A South Dakota landscape architect seal has an outer circle 1 to 2 inches across and an inner circle five-eighths as wide, and it carries South Dakota, your name and license number, and the Landscape Architect title. Licensed or Registered may precede the title. Your signature and date go beside or across the seal. This page covers the face, sizing, devices, documents, electronic sealing and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against SDCL 36-18A-44 and the State Board of Technical Professions. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State name | South Dakota appears on the face. | SDCL 36-18A-44 |
| Your name and number | Your name as the licensee, with your license number. | SDCL 36-18A-44 |
| Title line | Landscape Architect, with Licensed or Registered in front if you choose. | SDCL 36-18A-44 |
| Outer circle | No smaller than 1 inch and no larger than 2 inches in diameter. | SDCL 36-18A-44 |
| Inner circle | Five-eighths of the outer diameter, exactly. | SDCL 36-18A-44 |
| Devices | A rubber stamp, an embosser, a computer-generated seal, or another facsimile the board finds acceptable. | SDCL 36-18A-44 |
| Signature and date | Placed next to the seal or across it, your choice. | SDCL 36-18A-44, 36-18A-45.1 |
| Documents | Final drawings, plans, plats, specifications, reports, surveys, calculations and design information given to a client or a public agency, in original and reproduced form; every drawing sheet carries the seal, license number and signature. | SDCL 36-18A-45; ARSD 20:38:37:01 |
| Sealing electronically | Allowed; the statute sets functional tests and names no technology. | SDCL 36-18A-45(1), 36-18A-45.1 |
| Security and misuse | You answer for keeping the seal secure and using it properly; misuse, or failing to sign and seal final work, can lead to discipline. Use after a lapse is not addressed. | ARSD 20:38:37:01 |
South Dakota is one row in our landscape architect seal requirements by state table, which sets each jurisdiction's rule side by side.
What must a South Dakota landscape architect seal display?
Four items under SDCL 36-18A-44: the state name South Dakota, your name as the licensee, your license number, plus the professional title Landscape Architect. You may put Licensed or Registered in front of that title if you want it.
Because the prefix is optional, the title line can read three ways: Landscape Architect on its own, or with one of the two permitted words ahead of it. Decide before you order, since the title line is cut into the die and a supplier cannot pick it for you.
Our post on obtaining a South Dakota landscape architect stamp covers the steps from first order to first use.
How is the South Dakota seal sized?
By two measurements. The outer circle must be at least 1 inch and no more than 2 inches in diameter, and the inner circle must measure exactly five-eighths of whatever outer diameter you choose.
Pick the outer size first and derive the inner one from it. A 2 inch outer circle gives a 1-1/4 inch inner circle. A 1-1/2 inch outer circle gives a 15/16 inch inner circle, and a 1 inch outer circle gives a 5/8 inch inner circle.
Choose the outer size with your longest line in mind, since the title and your name both have to fit on the face. More on choosing a size is in our post on the South Dakota landscape architect seal.
Which seal devices does South Dakota accept?
SDCL 36-18A-44 accepts a rubber stamp, an embossed seal, a computer-generated seal, or another facsimile that the board finds acceptable. Any of the three named forms meets the device part of the statute on its own.
An inked rubber stamp or a self-inking one makes a safe first device. An embosser or a computer-generated seal can be added for the documents that call for it. Any other facsimile qualifies only once the board has found it acceptable.
Where do the signature and date go on a South Dakota seal?
Next to the seal or across it; either placement complies. SDCL 36-18A-44 lets you choose, so South Dakota does not require you to write through the impression itself.
The date travels with the signature every time. On each drawing sheet, ARSD 20:38:37:01 also expects the seal and your license number, signed by whichever licensee is in responsible charge, so plan the title block for all of them.
Which documents must a South Dakota landscape architect seal?
Final work presented to a client or to any public or governmental agency: drawings, specifications, reports, plans, plats, land surveys, design information and calculations. The duty reaches originals and every copy, tracing, electronic submittal or other reproduction of them.
Sheet by sheet, ARSD 20:38:37:01 requires the seal and license number, with the responsible licensee's signature, on each drawing. Building a seal block into every sheet template means no drawing leaves the office without one. For the licensing side of the profession, see our South Dakota landscape architect certification guide.
Can a South Dakota landscape architect seal electronically?
Yes. Electronic sealing is permitted under SDCL 36-18A-45(1) and 36-18A-45.1. Those provisions set functional criteria that an electronic seal has to meet instead of naming a particular technology or product.
This page does not restate those criteria; they sit in the two provisions just cited. Electronic submittals are also on the list of documents the seal must reach, and a computer-generated seal is one of the named devices, so the electronic route is part of the statute rather than an add-on.
Who answers for the seal, and what if a license lapses?
You do. Under ARSD 20:38:37:01, keeping the seal secure and using it properly is your responsibility, and the rule treats improper use, or not signing and sealing final work, as grounds for disciplinary action.
Keep every form of the seal, including the digital file, where only you control it. The provisions read for this page do not address use of the seal after a license lapses, so this page makes no claim on that point.
What should you supply when ordering a South Dakota seal?
Your name as licensed, your license number, your chosen title wording and your outer diameter. The state name is fixed, and the inner circle follows from the outer size you pick.
Say which device you want first, and say if you also need a computer-generated version for electronic submittals. Compare options in our South Dakota landscape architect stamp products post.
How do you check a South Dakota impression before use?
Stamp a test sheet and measure both circles. The outer one should fall between 1 and 2 inches, and the inner one should be five-eighths of it; then read every line on the face against your license.
Sign and date beside or across the test impression to make sure your usual placement works with the lettering. Scan it as you would a submittal to confirm the face stays readable on the copy.
Frequently asked questions
Can the title read Professional Landscape Architect?
The statute offers two optional prefixes, Licensed and Registered. Professional is not one of them, so order the title alone or with one of those two words.
Can the seal be larger than 2 inches for large sheets?
No. SDCL 36-18A-44 caps the outer circle at 2 inches, and the inner circle scales with it.
Does the board have to approve my seal?
Board acceptance is mentioned for facsimiles beyond the named forms. A rubber stamp, an embossed seal and a computer-generated seal are named in the statute itself.
Can someone else in my office apply my seal?
ARSD 20:38:37:01 makes securing the seal and using it properly your job, and improper use is a ground for discipline. Control who has access to every version of it.
What inner circle goes with a 1-3/4 inch outer circle?
Five-eighths of 1-3/4 inches is 1-3/32 inches, so that is the inner diameter to request.
Once you have picked your title wording and outer diameter, order from our South Dakota stamps and seals collection.
