A North Carolina landscape architect seal must show the legend N.C. Registered Landscape Architect along with your registered name and certificate number. No diameter or shape appears in G.S. 89A-2 or in any rule in 21 NCAC 26, and your signature crosses the seal's face. Below: 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. Updated 8 November 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, all set by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 89A-2(c): the legend N.C. Registered Landscape Architect, your registered name and your certificate number. The legend uses the abbreviation N.C. rather than the full state name.
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 comes from 21 N.C. Admin. Code 26.0207(a), (b), (e), taken as a set. Write the complete citation into your office procedures so each person preparing a submittal reviews identical 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 refers to the seal itself or a facsimile of one, and 21 NCAC 26.0207 paragraph (f) allows electronic seals and electronically transmitted documents. In practice a computer generated seal qualifies, as does a rubber stamp, and an inked stamp is the safe buy.
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 crosses the seal's face; the effective date is placed on the document, in any spot. 21 N.C. Admin. Code 26.0207(c), (d) fixes where the signature goes but leaves the date's location open.
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, though review the default before you rely on it. Electronic seals are permitted by 21 N.C. Admin. Code 26.0207(f), (g), (h), but the starting assumption in those paragraphs is that the seal gets stripped rather than retained.
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?
Quit sealing. G.S. 89A-2(c) ties the seal to a certificate that remains fully in force and effect, so once the certificate lapses, sealing has to stop. Authority: 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?
Provide your name exactly as registered and your certificate number, confirm the N.C. Registered Landscape Architect legend, choose a size, and say whether you want an inked stamp, a computer generated seal or both. The statute dictates every item except size, which you choose.
- 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?
Neither G.S. 89A-2 nor 21 NCAC 26 sets any minimum or maximum size. Use sets the practical limits: the signature has to cross the face, and all three items have to stay readable 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 under 21 N.C. Admin. Code 26.0207(f), (g), (h) comes with a stripping default, a problem a paper ink impression does not have. Start with the stamp, and read those paragraphs before adding a computer generated seal.
Can my firm name go on the seal?
Every item G.S. 89A-2(c) lists is personal to you: name, certificate number and legend. A firm name is not on that list, so the individual seal shows only the statutory items.
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.
