A West Virginia landscape architect signs every working drawing and specification they prepare and stamps it with their seal, applied with an embosser or with a rubber stamp and ink. The statute asks for no date, and the cited rules set no size or shape. The face layout described here is what is manufactured for West Virginia, not rule text. This page covers duties, devices, electronic use and lapse.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(a). Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory seal provision | This subsection is where the statute provides for the seal. The face layout shown later on this page is the manufactured one, not wording quoted from it. | W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(a) |
| Signature with the seal | Your signature and your seal are required together. | W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(b) |
| Date | None is required. | W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(b) (silent as to the date) |
| Documents covered | Every working drawing and specification a licensee prepares. | W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(b), (c), § 30-22-22 |
| Devices | Either an embosser or a rubber stamp that prints in ink. | W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(b) |
| Size | No size is prescribed. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Shape | No shape is stated. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Where the signature goes | No position relative to the impression is set. | W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(b) |
| Electronic or digital seal | Unverified. The section has no such provision; if one exists, it is in CSR tit. 9 ser. 1, available only as a scanned image. | W. Va. Code § 30-22-18 |
| Affixing a seal without a license | Unlawful, and the bar extends to a licensee whose license has lapsed. | W. Va. Code §§ 30-22-12, 30-22-13, 30-22-14, 30-22-15, 30-22-18(c) |
Licensed in more than one place? Check each jurisdiction in landscape architect seal requirements by state.
When must a West Virginia landscape architect use a seal?
Whenever a licensee prepares working drawings or specifications. W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(b) requires each of those documents to carry the licensee's signature and an impression of the licensee's seal, applied together.
The duty rests on the documents you prepare, so it runs across a drawing set and its specifications alike. The statute's seal provision itself is W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(a); the sections below keep what the statute says apart from what is simply made for West Virginia. Our West Virginia landscape architect seal guide gives further background.
What does the West Virginia seal face look like?
The seal manufactured for West Virginia has a printed outer ring, STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA on one arc, PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT on the opposite arc, two stars at the horizontal midline, one per side, and a name line with your license number in the middle.
That layout is the one made for West Virginia seals. It is not quoted from the statute or a rule, so read it as the face produced for the state rather than as a list of legal requirements. See examples in our look at West Virginia landscape architect stamp designs.
Does West Virginia set a size or shape for the seal?
No. The cited rules prescribe no size for a West Virginia landscape architect seal and state no shape, so neither a diameter nor an outline can be checked against a published figure.
Size is therefore a practical choice. Pick one that keeps both arcs of lettering and the lines in the middle readable, including on a reduced print or a scan of the sealed sheet.
Can you use a stamp or an embosser?
Either. W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(b) accepts either an embosser or an inked rubber stamp as the device for applying the licensee's seal to working drawings and specifications, so you can choose the one that suits how your documents travel.
An inked stamp prints a flat, dark impression that holds up on copies and scans. An embosser raises the paper without ink, which reads well on the original but can fade from view on a copy. Compare the options on our page of West Virginia landscape architect seal products.
Does a West Virginia seal need a date?
No. W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(b) requires your signature together with the seal, but it asks for no date. A signed and stamped drawing meets the statutory duty without one, as far as the cited text goes.
You may still date sheets for your own records. The statute simply does not make a date part of what it requires on a working drawing or specification.
Which documents must carry the seal?
All working drawings and specifications that a licensee prepares. The provisions behind this are W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(b), (c), § 30-22-22, and the statutory duty is framed around those two kinds of document.
Apply the seal to each drawing and each specification you issue under that duty, with your signature on the same document. Our article on the West Virginia landscape architect stamp application covers the earlier stage of getting your stamp.
Is an electronic or digital seal allowed?
Not verified. The seal section, W. Va. Code § 30-22-18, says nothing about electronic or digital sealing and sets no signature standard. Any provision would be in CSR tit. 9 ser. 1, a rule the state makes available only as a scanned image.
Until that is settled, rely on the devices the statutory duty supports, an inked stamp or an embosser on the prepared document. If you need to submit a file electronically, confirm the accepted method with the office receiving it before you rely on it.
What happens if your license lapses?
You lose the right to use the seal. Under Section 30-22-18(c), no one without a license may affix a seal to a document, and that bar reaches a licensee whose license has lapsed.
Keep the seal out of use from the day the license lapses until it is current again. The same bar covers anyone else without a license, so the seal should never be handed to unlicensed staff to apply.
What should you supply when ordering a West Virginia seal?
The name and license number for the middle of the face, and your choice of device: an embosser, or a rubber stamp with ink. The two arcs of lettering and the side stars are part of the layout manufactured for West Virginia.
Because the cited rules set no size, tell us if you need a particular diameter. Check the license number against your license before you submit the order, since it is the detail most easily mistyped.
How do you check the impression before first use?
Make a test impression and confirm the arcs read STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA and PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, the stars sit at the sides, and the name and license number in the middle are correct and legible.
Then sign a test drawing with the impression in place and copy it. Your signature and the seal have to appear together on each working drawing and specification, so check that both survive reproduction. For a broader look, see our piece exploring the West Virginia landscape architect stamp.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sign across the seal, or does the signature go beside it?
Either works under the statute. W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(b) requires the signature with the seal but sets no position for it relative to the impression, so keep the legend readable wherever you sign.
Do reports need a West Virginia seal?
The statutory duty names working drawings and specifications. Reports are not among the document types it lists, so the cited sealing requirement is tied to drawings and specifications.
Does the statute require my license number on the seal?
The layout manufactured for West Virginia carries your license number in the middle. This page does not state whether the statute itself lists it, because the face details come from that manufactured layout rather than from rule text.
Can I seal work I prepared before my license lapsed?
The bar in Section 30-22-18(c) turns on who affixes the seal, not on when the work was done. Affixing the seal while your license is lapsed falls under the prohibition, whatever the date of the drawing.
Does every drawing sheet need its own signature and seal?
The statute speaks of all working drawings, and each one is to carry the licensee's signature and seal. Treat every sheet you prepare as a working drawing that carries both.
Choose a stamp or an embosser for your West Virginia seal in our West Virginia stamps and seals collection.
