A New Hampshire architect seal is two concentric circles, 1-9/16 inches outside and 15/16 inch inside. The band reads Licensed Architect over The State of New Hampshire, and the center holds your full name and license number. The rule allows an impression seal or a rubber stamp, applied with your signature and the date. This page covers the face, sizes, devices, signing, documents, status and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02(b). Sources read September 2026. Updated 7 November 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Outline | Two circles sharing one center. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02(b) |
| Diameters | Outer circle 1-9/16 inches, inner circle 15/16 inch. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02(b) (source note ss by #14553, eff 6-2-26) |
| Upper band | Licensed Architect, lettered along the upper part of the ring between the circles. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02(b) |
| Lower band | The State of New Hampshire, lettered along the lower part of that ring. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02(b) |
| Center | Your full name and your license number, each set horizontally inside the inner circle. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02(b) |
| Devices | Either a rubber stamp or an impression type seal. No computer generated or digital form is named. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02(a) |
| Electronic seal | Nothing on it: no named technology, no certificate authority, no verification standard. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02 (silent on electronic seals) |
| Signature and date | Seal, signature and date together on each document filed for public record. | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 310-A:44 |
| Documents to seal | Architecture documents and papers you prepared, once they are issued or filed for public record. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02(a), (d) |
| Status | Choosing retired status ends use of the seal, sealing after a lapse is prohibited, and misuse is a crime. | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 310-A:44 |
To compare New Hampshire with every other jurisdiction, see our table of architect seal requirements by state. The seal assumes you already hold the New Hampshire license; how to become a licensed architect covers the degree, AXP and ARE routes.
What must appear on a New Hampshire architect seal?
Four items in fixed positions under N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02(b). Licensed Architect runs along the top of the band, The State of New Hampshire along the bottom, and your full name and license number set horizontally inside the inner circle.
Position is part of the rule, not a styling choice. The band holds the two phrases, and the center holds your personal details, so a layout that swaps them or moves the number into the band does not match the rule.
Use your full name rather than initials, since the rule asks for the full name. For more on the device itself, see our article on the New Hampshire architect seal.
What are the exact dimensions?
Outer circle 1-9/16 inches, inner circle 15/16 inch, both stated in N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02(b). The two figures are exact, so the die is built to them rather than to the closest stock size a maker happens to carry.
The size paragraph carries a source note, cited as N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02(b) (source note ss by #14553, eff 6-2-26), which dates the current text. If you are replacing an older seal, measure it against these figures before assuming it still matches.
The inner circle has to hold both your full name and your license number on horizontal lines, so a long name may need smaller lettering. Check the proof for legibility at the stated 15/16 inch rather than enlarging the circle.
Which devices does the rule allow?
Two, both named in N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02(a): a rubber stamp or an impression type seal. No computer generated or digital form appears in the architect rule, a real contrast with the state's landscape architect rule.
Under Lsa 305.03(a), New Hampshire landscape architects may choose among an impression type seal, a rubber stamp and a digital seal. Architects do not get the digital option in Arch 306.02, so a setup borrowed from a landscape architect colleague does not carry over. Browse our post on New Hampshire architect stamps for device background.
Can you apply the seal electronically?
The rule does not address it. Arch 306.02 has nothing on electronic or digital seals: it names no technology, sets up no certificate authority and gives no standard for verification. The only devices it lists are the impression seal and the rubber stamp.
Treat the seal as a physical impression. With no electronic provision in the architect rule, the safe course for filed documents is the impression seal or rubber stamp the rule names, applied with your signature and date.
How must you sign and date?
Every document filed for public record carries the seal, your signature and the date. N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 310-A:44 requires all three together, so an impression without a signature and date is incomplete.
Plan your title block so the three sit together on each sheet. An embossed impression needs the same signature and date with it as an inked one does.
Which documents must carry the seal?
Architecture documents and papers you prepared, at the point they go out as issued or are filed for the public record. Both conditions are joined in N.H. Code Admin. R. Arch 306.02(a), (d): the work is yours, and it is being issued or filed for the public record.
Preparation by you is part of the test, so the seal follows your own work. Build the sealing step into the point where a set is issued or filed, not into internal reviews.
What happens when you retire or your license lapses?
Retired status ends your use of the seal, and sealing after a lapse is prohibited. N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 310-A:44 also makes misusing the seal a crime, so keep it out of use once either limit applies.
Choosing retired status is a deliberate step, so plan it around your last sealed issue. Put the seal away when you retire rather than leaving it where anyone in the office could apply it.
What should a seal order include?
Your full name and license number for the center, and the two band phrases exactly as the rule gives them. Add the 1-9/16 and 15/16 inch circle sizes and your device: an impression seal or a rubber stamp.
- Full name, not initials
- License number
- Upper band: Licensed Architect
- Lower band: The State of New Hampshire
- Circles at 1-9/16 inches and 15/16 inch
- Embosser or rubber stamp
How do you check an impression before using it?
Stamp or emboss a test sheet and measure both circles: 1-9/16 inches outside and 15/16 inch inside. Then confirm Licensed Architect sits at the top of the band, The State of New Hampshire at the bottom, and your name and number run horizontally.
For an embossed impression, check it under angled light and on a scan, since raised lettering can be hard to read flat. Sign and date the test the way you will on filed documents.
Frequently asked questions
Does the lower phrase need the word The?
Yes. The rule spells the legend with the definite article, so the artwork should read The State of New Hampshire in full rather than shortening it to State of New Hampshire.
Can my name follow the curve of the circle?
No. Arch 306.02(b) puts both your full name and your license number within the inner circle and has them written horizontally, so they run straight across rather than bending with the ring.
Can the seal be scaled down to fit a small title block?
The rule sets exact diameters of 1-9/16 and 15/16 inch. A reduced seal no longer matches those figures, so resize the title block space rather than the seal.
Does an embossed impression satisfy the rule on its own?
No. An impression type seal is an allowed device, but N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 310-A:44 still requires your signature and the date with it on documents filed for public record.
Does the seal include an expiration date or a firm name?
No. The four required items are the two band phrases, your full name and your license number. Adding anything else would put unlisted content into a layout the rule fixes item by item.
When your license details are in hand, order from our New Hampshire stamps and seals collection, specifying the 1-9/16 and 15/16 inch circles and your choice of embosser or rubber stamp.
