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 Alberta Association of Landscape Architects (AALA): Stamps & Seals page, Landscape Architect Title Act page and 2024 Digital Seal webinar notice, with the Government of Alberta Open Government listing for the Landscape Architects Regulation on 25 September 2026 · Updated 25 September 2026
In Alberta both landscape architect seals come from the association: the AALA controls the ink stamp and is the only issuer of the Digital Seal. The Alberta Association of Landscape Architects says it on its Stamps & Seals page: “In the same way, AALA controls the issuance of the ink stamp, this partnership allows AALA to be the exclusive issuer of Digital Seal.” The partnership is with Notarius, which the page also refers to under its newer Portage CyberTech name: “After extensive evaluation of the Digital Signature market, AALA has selected Notarius to provide an AALA Digital Seal to active members.”
That corrects the idea that Alberta is digital only. The page treats the ink stamp as a live device, and it sets one firm rule about when it is not enough: “Anytime an image of your seal is being transmitted electronically (e-mail, uploads, USB KEy, etc.) you MUST seal with a digital seal.” It adds: “Printing, physically sealing, and then scanning is not sufficient.” The page does not list the paper documents that take the ink stamp. What it rules out is a scan of an inked impression standing in for the Digital Seal.
Title protection sits underneath both devices. The AALA’s Landscape Architect Title Act page says “Only Full members of the AALA are eligible to refer to themselves as a ‘Landscape Architect’.” It rests that on the Professional and Occupational Associations Registration Act and the Landscape Architects Regulation. The regulation text and the AALA Digital Seal Policy would not load for this review.
Alberta landscape architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Alberta rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes, whenever an image of your seal is transmitted electronically, and then it must be the Digital Seal | AALA Stamps & Seals page |
| Required elements | Whatever the AALA puts on the ink stamp it controls. No element list is published on the page | AALA Stamps & Seals page |
| Size and shape | Not applicable in the usual sense, because the AALA controls issuance. No physical specification is published on the page | AALA Stamps & Seals page (AALA controls the ink stamp) |
| Device allowed | An AALA ink stamp, and an AALA Digital Seal issued through Notarius | AALA Stamps & Seals page |
| Signature and date | Not addressed on the pages read | AALA Stamps & Seals page |
| What must be sealed | Any seal image sent electronically must go out under the Digital Seal. No document list was found | AALA Stamps & Seals page |
| Electronic seal | Digital Seal only, from Notarius through the AALA. A printed, hand sealed and scanned page does not count, and the seal stays under the holder’s sole control | AALA Stamps & Seals page |
| Renewal and lapse | The Digital Seal is offered to active members. No return rule was found | AALA Stamps & Seals page |
| Firm requirements | Not addressed. The sole control rule means a Digital Seal cannot be shared across a firm | AALA Stamps & Seals page |
| Regulator | Alberta Association of Landscape Architects (AALA), under the Professional and Occupational Associations Registration Act and the Landscape Architects Regulation | AALA Landscape Architect Title Act page; Government of Alberta Open Government listing for the Landscape Architects Regulation. Not loaded at the time of writing: the regulation text and the AALA Digital Seal Policy (PRC-003), both blocked to automated reading, so nothing here is quoted from them |
Is a seal required in Alberta?
The AALA spells out one situation where a seal is mandatory: electronic transmission. Whenever an image of your seal travels by email, upload or portable drive, the association says you must use the Digital Seal, and it rules out printing, sealing by hand and scanning. The pages read do not list the paper documents that need the ink stamp, and the regulation that might say more did not open. What they do settle is supply. The AALA controls the ink stamp and is the exclusive issuer of the Digital Seal, so neither one is a device a member designs and orders privately.
What must appear on the seal
- Whatever the AALA puts on the ink stamp whose issuance it controls
The Stamps & Seals page publishes no element list for the ink stamp, which fits a device the association controls. The only sourced wording rule is the title. As the AALA quotes it, section 43(1) of the Professional and Occupational Associations Registration Act provides that “No person, except a member of a registered association, shall use a designated title, alone or in combination with any other title, name, description, abbreviation, letter or symbol, in such a way as to represent expressly or by implication that the person is a member of the registered association.”
Size and shape
Not applicable in the usual sense, because the AALA controls issuance of the ink stamp. No diameter, shape or layout appears on the Stamps & Seals page, and the Landscape Architects Regulation could not be opened to check for one. Treat any Alberta size you see quoted elsewhere as unverified until the AALA confirms it.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
An ink stamp and a Digital Seal, both controlled by the AALA. The page calls the physical device an ink stamp and does not mention an embosser. For electronic files the Digital Seal is the only accepted form, and the page separates it sharply from a picture of a stamp: “Digital Seals are not to be confused with a digital image of a seal.” A scanned impression is an image, and an image is exactly what the transmission rule turns away.
