Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Holly R, VP of Sales and Marketing at Acorn Sales, against the State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors and Alaska Stat. § 08.48.221 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Alaska is unusual in that no diameter appears anywhere in the rule. 12 AAC 36.180 prescribes each profession’s seal by reproducing a picture of it, and the board’s Seal Specifications page hands out downloadable CAD files for Registered Professional Architect and the four other registration categories without stating a size either. The only sound instruction to a supplier is to reproduce the board artwork proportionally and keep the lettering legible at reduction.
The artwork has interior fields, which drives the format decision. It carries a caption reading (Affix Original Signature) and a place for the date, and 12 AAC 36.185(d) requires the date to be inserted “within the seal or within two inches of the seal” every time you sign and seal. That field gets used again and again, so it must never be pre-set, and a blind embossed impression cannot usefully take ink in either field.
One detail catches people at the counter: strip the letters out. 12 AAC 36.180(a) says the license number on the seal “must be only the numeric characters of the registrant’s license number and exclude alpha characters.” An Alaska prefix does not belong in that field.
Alaska architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Alaska rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | Alaska Stat. § 08.48.221 |
| Required elements | State of Alaska legend; Your name as registered; Your registration number, numeric characters only; Registered Professional Architect; A signature space inside the seal; A date, inside the seal or within two inches of it | Alaska Stat. § 08.48.221(a) |
| Size and shape | Not addressed. 12 AAC 36.180 prescribes each profession’s seal by reproducing a picture of it rather than by stating a diameter, and no dimension appears anywhere in the rule text. | 12 Alaska Admin. Code § 36.180 (silent) |
| Device allowed | 12 AAC 36.180 accepts the illustrated design “or a substantially similar electronic or digital representation of that design” for every profession it covers, so an electronic seal is expressly authorized. | 12 Alaska Admin. Code § 36.180 |
| Signature and date | The statute says to “stamp the documents with the seal and sign the seal”, and the board’s published artwork carries an interior caption reading (Affix Original Signature), so the signature goes in or across the seal rather than beside it. | Alaska Stat. § 08.48.221(a) |
| What must be sealed | 12 AAC 36.185(a)(3) limits sealing to “final drawings, surveys, reports, and required construction documents” for which the registrant is qualified and claims responsibility. | 12 Alaska Admin. Code §§ 36.185(a), (b), (i), 36.190, 36.195 |
| Electronic seal | The digital signature must be unique to the registrant using it, capable of verification, under the exclusive control of the registrant using it, and linked to the document so that the signature is invalidated if the document is changed. | 12 Alaska Admin. Code §§ 36.180, 36.185(f)(2) |
| Renewal and lapse | Certificates are renewed under AS 08.48.231, which routes renewal to the centralized licensing statute AS 08.01.100. | Alaska Stat. §§ 08.48.221(a), 08.48.231 |
| Firm requirements | A certificate of authorization is required, and its number goes on the document. | Alaska Stat. § 08.48.241 |
| Regulator | The State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors | Alaska Stat. ch. 08.48 (Architects, Engineers, Land Surveyors and Landscape Architects) and 12 Alaska Admin. Code ch. 36, read in full text on the Alaska Legislature site |
Is a seal required in Alaska?
Alaska requires the seal on issued final work and puts the duty in statute. AS 08.48.221(a) provides that when a registrant issues final drawings, specifications, surveys, plats, plates, reports or similar documents, “the registrant shall stamp the documents with the seal and sign the seal.” The same subsection makes sealing an affirmative certification: the registrant “certifies that the document was prepared by or under the registrant’s responsible charge and is within the registrant’s field of practice or is design work of minor importance.” The board rule at 12 AAC 36.185 then governs how the seal is used, dated, validated and surrounded on the sheet, and 12 AAC 36.180 prescribes the design.
What must appear on the seal
- State of Alaska legend
- Your name as registered
- Your registration number, numeric characters only
- Registered Professional Architect
- A signature space inside the seal
- A date, inside the seal or within two inches of it
Two things trip people up. The number first: 12 AAC 36.180(a) says “the license number noted on the seal must be only the numeric characters of the registrant’s license number and exclude alpha characters.” An Alaska prefix does not belong in the number field. The second is what Alaska puts on the sheet rather than in the die. 12 AAC 36.185(g) requires the business name, physical address and telephone number, the project name or identification, the project address or location, and the certificate of authorization number of the entity, on all documents that must be signed and sealed. That is a block of information other states leave to a title block and Alaska makes mandatory. The two-character branch identifier is an engineering feature and does not appear on an architect seal.
