A North Dakota architect's stamp must carry four items: the state architect legend, a printed date line, your license number and the name on your license. The diameter falls between 1-1/2 and 2 inches, and an embosser, a rubber stamp or a digital image all qualify. You sign across each imprint and date the signing. This page covers the face, size, formats, signing and the gaps in the rule.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-02. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Shown the way it appears on your license. | N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-02 |
| License number | Printed on the face of the stamp. | N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-02 |
| Date line | A DATE: label followed by blanks divided by slashes. It is one of the listed contents, so it belongs on the die. | N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-02 |
| Legend | LICENSED ARCHITECT and STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA, set as a single legend with a hyphen joining the two phrases. | N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-02 |
| Diameter | Any figure from 1-1/2 up to 2 inches. No shape is named apart from the size being given as a diameter. | N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-02 |
| Formats | Rubber stamp, embosser or digital image. Each of the three is lawful. | N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-02 |
| Signature and date | Your signature runs across the stamp, and you date the day you signed. | N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-03 |
| Documents to stamp | Anything you prepare for use in construction or as a technical submission. | N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-03 |
| Digital image | Approved as a format, though the following section holds back that convenience in the setting where it would count most. | N.D. Admin. Code §§ 8-06-01-02, 8-06-01-03 |
| After a lapse | Silent. The chapter does not cover expiration, suspension, revocation, retirement or whether a license number can change. | N.D. Admin. Code ch. 8-06-01 (silent) |
Licensed in more than one place? Check each jurisdiction in architect seal requirements by state. How an architect reaches licensure in North Dakota, from education through the ARE, appears in the national table on architect licensing requirements.
What has to appear on a North Dakota architect stamp?
Four items, all listed in N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-02: the name on your license, the number it carries, a date line, and the legend LICENSED ARCHITECT and STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA, which the rule joins with a hyphen.
Give us your name in the exact form your license uses. A proof that is missing any one of the four is short a required element, however clean the rest looks. For a longer read on each item, see our North Dakota architect seal guidelines.
Why is a date line printed on the stamp itself?
Because the rule lists it as one of the four contents of the stamp. The die carries a DATE: label with blanks separated by slashes, and that line is part of the device, not a note you add next to it later.
This sits apart from the signing rule. N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-03 separately asks you to date your signature, and the printed blanks offer an obvious place to write it on every imprint. A die cut without the label and blanks leaves out a listed element.
How should the legend read?
As two phrases in capitals, LICENSED ARCHITECT and STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA, joined by a hyphen into one legend. Order it word for word from N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-02 rather than shortening it or rearranging the phrases to fit a layout.
The legend is the only title line the rule gives. If a layout feels crowded, move to a larger diameter within the permitted band before you touch the wording.
What size can the stamp be?
Anywhere from 1-1/2 inches to 2 inches in diameter. N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-02 sets a range rather than a single figure, so a 1-3/4 inch stamp is as compliant as either end of the band.
The rule states the size as a diameter and does not name a shape separately. Within the band, pick a size that keeps four lines of content readable once a signature crosses the face.
Is an embosser acceptable in North Dakota?
Yes. N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-02 names three formats: an embosser, a rubber stamp and a digital image. All three are lawful. Some states require a device whose impression reproduces; this rule accepts the embosser alongside the other two.
The choice then comes down to how your drawings travel. An inked impression shows up on photocopies and scans, while a raised impression without ink can fade from a copy. Our note on North Dakota architect stamp regulations covers the formats in more detail.
How do you sign and date a stamped document?
Write your signature across the stamp impression and record the date you signed. N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-03 sets both steps, so a clean impression with no signature over it, or a signature with no date, does not complete the job.
The printed date line on the die is a convenient spot for that date. Sign in ink that stays legible on a copy, and check that your signature leaves the number and legend readable underneath.
Which documents need the stamp?
Every document you prepare that will be used for construction or filed as a technical submission. N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-03 ties the duty to two things: you prepared the document, and it serves one of those two purposes.
Both parts matter when you decide what to stamp. The trigger is the document's intended use, so settle whether a set is going to construction or into a submission before it leaves your desk unstamped.
Can you use a digital image of the stamp?
Yes, as a format. N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-02 approves a digital image alongside the two physical devices. The rule then pulls back part of that convenience in N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-03, in the setting where a digital image would be most useful.
The limit sits in the same section that governs signing, and this page does not spell out its terms. Read that section in full before you send out a set carrying only a digital image, because approval of the format does not mean the image stands on its own everywhere.
What happens to the stamp if your license lapses?
The rule does not say. The citation here is N.D. Admin. Code ch. 8-06-01 (silent), because the chapter says nothing about expiration, suspension, revocation and retirement, and on whether a license number can change.
What the chapter does settle is that your license number is printed on the face. If that number ever changed, the die would no longer match your credential, so a replacement stamp would be the practical fix.
What should you have ready when you order?
Four things: your name exactly as licensed, your license number, your chosen diameter between 1-1/2 and 2 inches, and the format you want. The legend and the date line are fixed by the rule, so they are set before you order.
Tell us if you want more than one format, such as a rubber stamp for everyday sheets and an embosser for originals. Design choices within those limits are covered in our North Dakota architect stamp design notes.
How do you check a new stamp before using it?
Make a test impression on plain paper and measure it. The diameter should fall within 1-1/2 to 2 inches, and all four elements, including the DATE: label and its blanks, should read clearly.
Then sign across the test imprint, fill in the date, and copy or scan the sheet. If the name, number or legend disappears under the signature or blurs on the copy, fix the size or the device before the stamp touches a real set.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 1-3/4 inch stamp allowed?
Yes. The rule permits any diameter from 1-1/2 to 2 inches, and 1-3/4 inches sits inside that band.
Can I write the date beside the stamp instead of having a date line on the die?
No. The DATE: label with its blanks is one of the stamp's four listed contents, so the die needs it. Dating your signature is a separate duty under N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-03, and the printed blanks are the natural place to record it.
Does the rule require a circular stamp?
It gives the size as a diameter and names no shape in separate words. The only dimensional limit is the 1-1/2 to 2 inch band.
Can I add my firm name to the stamp?
The rule lists four contents: name, license number, date line and legend. A firm name is not among them, so it is not something the rule asks for.
Does the rule say what to do with the stamp after I retire?
No. N.D. Admin. Code ch. 8-06-01 (silent) covers neither retirement nor expiration, suspension or revocation, so the chapter gives no instruction on what becomes of the stamp.
Once your name, license number and diameter are settled, choose a rubber stamp, an embosser or both from our North Dakota architect stamps and seals, and check the proof for the DATE: line before you approve it.
