Iowa requires a professional landscape architect's seal bearing the legend Professional Landscape Architect, State of Iowa, plus your name and Iowa license number, within an outside circle of about 1 3/4 inches. You may apply it with a rubber stamp, an electronic image or another facsimile as long as it is legible, and plans and specifications must be dated. This page covers wording, size, devices, signing, documents and renewal.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Iowa Code § 544B.12. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Your name appears on the seal. | Iowa Code § 544B.12 |
| Legend | Professional Landscape Architect, State of Iowa. | Iowa Code § 544B.12 |
| License number | The license number Iowa issued to you. | Iowa Code § 544B.12 |
| Board additions | Any other words or figures the board considers necessary. | Iowa Code § 544B.12 |
| Size | An outside circle of roughly 1 3/4 inches. | Iowa Admin. Code r. 481-1084.1(7)"b" |
| Devices | A rubber stamp, an electronic image or some other facsimile, provided it is legible. | Iowa Admin. Code r. 481-1084.1(7)"c" |
| Documents covered | Every technical submission you issue for use in Iowa. Plans and specifications must also be dated and carry a legible seal. | Iowa Code §§ 544B.12, 544B.20 |
| Signing | Handled through an information block, the method Iowa also uses for interior designers and architects. | Iowa Admin. Code r. 481-1084.1(7)"d", "e" |
| Electronic seal and signature | An electronic image of the seal is allowed on the legibility test, and the information block may carry a digital signature as well. | Iowa Admin. Code r. 481-1084.1(7)"c", "e" |
| Renewal | Licenses expire at intervals the board sets. Renewal within thirty days after expiration is possible, subject to a reasonable penalty the board may assess. | Iowa Code §§ 544B.13, 544B.15 |
For the same rule in the other 53 jurisdictions, read landscape architect seal requirements by state.
What does the Iowa landscape architect seal have to say?
Four things: the legend Professional Landscape Architect, State of Iowa, your name, your Iowa license number, and any additional words or figures the board considers necessary. Iowa Code § 544B.12 is the source for this list.
The legend runs as one phrase with a comma before State of Iowa, and Professional is the word Iowa uses for this credential. Keep the full phrase intact on the face, in that order. Our post on the Iowa landscape architect seal is a companion read on the same elements.
How large is the Iowa landscape architect seal?
The outside circle is approximately 1 3/4 inches across, under Iowa Admin. Code r. 481-1084.1(7)"b". The rule gives that one figure and qualifies it with the word approximately rather than setting a minimum and maximum.
Order the stated size and treat 1 3/4 inches as the target. Because the figure describes the outside circle, measure across the outer edge of the face when you check a finished device, and confirm the legend, your name and your number all fit inside it without crowding.
Which devices can apply an Iowa seal?
A rubber stamp, an electronic image or another facsimile of the seal, provided the result is legible. Rule 481-1084.1(7)"c" allows all three, and legibility is the test because § 544B.12 demands a legible seal on plans and specifications.
That makes readability the practical standard for any device you pick. An inked rubber stamp works for paper sets; an electronic image works for files. Whichever you use, the question is whether a reviewer can read every line of the face on the copy they receive. Our post on Iowa landscape architect stamp and seal products has more on the device choice.
How does signing work for an Iowa landscape architect?
Through an information block. Iowa Admin. Code r. 481-1084.1(7)"d", "e" handles signing that way for landscape architects, just as Iowa does for architects and interior designers, and subparagraph "e" anticipates a digital signature inside the block.
This page does not reproduce the block field by field. Read subparagraphs "d" and "e" directly before you build or revise a title block, and set up the block once in your template so it appears on every sheet you issue.
Do Iowa plans and specifications need a date?
Yes. Under Iowa Code § 544B.12, all plans and specifications must be dated and must bear your legible seal. The date is a statutory requirement for those documents, alongside the seal.
Give the date a fixed place in your title block and on your specification cover so it is never left off. The statute pairs it with the seal, so the simplest habit is to check the date whenever you check the impression.
Which Iowa documents must carry the seal?
Every technical submission you issue for use in Iowa, under Iowa Code §§ 544B.12, 544B.20. The statute separately requires each plan and each specification to carry a date and a legible seal.
The phrase technical submission is broader than drawings alone, so plan for the seal on specifications and other technical documents you issue, not only on plan sheets. Our post on what the Iowa landscape architect stamp signifies is a companion read on its role.
Can an Iowa landscape architect seal be electronic?
Yes. An electronic image of the seal is allowed under rule 481-1084.1(7)"c", judged by the same legibility standard that applies to a rubber stamp. Subparagraph "e" of the same rule anticipates a digital signature inside the information block.
The test for the image is the same one a rubber stamp faces: every line has to be readable. Place the image at full size rather than scaling it down to fit a crowded title block, and check it on a printed copy as well as on screen.
What happens to the seal at renewal time in Iowa?
Certificates of licensure expire at intervals the board sets, and you renew and pay the fee the board prescribes. Under Iowa Code § 544B.13 you can still renew during the thirty days following expiration, but the board has discretion to impose a reasonable penalty.
The sources read for this page do not state what happens to the seal device after a lapse. The timeline to watch is therefore the renewal cycle itself and the thirty-day window in § 544B.13, so set a reminder well ahead of the expiration date.
What should you send when ordering an Iowa seal?
Your name, your Iowa license number, confirmation of the legend Professional Landscape Architect, State of Iowa, and any additional words or figures the board has required for your seal. Then choose the device.
The size is set at approximately 1 3/4 inches for the outside circle, so there is no size choice to make. If you also seal files, keep the electronic image identical to the stamp face so every document carries the same seal.
How do you check an Iowa impression before first use?
Make a test impression and read every line of the face on the original and on a copy. Legibility is the test the rule and statute apply, so the check is whether each word and digit is readable without guesswork.
Measure the outside circle against the 1 3/4 inch figure, then read the legend against the statute's wording, comma included. For an electronic image, check a printed sheet at the size you issue. Keep the test sheet with your license records.
Frequently asked questions
Can the board add wording to my seal?
Yes. Section 544B.12 lets the seal include other words or figures the board considers necessary, on top of your name, the legend and your license number.
What counts as another facsimile of the seal?
The rule does not list examples. It names a rubber stamp and an electronic image, adds other facsimiles without describing them, and sets legibility as the condition for all of them.
Is an embosser allowed in Iowa?
The rule does not name one. It names a rubber stamp, an electronic image or another facsimile of the seal, and whatever you use has to produce a legible seal.
Does the date go inside the seal?
The date is a requirement for the plans and specifications under § 544B.12, not an element of the seal face. The seal's listed elements are your name, the legend, your license number and any board additions.
Where do suspension and revocation sit in Iowa law?
Iowa Code § 544B.15 is the section on suspending or revoking a license and on reprimands.
When your license details are confirmed, choose a stamp from our Iowa stamps and seals collection at the approximately 1 3/4 inch outside circle the rule describes.
