A Delaware architect seal has to show three things: your legal name, your registration number, and the REGISTERED ARCHITECT and STATE OF DELAWARE wording in the form rule 7.6.1 prints. The rule gives no size in words, because its specimen controls size and format. Three entries, not two, belong beside the seal. This page covers the face, the device, what gets sealed, lapse and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against 24 DE Admin. Code 300, r. 7.6.1. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name on the face | Your legal name, matching both your Certificate of Registration and your license. | 24 DE Admin. Code 300, r. 7.6.1 |
| Number on the face | Your Delaware registration number. | 24 DE Admin. Code 300, r. 7.6.1 |
| Fixed legend | REGISTERED ARCHITECT and STATE OF DELAWARE, lettered the way the rule sets the phrase out. | 24 DE Admin. Code 300, r. 7.6.1 |
| Diameter and outline | No figure is given in words. The specimen in the rule controls both size and format. | 24 DE Admin. Code 300, r. 7.6.1 |
| Default method | A stamped impression, made with a rubber stamp. | 24 DE Admin. Code 300, r. 7.6.1, 7.6.1.1 |
| Electronic alternative | A computer generated seal may replace the stamped impression once five conditions are met. The rule sets functional tests instead of naming a product. | 24 DE Admin. Code 300, r. 7.6.1.1, 7.6.2, 7.6.6 |
| Entries beside the impression | Three separate entries sit next to the seal, one more than a two-line block allows. | 24 DE Admin. Code 300, r. 7.6.2, 7.6.6 |
| Trigger for sealing | Technical work that is published, or filed with a public authority for a building permit or regulatory approval. | 24 DE Admin. Code 300, r. 2.2.3, 7.6.2, 7.6.4, 7.6.5 |
| Sheets and covers | Designs and drawings one by one, every specification set, each addendum, and the cover sheet of any other technical submission. | 24 DE Admin. Code 300, r. 2.2.3, 7.6.2, 7.6.4, 7.6.5 |
| Registration ends | The seal is handed back or destroyed. | 24 DE Admin. Code 300, r. 6.1, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7 |
Delaware is one row in our architect seal requirements by state table, which sets each jurisdiction's rule side by side. How an architect reaches licensure in Delaware, from education through the ARE, appears in the national table on architect licensing requirements.
What must the face of a Delaware architect seal carry?
Rule 7.6.1 lists three items: your legal name as it reads on your Certificate of Registration and on your license, your Delaware registration number, and the legend REGISTERED ARCHITECT and STATE OF DELAWARE in the rule's own form.
The name line ties the seal to two documents you already hold. Copy it from the certificate and the license rather than from a business card, a firm roster or an email signature, and follow those documents on middle names and initials as well.
The legend is fixed text, so letter it exactly as the rule presents it. Leave off a firm name, a logo or a discipline line, since the rule's list does not call for any of them. Our notes on Delaware architect stamp design look at the layout side of the face.
Which Delaware documents need the seal?
Any technical submission that is published or handed to a public authority for a building permit or a regulatory approval. Within that group the seal reaches designs and drawings one by one, every specification set, each addendum, and the cover sheet of other technical submissions.
Read that scope sheet by sheet. A drawing set is sealed drawing by drawing, an addendum issued late in a project carries its own seal instead of leaning on the original set, and a report or calculation package that is neither a drawing nor a specification takes the seal on its cover.
The scope comes from rules 2.2.3, 7.6.2, 7.6.4 and 7.6.5 taken together. If a submission sits near the edge of that description, read all four provisions before the set leaves the office.
What goes next to the seal on a Delaware submission?
Three separate entries, not two. Rules 7.6.2 and 7.6.6 govern what sits beside the impression, and a title block that leaves space for only two items next to the seal will come up one entry short on a Delaware sheet.
An entry missing from beside the seal is a problem on the sheet even when the impression itself is correct. Build the three spaces into your sheet template once, next to the seal location, so every sheet printed from it starts with the right number of blanks.
How big should the seal be, and what shape?
