A Tennessee architect seal must carry your registration number, your name as registered, the words Registered Architect, and either State of Tennessee or Tennessee. The rule shows the design as a diagram and states no size. Electronic seals are permitted, the signing rule speaks to wet ink, and use ends with the certificate. This page covers each point and what to order.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) and the State Board of Examiners for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Your name in the form you registered it. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) |
| Number | Your registration number. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) |
| Legend | The words Registered Architect. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) |
| State line | State of Tennessee, or Tennessee on its own. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) |
| Size and shape | No dimension given; the design appears as a diagram. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(1) (design given by diagram only) |
| Devices | The rule names four device types. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(8)(a) |
| Signing and dating | Wet ink is addressed in express terms. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(3), (8)(b) |
| Documents | Each original sheet of working drawings or plans, bound or unbound, tracings included, plus original cover or index pages for specifications, calculations and reports. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(2), (4), (5), (9) |
| Electronic seal | Allowed. Criteria apply, but no product is named. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(8)(a), (b) |
| After the certificate ends | The seal may no longer be used. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(a), (b) |
To compare Tennessee with every other jurisdiction, see our table of architect seal requirements by state. The seal follows registration; the degree, experience and exam routes that lead to a Tennessee license are compared in how to become a licensed architect.
What must appear on a Tennessee architect seal?
Four items, set by Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b): your registration number, your name as registered, the legend Registered Architect, and a state line reading either State of Tennessee or simply Tennessee.
The legend is written into the statute, so use Registered Architect rather than a substitute phrase. Your name should appear in the form you registered it, and the number should come straight from your registration record. The state line is the one place where you get a choice, between the two forms the statute allows.
Pick the state line form once and keep it on every version of the seal you own. Our article on Tennessee architect stamp guidelines is a related read.
Does Tennessee specify a size or shape?
No dimension is given. Tennessee defines the seal with a drawing instead of numbers: Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(1) introduces the seal design and then presents it as a diagram, and the cited rules state no size or shape in words.
That makes the diagram your reference for layout, while the size is left to you. Work from the diagram in the rule itself rather than from another state's template, and pick a size that keeps your registered name and number easy to read. For more on the face itself, see our article on Tennessee architect seal design.
Which seal devices does Tennessee allow?
Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(8)(a) names four device types that may carry the seal. We have not listed them on this page because the source notes behind it record only the count; read that subsection for the four types before you choose.
What the cited rules do confirm is that electronic seals are permitted, which is covered below. For the physical side, choose your device only after reading Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(8)(a), then order it with the four statutory items from Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b).
If you are comparing options, our article on choosing a Tennessee architect stamp looks at the stamp itself.
How must a Tennessee architect sign and date?
Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(3), (8)(b) address wet ink signing in express terms. Plan on signing paper documents in ink, and read those provisions for the placement and dating details before your first sealed set goes out.
This page does not restate those details. The signing provisions overlap with the electronic seal provisions, Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(8)(a), (b), so an architect who issues electronic documents should read the two together.
Which sheets and pages must carry the seal?
Under Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(2), (4), (5), (9), every original sheet in a set of working drawings or plans, bound or unbound, takes the seal, tracings and other reproducible sheets included. Specifications and calculations are sealed on original cover or index pages.
For specifications, the seal goes on the original cover or index pages that identify every specification page they cover. For design calculations or reports sent in for review, the seal goes on their original cover or index pages. So the drawing rule works sheet by sheet, while the specification and calculation rule works through cover and index pages.
Are electronic seals accepted in Tennessee?
Yes. Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(8)(a), (b) permit an electronic seal and set criteria for it without naming a product, so the question is whether your tool meets the criteria, not which brand it is.
The criteria are not reproduced on this page. Read them in the cited subsections before you configure software, and build the seal image from the same four statutory items as your physical seal: registered name, registration number, Registered Architect, and your chosen state line.
Can the seal be used after the certificate ends?
No. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(a), (b) ends the seal's life together with the certificate, so once the certificate is gone, the seal cannot be used on any document.
Treat every form of the seal you hold, physical and electronic, as tied to an active certificate. Keep the devices and the image file under your own control so nobody applies them after that point.
What should go on a Tennessee seal order?
Your name exactly as registered, your registration number, the Registered Architect legend, and your choice of State of Tennessee or Tennessee. Add the device type you selected after reading the rule's list, and a size, since the rule states none.
Ask for a proof and compare it with the diagram in the rule before approving production. Product background is in our article on Tennessee architectural seals and embossers.
How do you check a new Tennessee impression?
Stamp a test sheet and compare it with the diagram in the rule and the four items in Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b). Every item should be present, spelled correctly and readable at normal viewing distance.
Then sign and date the test sheet in ink the way you will on live sheets, and look at the result as a plan reviewer would. If the signature makes any item hard to read, adjust before the first real set.
If you also hold a Tennessee geologist license, the Tennessee geologist seal rules set out what that seal must carry.
Frequently asked questions
Can the legend read Licensed Architect instead?
The words named in Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) are Registered Architect, so that is the legend to order. Other wording would depart from the statute's list.
Where do I find the official seal design?
In the diagram that accompanies Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(1) (design given by diagram only). The rule presents the design as a picture, so that diagram is the reference for layout.
Can I order a seal before my registration number is issued?
Not a finished one. The registration number is one of the four items the statute requires, so the seal cannot be completed until you have it.
Should the seal include my signature or a date?
Neither is one of the four items in Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b). Signing and dating are handled separately under Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(3), (8)(b).
Will a seal from another state work in Tennessee?
No. A seal made for another state will not carry your Tennessee registration number or the Tennessee state line, and Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) requires both.
Once you have read the device list in the rule and settled your state line, order from our Tennessee stamps and seals collection and compare the proof with the diagram.
