A Maryland architect seal must carry your name in its licensed form and your license number, set in the architect seal design the Board has approved. Final documents going to a client or a public authority are signed, sealed and dated, and no diameter or device type is prescribed. This page covers the face, size, devices, signing, documents, digital signing, license status and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 3-501. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Shown in the form under which you hold your license. | Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 3-501 |
| License number | Your Maryland architect license number appears on the face. | Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 3-501 |
| Seal design | The architect seal design that carries Board approval. | Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 3-501 |
| Size and shape | Neither is set. COMAR 09.21 contains no diameter at all. | COMAR 09.21 (silent as to size) |
| Device type | Not specified. The regulation does not tie the seal to any particular device. | COMAR 09.21.02.03F |
| Sign, seal and date | All three are required, and the regulation supplies a definition of signature. | Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 3-501 |
| Documents to seal | Final architectural documents you issue to a client or submit to a public authority. | Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. §§ 3-103, 3-501 |
| Public authority acceptance | Section 3-501 also contains a bar on acceptance by public authorities, and the exceptions sit in § 3-103. | Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. §§ 3-103, 3-501 |
| Electronic and digital | Permitted. The digital situation is handled inside the definition of signature, with no dedicated electronic seal provision. | COMAR 09.21.02.03E, F |
| License status | Endorsement belongs to a licensed architect. Using the seal after a lapse is not separately addressed. | COMAR 09.21.02.04E, 09.21.05 |
For the same rule in the other 53 jurisdictions, read architect seal requirements by state. Still working toward the license? The architect licensing path by state sets out what Maryland asks for first.
What must a Maryland architect seal show?
Three things under Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 3-501: the architect seal design the Board has approved, carrying your licensed name and your license number. The approved design supplies the layout, and your name and number make it yours.
Because the design carries Board approval, the seal is built from that design rather than from a generic template or another profession's layout. Your name should match your license record exactly, spacing and initials included.
The statute's list has no date and no size in it, so the face is defined by the approved design plus your two personal details. For further reading, see our Maryland architect seal guidelines.
Which documents need a seal?
Final architectural documents that you issue to a client or submit to a public authority. Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 3-501 sets that duty and also contains a bar on acceptance by public authorities, and the exceptions are found in § 3-103.
The word final matters for workflow. The duty attaches when the final set is issued or submitted, so decide where in your process the seal, signature and date go on. Where a document may fit an exception, read § 3-103 directly rather than assuming.
Is there a required size or shape?
No. COMAR 09.21 contains no diameter at all, and no shape is stated. The check reviewed the subtitle's chapter list along with the lists of regulations in 09.21.01 and 09.21.02, and none of them gives a measurement.
With no rule on size, choose one that suits your title block and keeps your name and number legible. Use the same size for paper and digital versions so every sheet looks alike.
Which device should you use?
The regulation leaves it open. COMAR 09.21.02.03F does not specify a device type, so the physical form is not dictated by rule. What has to stay constant is the Board approved design with your name and license number.
Pick the form that fits how your documents go out: a physical seal for printed sets, and the digital route for files, which Maryland handles through its definition of signature. For help weighing formats, see our piece on choosing a Maryland architect stamp.
How do you sign, seal and date?
Do all three. Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 3-501 requires the architect to sign, seal and date the document, and the regulation supplies a definition of signature, which is also where the digital situation is handled.
The seal, signature and date travel together on the final document. Read the signature definition in COMAR 09.21.02.03E, F before settling how you will sign, since it decides what counts.
Can you seal and sign digitally?
Yes. Digital sealing is permitted. Instead of a dedicated electronic seal provision, Maryland treats the digital situation as part of how it defines a signature, in COMAR 09.21.02.03E, F.
In practice, a digitally signed file has to meet that signature definition, and no separate electronic seal rule sits on top of it. For more on the legal side, read our overview of Maryland architect seal law.
Who may endorse, and what if your license lapses?
Only a licensed architect may endorse the documents, since Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 3-501 reserves the endorsement to one. Using the seal after a lapse is not separately addressed; the provisions noted here are COMAR 09.21.02.04E, 09.21.05.
Because endorsement belongs to licensed architects, settle your license status before any final set goes out under your seal. Keep renewal on the same calendar as your issue dates.
What should your order include?
The approved architect seal design, your licensed name and license number, your chosen size, and the device form you want. Since no size or device is prescribed, those last two are decisions for you to make.
- Your name, matching your license record
- Your Maryland license number
- The Board approved architect seal design
- Your chosen size, since COMAR 09.21 sets none
- Device form for paper sets, plus any digital version
Bring a copy of the approved design to the order if you have one, so the layout can be matched. If you want more context first, read our article on Maryland architect seals.
How do you check the impression before use?
Stamp a test sheet and compare it with the Board approved design, then confirm your licensed name and license number. Sign and date the sheet the way you will on a final set to see how the three sit together.
Copy or scan the test and check the copy. For a digital version, print at the size you chose and repeat the same checks.
Frequently asked questions
Does the seal need fixed wording such as Registered Architect?
The statute lists your name, your license number and the Board approved design. Any fixed wording comes from that approved design, so follow the design rather than adding phrases of your own.
Can a public authority accept final documents that are not sealed?
Section 3-501 carries a bar on public authority acceptance, and the exceptions to it are in § 3-103. If your document does not fit an exception there, plan on submitting it signed, sealed and dated.
Do drafts and progress sets need the seal?
The duty in Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 3-501 attaches to final architectural documents, meaning those going to a client or to a public authority. The word final is the test to apply to any interim set.
Does a license expiration date go on the seal?
No. The three required items are your name, your license number and the Board approved design, and an expiration date is not among them.
Can one design serve for both a physical seal and a digital version?
Yes. The design is the Board approved one either way, with your name and number, and COMAR 09.21.02.03F does not tie the design to a device type.
With your license details ready, order from our Maryland stamps and seals collection and ask for the Board approved architect design with your name and license number.