Size and shape
Not addressed. 12 AAC 36.180 prescribes each profession’s seal by reproducing a picture of it rather than by stating a diameter, and no dimension appears anywhere in the rule text. The board’s own Seal Specifications page offers downloadable CAD seal files for Registered Professional Architect, Registered Professional Engineer, Registered Professional Structural Engineer, Registered Professional Land Surveyor and Registered Professional Landscape Architect, and states no size either. Match the board’s published artwork proportionally rather than inventing a diameter.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
12 AAC 36.180 accepts the illustrated design “or a substantially similar electronic or digital representation of that design” for every profession it covers, so an electronic seal is expressly authorized. The rule does not distinguish embossers from rubber stamps. The safe buy is a rubber stamp cut to the board’s downloadable artwork, because the Alaska design carries an interior signature line and an interior date line and a blind embossed impression cannot usefully take ink in either.
Signing and dating
The statute says to “stamp the documents with the seal and sign the seal”, and the board’s published artwork carries an interior caption reading (Affix Original Signature), so the signature goes in or across the seal rather than beside it. Dating: 12 AAC 36.185(d) requires the registrant to include the date each time the registrant signs and seals a document, “by electronically or manually inserting the date within the seal or within two inches of the seal.” Validation under 12 AAC 36.185(f) is by either an original handwritten signature over each seal, or an electronic image of the original handwritten signature plus a digital signature, with the image permanently affixed to each seal directly over the seal. A facsimile signature alone is not enough.
Alaska publishes the artwork and never publishes a size
12 AAC 36.180 prescribes the architect seal by printing a picture of it. No diameter appears in the rule, no tolerance, no inner-circle dimension, and the board’s Seal Specifications page, which hands out downloadable CAD files for all five registration categories, states no size either. So the only correct instruction to a supplier is to reproduce the board artwork proportionally.
What the artwork contains is the second surprise. The Alaska design has interior fields, including a caption reading (Affix Original Signature) and a place for the date. 12 AAC 36.185(d) requires the date to be inserted “within the seal or within two inches of the seal” every time the registrant signs and seals, so the date field is used repeatedly and must never be pre-set.
Third, strip the letters out of the number. 12 AAC 36.180(a) requires the license number on the seal to be “only the numeric characters of the registrant’s license number” and to exclude alpha characters.
One caution about the board’s own page. Underneath the seal downloads it reprints a version of 12 AAC 36.185 whose subsection (f) describes an electronic signature image retained with software that automatically removes or modifies the image if the document is changed. That is not the current subsection (f), which requires either an original handwritten signature over each seal or an electronic image of the handwritten signature plus a digital signature. Read the current code, not the page.
Which documents must be sealed
12 AAC 36.185(a)(3) limits sealing to “final drawings, surveys, reports, and required construction documents” for which the registrant is qualified and claims responsibility. Where portions are prepared by other registered professionals, a registrant seals only the portion under the registrant’s direct professional knowledge and direct supervisory control. Drawings, engineering surveys, reports and construction documents regarding the structural systems of a significant structure must be sealed by a registered structural engineer rather than by the architect, which is an Alaska division of labor worth knowing. There is no preliminary or draft carve-out stated; the limit is the word “final.” Altering a sealed document is prohibited except under the site adaptation and field alteration procedure in 12 AAC 36.195, which requires written permission from the sealing registrant.
Electronic and digital seals
The digital signature must be unique to the registrant using it, capable of verification, under the exclusive control of the registrant using it, and linked to the document so that the signature is invalidated if the document is changed. No certificate authority, PKI vendor or named technical standard is specified. The seal itself may be a substantially similar electronic or digital representation of the board design under 12 AAC 36.180.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Certificates are renewed under AS 08.48.231, which routes renewal to the centralized licensing statute AS 08.01.100. AS 08.48.221(a) is blunt about what follows: a registrant “may not affix or permit a seal and signature to be affixed to an instrument after the expiration of a certificate or for the purpose of aiding or abetting another person to evade or attempt to evade a provision of this chapter.” For entities, 12 AAC 36.165 provides that a certificate of authorization not renewed for five years expires at the end of that period and must be reinstated on application. Whether an individual registration number survives lapse and reinstatement is not addressed; checked 12 AAC 36.165 and AS 08.48.231. No surrender or destruction of the device is required.
Firm requirements
A certificate of authorization is required, and its number goes on the document. AS 08.48.241 lets a corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership or limited partnership offer architectural, engineering, land surveying or landscape architectural services only if it files an application for a certificate of authorization with the board. The firm gets no seal of its own, but 12 AAC 36.185(g)(4) requires “the certificate of authorization number issued to the corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or limited partnership” on all documents that must be signed and sealed, and 12 AAC 36.185(h) requires the registrant to identify clearly which entity is responsible where several authorized entities appear.
What to check before you order
Work from the board’s downloadable seal artwork for Registered Professional Architect. The Alaska design has interior fields for an original signature, a date and a number, so order an inked rubber stamp rather than an embosser. Strip alpha characters out of your license number. Leave the date field blank or carry a separate date stamps, because the date is re-entered every time the seal is applied. No dimension is prescribed, so ask the supplier to scale the board artwork and keep the lettering legible at reduction. No proof of registration is required at the counter and nothing is filed with the board.
