A Virginia architect seal must measure two inches across and show your name, "Lic. No." with the final six digits of your license number, and the arc wording "COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA" and "ARCHITECT". Your signature and the date sit beside the seal on each sealed final document. An electronic version is allowed when it passes three tests. This page covers design, documents, electronic use, renewal and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against 18VAC10-20-760 B and F and the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers, and Landscape Architects. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Your name appears on the face. | 18VAC10-20-760 B and F |
| License number | The abbreviation "Lic. No." and then the closing six digits of the license. | 18VAC10-20-760 B and F |
| Arc wording | COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA and ARCHITECT, each set on a curve. | 18VAC10-20-760 B and F |
| Diameter | Two inches for the original seal. | 18VAC10-20-760 F |
| Layout | Copy the arrangement shown in the rule's illustration. The drawings may not be printed to scale, so the stated two inches controls size. | 18VAC10-20-760 F |
| Signature and date | Both placed beside the seal. The three are treated as one unit. | 18VAC10-20-760 A, B and C |
| Final documents | A sealed cover sheet on each final plan, plat, drawing, report, specification or other document, plus a seal on every sheet inside a plan, plat or drawing set. | 18VAC10-20-760 B, D and E |
| Electronic seal | May stand in for the original set if it identifies you uniquely, can be verified and remains under your direct control. | 18VAC10-20-760 C |
| Original or electronic | The rule starts from an original seal with signature and date, and lets the electronic set replace it once subsection C is met. | 18VAC10-20-760 C and F |
| License term | Two years, measured from the close of the month of issue, so expiry dates differ from one licensee to the next. | 18VAC10-20-87 A |
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 Virginia asks for first.
What must a Virginia architect seal show?
Four items on the face: your name, "Lic. No." followed by the final six digits of the license, COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA on an arc, and ARCHITECT on an arc. 18VAC10-20-760 B and F then places your signature and the date next to the seal.
Watch the number in particular. The seal takes only the last six digits after the "Lic. No." abbreviation, so compare the digits you send with your license before the die is cut. The arc lines are fixed wording and should be reproduced in capitals as the rule shows them.
All four items belong on the seal whatever device you use. For the reasoning behind each element, read the meaning behind Virginia architecture stamps and seals.
How large is the seal, and what sets its layout?
Two inches in diameter, under 18VAC10-20-760 F. The same subsection also has the original seal follow the illustrated design in detail, which fixes where each line of wording sits within the circle.
The illustration and the measurement do separate jobs. The rule cautions that the pictured designs may not be to scale, so take the arrangement from the drawing and the size from the two-inch figure, never from a ruler held against a printed copy of the rule. For more on design, see our article on design and function in Virginia architect stamps.
Is the original seal a stamp, an embosser or a file?
Virginia frames the choice as original or electronic. Under 18VAC10-20-760 C and F, the starting point is an original seal applied with a signature and date, and an electronic set may take its place when subsection C is satisfied.
The provision does not single out a stamp or an embosser for the original. What it does fix is the size and the design, so whichever device you choose has to produce a two-inch impression matching the illustration. Read about investing in a Virginia professional architect stamp before you buy.
Where do the signature and date go?
Beside the seal, as part of a set of three. 18VAC10-20-760 A, B and C treats the seal, the signature and the date as a single unit and does not call for any one of them on its own.
In practice, sign and date every time you seal, sheet by sheet. A sealed drawing with no date next to the impression is incomplete under the rule's own framing, even when the seal itself is correct in every detail.
Which final documents take the seal?
Two layers. Each final document type, meaning plans, plats, drawings, technical reports, specifications and other documents, gets a sealed cover sheet, and within any set of plans, plats or drawings, each sheet is sealed as well, under 18VAC10-20-760 B, D and E.
The split matters for bound items. A technical report or a specification book carries the seal on its cover sheet, while a drawing set needs it on the cover and then on each sheet in the set. Related detail appears in our Virginia architect stamp guidelines.
When can an electronic seal replace the original?
When it passes three tests in 18VAC10-20-760 C: it has to identify you uniquely, it has to be verifiable, and it has to stay under your direct control. An electronic seal, signature and date meeting all three may be used instead of the original set.
The tests apply to the whole set, not just the seal image. Check your signing method against each one before relying on it for final documents, and fall back on the original seal, signature and date if any test is in doubt.
How do rolling license dates affect the seal?
A Virginia license lasts two years, measured from the final day of its month of issue, under 18VAC10-20-87 A. Each licensee therefore has an individual expiration date rather than one shared statewide renewal day.
The rules read for this page do not address using the seal after a license lapses. Because nothing on the face records an expiration date, keep your own renewal date in view rather than expecting the seal to show it.
What should the order to a seal maker include?
Your name as it should read, the closing six digits of the license, confirmation of the two arc lines, the two-inch diameter, and a note that the layout follows the architect design illustrated in 18VAC10-20-760 F. The maker cannot verify any of it, so copy each item from your license.
- Your name
- License line: "Lic. No." and the six closing digits
- COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA and ARCHITECT, each on an arc
- Two-inch diameter, stated plainly on the order
- Whether you also want an electronic version for digital sets
Our Virginia architect seal buying guide is the next stop before you order.
How do you check a new seal against the rule?
Stamp a test sheet and measure the impression: it should be two inches across. Then compare the arrangement of your name, the license line and both arcs with the illustrated architect design in 18VAC10-20-760 F.
Sign and date next to the test impression the way you will on real sheets, so you can see that the set of three fits your title block. Read a photocopy as well as the original, so you know the impression survives copying.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a seal smaller than two inches?
18VAC10-20-760 F states two inches for the original seal. A smaller die does not match the stated size, so order the full two inches and say so on the order.
The illustration in the rule prints at a different size. Which do I follow?
Follow the illustration for arrangement and the two-inch figure for size. The rule itself warns that the pictured designs may not be to scale.
Does each sheet need a signature and date, or only the seal?
Each sheet that takes the seal takes the signature and date too. The rule treats the three as one unit, and each sheet within a set of plans, plats or drawings has to be sealed.
Can I scan my seal into a PDF and call it electronic?
The rule tests the result rather than naming a method. Whatever you use must identify you uniquely, be verifiable and remain under your direct control; if a method cannot show all three, it does not qualify under 18VAC10-20-760 C.
Does the seal carry an expiration date?
No. None of the required items is a date, and the license term runs on its own two-year cycle under 18VAC10-20-87 A. Track renewal separately from the seal.
When your details are ready, order through our Virginia stamps and seals collection and state the two-inch diameter on the order.
