permits electronic seals and electronically transmitted documents. In practice that covers a rubber stamp and a computer generated seal, with an inked stamp as the safe purchase.
An inked stamp is the dependable choice for paper sets. Add a computer generated version if you send sealed files, keeping in mind the stripping default described below. For background on the device itself, see our overview of the North Carolina landscape architect seal.
Where do the signature and date go?
Your signature goes across the face of the seal, and the effective date goes on the document. 21 N.C. Admin. Code 26.0207(c), (d) fixes where the signature sits, and for the date it asks only that it appear on the document.
Signing across the seal means your ink crosses your own name and number. A clean, open layout keeps those lines legible under the signature, so test the combination on a spare sheet before the first real set goes out.
Can you seal documents electronically?
Yes, but read the default first. Electronic seals are allowed under 21 N.C. Admin. Code 26.0207(f), (g), (h), yet the starting position those paragraphs take is that the seal gets stripped rather than kept.
Treat electronic sealing as a workflow to set up on purpose, not as a copy of your paper routine. Read paragraphs (f) through (h) in full before a sealed file leaves your office, since that is where the default and any departure from it are set out. For paper sets, an inked stamp is the safe purchase and raises none of these file questions.
What happens to the seal if your certificate lapses?
You stop using it. G.S. 89A-2(c) ties the seal to a certificate that remains fully in force and effect, so sealing has to stop once the certificate is no longer current. The provisions cited for this point are N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 89A-2(c), 89A-5.
The limit follows the certificate, not the stamp. A stamp in good physical shape still cannot be used during a lapse, so keep renewal dates on the same calendar as your project deadlines.
What should you send when ordering?
Send your name exactly as registered, your certificate number, confirmation of the legend N.C. Registered Landscape Architect, the size you want, and whether you need an inked stamp, a computer generated seal or both. Each item comes straight from the statute except size, which is yours to pick.
- Name as it appears on your registration
- Certificate number, checked against the record
- Legend: N.C. Registered Landscape Architect
- Your chosen size, since the rules set none
- Device: inked stamp, computer generated seal, or both
Recheck the certificate number before you submit, since a proofreader cannot tell a wrong digit by eye. If you are still comparing formats, read our page on the North Carolina landscape architect stamp and seal before you order.
How do you check an impression before using it?
Stamp a spare sheet, then read it against N.C. Gen. Stat. § 89A-2(c): name as registered, certificate number and the N.C. legend. Sign across it as you would on a real set and confirm every line is still readable through the ink.
Photocopy or scan the test sheet and check the copy too, since fine lettering can close up when an impression is reproduced. For a computer generated seal, print at the intended size and run the same checks.
For the geologist side of practice in North Carolina, read what a North Carolina geologist seal requires.
Frequently asked questions
Can the legend spell out North Carolina instead of N.C.?
The statute gives the legend as N.C. Registered Landscape Architect. A spelled out version is different wording from what G.S. 89A-2(c) states, so keep the abbreviation on the face.
Does a missing size rule mean any diameter will do?
Nothing in G.S. 89A-2 or 21 NCAC 26 sets a minimum or a maximum. The practical limits come from use: the signature must cross the face, and all three items must stay legible on the sheet and on copies.
Should the stamp and the electronic seal share one layout?
Both carry the same three items under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 89A-2(c). Using one approved layout for both keeps paper and electronic sets consistent and means only one proof to check.
Why is an inked stamp the safe first purchase when electronic seals are allowed?
Electronic sealing comes with a stripping default under 21 N.C. Admin. Code 26.0207(f), (g), (h), while an inked impression on paper raises no such question. Start with the stamp and add a computer generated seal once you have read those paragraphs.
Can my firm name go on the seal?
The three items in G.S. 89A-2(c) are personal: your name, your certificate number and the legend. A firm name is not among them, so the individual seal carries only what the statute lists.
With your registration details in hand, pick an inked stamp or a computer generated seal from our North Carolina stamps and seals and give the N.C. legend exactly as the statute writes it.
