In the state of South Carolina, anyone who works as an architect must not only give a signature of approval to any plans they directly produced or oversaw, they must also ensure they are affixed with the proper architectural seal stamps that signifies they are up to date on their qualifications with the board of licensing. The seal can be replicated in a number of ways, including making use of approved South Carolina architectural seal stamps, embossed stickers, and electronic reproductions, so long as it meets applicable laws.

Required Elements of South Carolina Architectural Seal Stamps

Pursuant to state laws and regulations, South Carolina architectural seal stamps for architects must follow the minimal requirements:

• It must be circular and have a diameter that is 1-¾" with a concentric circle outside of the seal that measures 1-3/16" inches in diameter.
• In between the circles, the words “State of South Carolina” shall appear at the top and “Registered Architect” shall be at the bottom.
• Within the seal itself only the name of 1 architect and registration number may be displayed, along with a single address.
•  No seal may ever be used to represent or identify multiple architects or businesses.

In general, no matter if one chooses to use South Carolina architectural seal stamps, embossed stickers, or electronic reproductions, it must meet the preceding guidelines and it must only be used for architectural purposes. That is to say, an architect cannot use their architectural seal stamps to try and get an electrician's work approved at a permit office, nor can they allow someone else to use their architectural seal stamps to get plans approved that they did not design themselves. For every blueprint that is filed, or used for building in South Carolina, there must be two sets of the design made and both must bear a signature and architectural seal of a registered architect. For copies used at a construction site, the seal and signature are only required on the title and index pages of the blueprints, but for copies filed for public records, every page must be signed and sealed.

Special Requirements for Electronic South Carolina Architectural Seal Stamps

In the state of South Carolina, you can use an electronic copy of a seal for plans that were created entirely in digital format and kept in digital, if and only if, they can meet certain safety precautions. It has to be unique and easily identifiable as being valid, and it must remain solely under the control of the professional. It can only be linked to blueprint documents with a digital copy of your signature and can only be added after it has been completed. You must also be able to prove that once added, the file was irreversibly changed to a read only format so no changes could be made. Visually, a South Carolina architectural seal stamp must follow all the same laws, have all the same information, and for all intents and purposes, have the same look as physical South Carolina architectural seal stamps, only in digital form.

Obtaining South Carolina Architectural Seal Stamps

The South Carolina Board of Licensing sets forth many requirements regarding the use of architectural seal stamps but sets very few limits on where to obtain the supplies required to make them. You may order from any number of supply companies, such as ESS, who offer a wide variety of South Carolina architectural seal stamps, which come as both pre-inked, self-inking, and simple, firm molded rubber, if you want the most common method for producing a seal of approval.