A Washington landscape architect seal must show your name as licensed and your license number, the words Licensed landscape architect and State of Washington, your signature, and the date your license expires. Its size can be adjusted as long as it stays readable. Because the expiration date sits on the face, renewal affects the device. This page covers content, size, devices, signing, sealed documents, electronic use and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against RCW 18.96.150(2). Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name and number | Your name as it appears on your license, plus your license number. | RCW 18.96.150(2) |
| Legend and state | The words Licensed landscape architect and State of Washington. | RCW 18.96.150(2) |
| Signature | Counts as part of the seal; subsection (4) of this rule supplies the definition of a signature. | Wash. Admin. Code 308-13-055(1), (4) |
| Expiration date | The date your license expires is part of the seal content. | RCW 18.96.150(2) |
| Dimensions | No fixed size; you may scale the seal so long as it can still be read. | Wash. Admin. Code 308-13-055 |
| Devices | A seal or stamp in the board authorized design, with digital identification allowed: ink stamp, embossing seal or electronic image. | Wash. Admin. Code 308-13-055 |
| Documents | Technical submissions filed with an authority having jurisdiction and needed for a building permit, a regulatory approval or construction drawings; each sheet of drawings you prepare; specifications and other technical submissions. | Wash. Admin. Code 308-13-055(2), (3) |
| Specification pages | Only the cover, the title page and each table of contents page need the seal. | Wash. Admin. Code 308-13-055(2), (3) |
| Sealing electronically | Allowed under criteria written into the rule; no technology is named. | Wash. Admin. Code 308-13-055(4)(b) |
| Renewal and a lapse | Renewal reaches the device, since the expiration date is on it. Use after a lapse is not addressed. | RCW 18.96.110, 18.96.150(2) |
To compare Washington with every other jurisdiction, see our table of landscape architect seal requirements by state.
What must a Washington landscape architect seal include?
Six items: your name as licensed, your license number, your signature, your license expiration date, the legend Licensed landscape architect and the words State of Washington. RCW 18.96.150(2) is the source of that list.
Two of those six set this seal apart. The signature counts as part of the seal itself, and the expiration date puts a date that changes over time onto the face.
The legend and the state name are fixed wording, while your name and number are the personal lines. Our post on Washington landscape architect stamp and seal requirements walks through the same six items.
Why does renewal affect a Washington landscape architect seal?
Because your license expiration date is one of the required items, renewal reaches the device itself. Under RCW 18.96.110 and 18.96.150(2), renewing your license touches the seal as well.
Once your license renews, the date on the old seal no longer matches your license, so plan to update the seal on the same cycle as the license. The provisions read for this page do not address using the seal after a license lapses. Our post on reordering a Washington landscape architect stamp or seal covers that renewal cycle in practical terms.
How large can a Washington landscape architect seal be?
No size is prescribed. WAC 308-13-055 lets you adjust the size, and the only condition it attaches is that the seal must still be readable at whatever size you use.
Scale the seal to your sheets, but test the smallest version you plan to use. Six items, including a signature and a date, have to stay legible at that size and on reduced copies. For help sourcing the right sizes, see our post on Washington landscape architect stamp and seal resources.
Which devices work for a Washington landscape architect seal?
Three forms fit the rule: an ink stamp, an embossing seal or an electronic image. WAC 308-13-055 describes the device as a seal or stamp in the design the board authorizes, and it allows digital identification too.
Whichever you choose, its face follows the board authorized design, including your signature and expiration date. Pick the device with renewal in mind, since every renewal changes the date the face shows.
How does the signature fit into a Washington seal?
Under WAC 308-13-055(1), your signature is part of the seal itself rather than a separate mark. Subsection (4) of the same rule then defines what counts as a signature for this purpose.
Read subsection (4) before you settle on a signing method. This page reports that the definition exists and where it sits, and does not restate its terms.
Which Washington documents must be sealed?
WAC 308-13-055(2) names three groups: technical submissions filed with an authority having jurisdiction and needed for a building permit, a regulatory approval or construction drawings; every sheet of drawings you prepare; and specifications with other technical submissions.
The drawing duty works sheet by sheet. Put the seal location in your title block so it repeats on every sheet you prepare, with room for the full face at a readable size.
Does every page of a Washington specification need the seal?
No. For specifications and other technical submissions, the seal or stamp goes only on the cover, the title page and each page of the table of contents, under WAC 308-13-055(2) and (3).
That keeps a long specification manageable: seal the front matter and the contents pages, not every section page. Our step-by-step guide to applying the Washington landscape architect seal shows the sequence for a full set.
Can a Washington landscape architect seal electronically?
Yes. WAC 308-13-055(4)(b) permits electronic sealing and writes the criteria for it into the rule itself, instead of naming a particular technology or product you must use.
Those criteria sit in subsection (4)(b), and this page does not restate them. The electronic image of your seal still carries every required item, including your signature and your current expiration date.
What should you send when ordering a Washington seal?
Your name as licensed, your license number and your current license expiration date, plus the device you want. The legend and the words State of Washington are fixed lines in the board authorized design.
Say if you also need an electronic version, and check your renewal timing so the date on the face is current when the seal arrives. Compare options in our post on Washington landscape architect stamp and seal products.
How do you check a Washington impression before use?
Stamp a test sheet and confirm all six items read clearly: name, number, legend, State of Washington, signature and expiration date. Check the date against your current license before the seal goes on any document.
If you scaled the seal down, read the smallest line at that size and again on a copy. Repeat the check each time you renew.
Frequently asked questions
Is the date on the seal the date I sign?
No. The date RCW 18.96.150(2) puts on the seal is your license expiration date, which stays the same until your license renews.
Should the legend read Registered or Licensed?
Licensed. The required legend is Licensed landscape architect, together with the words State of Washington.
Which drawings does the sheet-by-sheet duty cover?
Drawings you prepare. WAC 308-13-055(2) applies the seal to each sheet of those drawings, separately from its rule for permit and approval submissions.
Can one design serve both paper and electronic documents?
Yes. The rule describes a seal or stamp in the board authorized design and also allows digital identification, so the same face can be made as a physical device and as an electronic image.
Can I use different seal sizes on different sheets?
Yes. The size may be adjusted as long as the seal stays readable, and no single fixed size is prescribed.
Have your license expiration date at hand and order from our Washington stamps and seals collection.