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Frequently asked questions
Is an architect seal required in Alaska?
Yes. AS 08.48.221(a) provides that when a registrant issues final drawings, specifications, surveys, plats, plates, reports or similar documents, “the registrant shall stamp the documents with the seal and sign the seal.” Sealing certifies that the document was prepared by or under your responsible charge and is within your field of practice or is design work of minor importance. 12 AAC 36.180 prescribes the design and 12 AAC 36.185 governs how the seal is used, dated, validated and surrounded on the sheet.
What has to appear on an Alaska architect seal?
The State of Alaska legend, your name as registered, your registration number in numeric characters only, the words Registered Professional Architect, a signature space inside the seal, and a date either inside the seal or within two inches of it. Those come from AS 08.48.221(a), 12 AAC 36.180 and the board’s Seal Specifications page. The two-character branch identifier is an engineering feature and has no place on an architect seal.
What size is an Alaska architect seal?
No size is prescribed. 12 AAC 36.180 shows the seal rather than dimensioning it, and no figure appears in the rule text. The board’s Seal Specifications page, which publishes the CAD files, states no size either. Scale the board artwork proportionally instead of picking a diameter, and check that the legends and the number stay readable once the sheet is reduced.
Can I use an embosser for an Alaska architect seal?
12 AAC 36.180 does not distinguish embossers from rubber stamps at all. It accepts the illustrated design “or a substantially similar electronic or digital representation of that design.” An inked rubber stamp is the sound buy because the Alaska design has an interior signature line and an interior date line, and a blind embossed impression gives you nothing to write on. Silence in the rule is not a prohibition on owning an embosser, but it is not a reason to rely on one either.
Where do the signature and date go on an Alaska sealed document?
The signature goes in or across the seal. The statute says to stamp the documents and “sign the seal,” and the published artwork carries the interior caption (Affix Original Signature). For the date, 12 AAC 36.185(d) requires you to insert it electronically or manually within the seal or within two inches of it each time you sign and seal. Validation under 12 AAC 36.185(f) is either an original handwritten signature over each seal, or an electronic image of that handwritten signature plus a digital signature permanently affixed directly over the seal. A facsimile signature on its own does not satisfy it.
Which documents have to be sealed in Alaska?
12 AAC 36.185(a)(3) limits sealing to “final drawings, surveys, reports, and required construction documents” for which you are qualified and claim responsibility. Where other registered professionals prepared portions, you seal only the portion under your direct professional knowledge and direct supervisory control. Drawings, engineering surveys, reports and construction documents regarding the structural systems of a significant structure go to a registered structural engineer rather than to the architect. Altering a sealed document is prohibited except under the site adaptation and field alteration procedure in 12 AAC 36.195, which needs written permission from the sealing registrant.
What does Alaska require on the sheet besides the seal?
More than most states. 12 AAC 36.185(g) requires the business name, physical address and telephone number, the project name or identification, the project address or location, and the certificate of authorization number of the entity, on all documents that must be signed and sealed. Where several authorized entities appear, 12 AAC 36.185(h) requires you to identify clearly which entity is responsible. That is a block of information other states leave to a title block.
What are the rules for digital signatures in Alaska?
Four tests, under 12 AAC 36.185(f)(2): unique to the registrant using it, capable of verification, under the exclusive control of the registrant using it, and linked to the document so that the signature is invalidated if the document is changed. No certificate authority, PKI vendor or named technical standard is specified. The seal itself may be a substantially similar electronic or digital representation of the board design under 12 AAC 36.180. One caution: the board’s seal download page reprints a version of subsection (f) that describes software automatically removing the signature image, which is not the current text. Read the code.
Can I use my Alaska seal after my certificate expires?
No. AS 08.48.221(a) states that a registrant “may not affix or permit a seal and signature to be affixed to an instrument after the expiration of a certificate or for the purpose of aiding or abetting another person to evade or attempt to evade a provision of this chapter.” Certificates renew under AS 08.48.231, which routes to the centralized licensing statute AS 08.01.100. For entities, 12 AAC 36.165 expires a certificate of authorization not renewed for five years. Whether an individual registration number survives lapse and reinstatement is not stated in 12 AAC 36.165 or AS 08.48.231, so ask the board before ordering a replacement device. No surrender or destruction is required.
Does an Alaska architecture firm need a certificate of authorization?
Yes, and its number goes on the document. AS 08.48.241 lets a corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership or limited partnership offer architectural, engineering, land surveying or landscape architectural services only if it files an application for a certificate of authorization with the board. The firm gets no seal of its own, but 12 AAC 36.185(g)(4) requires the certificate of authorization number on all documents that must be signed and sealed.
