A District of Columbia architect seal carries your name as licensed, your license number and the words LICENSED ARCHITECT-DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, and it must conform to the specimen printed in the rule. No diameter or shape is given, and no device type is named. You sign across the seal, by hand or electronically. This page covers the face, placement, electronic signing and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against 17 DCMR § 3413.1. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Your name | Your name as licensed. | 17 DCMR § 3413.1 |
| License number | Your license number. | 17 DCMR § 3413.1 |
| Legend | The words LICENSED ARCHITECT-DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. | 17 DCMR § 3413.1 |
| Specimen | The seal has to conform to the specimen the rule prints. | 17 DCMR § 3413.1 |
| Device type | No device type is named. | 17 DCMR §§ 3413.1, 3413.2, 3413.7 |
| Size and shape | Not addressed as a measurement, and no shape is stated. | 17 DCMR § 3413.1 (specimen image) |
| Signature | Signed across the seal, either by hand or electronically. | 17 DCMR §§ 3413.7, 3499.1 |
| Documents to seal | All technical submissions. | 17 DCMR §§ 3413.2 and 3413.4, 3413.5 and 3413.8, with 3499.1 |
| Placement | On every design and drawing, on the cover and index pages that identify a set of specifications, and on the cover page and index of other technical submissions. | 17 DCMR §§ 3413.2 and 3413.4, 3413.5 and 3413.8, with 3499.1 |
| Electronic seal | Allowed. The standard is a four part functional test rather than a named product. | 17 DCMR §§ 3413.7 and 3499.1, as amended at 59 DCR 9963 and 9967 (August 17, 2012) |
Licensed in more than one place? Check each jurisdiction in architect seal requirements by state. The seal follows registration; the degree, experience and exam routes that lead to a D.C. license are compared in how to become a licensed architect.
What does 17 DCMR § 3413.1 require on the seal?
Three pieces of content and one instruction about the design. Your name as licensed, your license number and a fixed legend, all arranged to conform to the specimen the rule prints.
- The specimen printed in the rule, which the seal has to match
- The words LICENSED ARCHITECT-DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
- Your license number
- Your name, in the form your license carries
The legend is the item most often mistyped, because it names the District rather than a state and it is set out as one string. The imprint specifications in more detail go through the face element by element.
Why does the specimen matter more than a dimension?
Because the District controls the design by picture rather than by measurement. The rule prints a specimen and asks your seal to conform to it, which puts arrangement and proportion ahead of any figure you might otherwise look for.
That changes how you check an order. There is no diameter to measure against, so the test is a visual comparison: the legend where the specimen puts it, the name and number where the specimen puts them, and nothing added that the specimen does not show.
Does the rule give a diameter or a shape?
No. Size is not addressed as a measurement and no shape is stated. The only geometric guidance is the specimen image itself, which is a form to match rather than a dimension to hit.
Practically, size follows the documents. A seal has to sit on a drawing and on a specification cover and still read after the sheet has been copied, which tends to settle the question faster than a rule would.
Which device may you use for the imprint?
Whichever you like. The rule does not name a device type anywhere in the provisions read here, so the choice between an inked impression and an embossed one is yours as long as the result conforms to the specimen.
What the silence does not do is loosen the face. A device that cannot reproduce the legend cleanly at the size you use is the wrong device, whatever family it belongs to. A comparison of District of Columbia architect stamp options is a useful starting point.
Where does your signature go?
Across the seal. The rule places the signature over the impression rather than beside it, and it accepts either a handwritten signature or an electronic one.
Leave room for that when you size the device. A seal pressed into a crowded title block leaves nowhere for a signature to cross it, which is a layout problem worth solving before the first sheet goes out.
Which documents count as technical submissions?
The definition at § 3499.1 is broad: "studies, designs, drawings, specifications" and any other technical documentation produced in the practice of architecture. If a document is technical work product, it falls inside the term.
That breadth is deliberate. It means the question is rarely whether a document is covered and almost always where the imprint belongs within the set.
Where does the imprint go within a set?
Section 3413.2 is specific. Every design and every drawing carries the imprint. For specifications, it goes on the cover and index pages that identify the set. For other technical submissions, it goes on the cover page and the index where there is one.
So a specification book is not sealed page by page, while a drawing set is sealed sheet by sheet. Getting that distinction right is the difference between a set that passes review and one that comes back.
Can you seal and sign electronically in the District?
Yes. Electronic signing is expressly allowed, and the standard the rule applies is a four part functional test rather than a named product or file format.
A functional standard means the question is what the method does, not what it is called. The provisions were amended at 59 DCR 9963 in August 2012 to accommodate this, and the same seal content applies whether the imprint is pressed or placed. The full DC architect seal requirements cover the amendment.
What does the rule say about a lapsed license?
Use of the seal after a license lapses is not addressed. What the cited sections address instead is discipline, which is the mechanism the District uses rather than an expiration rule attached to the seal itself.
Because no grace period is stated, there is nothing to rely on. Keep your license current and treat a lapse as a reason to stop sealing. More on DC architect stamp expiration sets out what is and is not written down.
What do you supply when ordering?
Your name in the form your license carries and your license number. The legend is fixed by the rule and the arrangement is fixed by the specimen, so those two lines are the only variables in the order.
Check the name against the license rather than against a business card, since a professional name and a licensed name are not always the same string of characters.
How do you check an impression against the specimen?
Put a fresh impression beside the specimen printed in the rule and compare them feature by feature. The legend should read LICENSED ARCHITECT-DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, and your name and number should sit where the specimen places them.
Then sign across the impression on the test sheet. If the signature makes the legend or the number unreadable, the seal is too small for the way you actually use it.
If you also hold a District of Columbia land surveyor license, the District of Columbia land surveyor seal rules set out what that seal must carry.
Frequently asked questions
Does the legend say District of Columbia or DC?
The rule gives the words as LICENSED ARCHITECT-DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. The jurisdiction is written out, joined to the title, and an abbreviation is a departure from the wording the rule sets.
Does the seal carry an expiration date?
Not among the items the rule lists. The face carries your name, your license number and the legend, arranged to match the specimen. No date is called for.
Is an embosser acceptable for a DC architect seal?
The rule names no device type, so it neither requires nor rules out a press. The face and its conformity with the specimen are what the rule controls.
Does every page of a specification book need the imprint?
No. The imprint goes on the cover and index pages that identify the set, while designs and drawings are sealed individually.
Is an electronic signature accepted across the seal?
Yes. The rule allows the signature to be handwritten or electronic, and it judges an electronic method by a four part functional test.
What happens to the seal if the license lapses?
Nothing is stated. The sections read address discipline rather than expiration, so no grace period exists to point to.
The legend and the specimen are fixed, leaving your name and license number as the only lines to confirm, so check them against your license before ordering from the District of Columbia stamps and seals collection.