The rule states neither in words. Rule 7.6.1 lets its specimen govern size and format, so the right dimensions are the ones that specimen shows, not a figure carried over from another state or from a different design profession.
That makes the specimen your working drawing for the order. Point your supplier to rule 7.6.1 rather than describing the seal from memory, and ask for a proof you can hold against the specimen before anything is made. Our article on finding the right architect seal in Delaware covers the selection step.
Which devices can apply a Delaware architect seal?
Two routes are recognized. A stamped impression is the starting point, and a computer generated electronic seal may take its place on five conditions. For paper sets that means a rubber stamp; for electronic files it means an electronic seal that clears those conditions.
An office that issues both paper and electronic sets will need both forms. The stamp is the default, while the electronic version earns its place only by meeting the conditions in rule 7.6.1.1, so treat the two as separate purchases with separate checks.
When can an electronic seal stand in for the stamp?
When it satisfies the five conditions in rule 7.6.1.1. Delaware describes what an electronic seal has to do instead of naming a product or a technology, so the test is whether your signing workflow meets those functional criteria, not which software brand you run.
Rules 7.6.2 and 7.6.6 are cited with 7.6.1.1 on electronic sealing, and they are the same provisions that govern the entries beside the seal. Read all three against your process before you retire the rubber stamp. Background on both routes sits in our overview of Delaware architect stamp guidelines.
What happens to the seal when a Delaware registration ends?
It has to be returned or destroyed. Rules 6.1, 6.5, 6.6 and 6.7 take the seal out of the former registrant's hands rather than leaving it in a drawer, so an inactive seal does not stay in circulation.
Plan for that at purchase. If you come back to practice later, the old die will be gone, and a new seal will be cut from your current certificate and registration details. Our note on what a Delaware licensed architect stamp represents covers the professional side of holding one.
What should you send when ordering a Delaware architect seal?
Four pieces of information settle the order: your legal name exactly as the certificate and license show it, your registration number, the legend wording from rule 7.6.1, and whether you need a stamp, an electronic seal image, or both.
- A copy of the name line from your Certificate of Registration, so spelling and initials match
- Your Delaware registration number
- The legend REGISTERED ARCHITECT and STATE OF DELAWARE, in the rule's own form
- A reference to the rule 7.6.1 specimen for size and format
- The device type: rubber stamp, electronic seal, or both
Keep the face to what the rule lists. Our piece on how Delaware architects put their stamps to work picks up once the seal arrives.
How do you check a new Delaware seal before first use?
Stamp a test sheet and compare it with three sources: your certificate for the name, your registration record for the number, and the rule 7.6.1 specimen for the legend, the size and the overall layout.
Read the legend character by character, because it has to match the printed phrase. Then copy or scan the test sheet and confirm every line is still legible on the copy. Last, set the impression into your title block and confirm that three entry spaces sit beside it.
If you also hold a Delaware geologist license, the Delaware geologist seal rules set out what that seal must carry.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put my firm name on the seal instead of my own?
No. Rule 7.6.1 calls for your legal name as it appears on your Certificate of Registration and your license. A firm name matches neither document, and it is not among the three items the rule lists.
My legal name changed. Does the seal need to change?
The seal carries your legal name as the certificate and license show it. Once those documents show the new name, a die with the old one no longer matches them, so order a replacement built from the updated certificate.
Can I paste an image of my stamp into a PDF?
Only if the result meets the five conditions in rule 7.6.1.1. Delaware sets functional conditions for an electronic seal rather than naming a technology, so a pasted image is judged against those conditions like any other electronic seal.
Does a one-page addendum really need the seal?
Yes. The sealing scope covers each addendum, so a short clarification issued during bidding is sealed just as the original drawings were.
Do the three entries beside the seal go on the stamp itself?
No. The rule places them next to the seal, not on it, so they belong in your title block or sheet template. The die carries only the name, number and legend that rule 7.6.1 lists.
With your certificate in hand and the rule 7.6.1 specimen open, choose a device from our Delaware stamps and seals collection.