Signing and dating
Not addressed on the AALA pages read. They set no rule on where a signature sits relative to the ink stamp and no date requirement. For the electronic seal the page lists what it does instead: it “Guarantees the origin of the document,” “Ensures the integrity of the document (as well as its data contents),” “Establishes the authenticity of the document” and “Ensures the longevity of the document.” The AALA Digital Seal Policy, which may cover signing, did not open.
Alberta is not digital only: the AALA controls both devices
Alberta is sometimes described as a digital seal province, and the association’s own page does not bear that out. It names two devices and claims control of both: it controls the issuance of the ink stamp, and its arrangement with Notarius makes it the exclusive issuer of the Digital Seal. The part that is digital only is the electronic channel. Once a sealed document leaves as a file, an inked impression that has been scanned does not count, and the Digital Seal is the one accepted form.
Which documents must be sealed
The sourced rule is about the channel rather than the document type: any document that carries an image of your seal and is sent electronically must be sealed with the Digital Seal. The pages read give no list of drawings, reports or permit submissions that need a seal in the first place, and they do not name the authorities that require one. Not verified beyond that point.
Electronic and digital seals
Digital Seal only, from Notarius through the AALA. The page describes the program in these terms: “Active Members who wish to avail themselves of an AALA Digital Seal will begin the process of creating electronic originals and authenticating final documents using proven technology solutions that meet government standards and archiving best practices for electronic files.” Control is personal: “The Digital Seal must remain under the sole control of its holder, it cannot be shared nor delegated under any circumstances.” A 2024 AALA webinar notice was pitched at “AALA members who already have a digital signature, or who are considering adopting this method,” so taking up the Digital Seal is framed as a member’s choice, with the transmission rule deciding when it becomes necessary.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
The Digital Seal is offered to active members, and the page ties it to that status each time it describes who can get one. Not addressed: what happens to the ink stamp or the Digital Seal when a member becomes inactive, is suspended or retires. Because the AALA controls both, ask the association before assuming you may keep either.
Firm requirements
Not addressed on the pages read. The Stamps & Seals page describes seals held by individual members, and the sole control rule means a Digital Seal cannot be shared around a practice or delegated to staff. No firm seal or firm permit was found.
What to check before you order
In Alberta both official devices come from the association. The AALA controls issuance of the ink stamp and is the exclusive issuer of the Digital Seal through Notarius, and any seal image you send electronically has to go out under that Digital Seal rather than as a scan. There is no published size or element list to hand a stamp maker, because the device is not one you specify. Confirm with the AALA how the ink stamp is issued to you and what happens to it if your status changes.
The association controls the official device, so neither the ink stamp nor the Digital Seal comes from us.
What we can make for your office. The AALA page governs the ink stamp and the Digital Seal and is silent on the ordinary stamps a practice uses day to day. Keep those visibly apart from the official device: no design that could pass for the AALA ink stamp, and no “Landscape Architect” title for anyone who is not a Full member. With that settled, we make name stamps, received and date stamps, drawing log markers and firm logo stamps. Browse landscape architect stamps and seals.
- Landscape Architect Seal in Canada: What Applies
- Ontario Landscape Architect Seal: What the OALA Says
- British Columbia Landscape Architect Seal: Who Issues It
Frequently asked questions
Who supplies the landscape architect seal in Alberta?
The AALA, for both devices. Its Stamps & Seals page says the association controls the issuance of the ink stamp and, through its partnership with Notarius, is the exclusive issuer of the Digital Seal. Neither device is one a member designs or buys independently.
Is Alberta a digital seal only province?
No. The AALA names an ink stamp that it controls as well as the Digital Seal. What is digital only is electronic transmission: once a seal image goes out by email, upload or portable drive, the Digital Seal is required.
Can I scan a stamped drawing and email it in Alberta?
No. The page says printing, physically sealing and then scanning is not sufficient. A scan of an ink impression is a digital image of a seal, and the AALA says Digital Seals are not to be confused with such an image.
Who can call themselves a Landscape Architect in Alberta?
Only Full members of the AALA, according to its Landscape Architect Title Act page. The page quotes section 43(1) of the Professional and Occupational Associations Registration Act, which bars anyone who is not a member of a registered association from using a designated title to represent membership.
Can a colleague use my Alberta Digital Seal?
No. The AALA says the Digital Seal must remain under the sole control of its holder and cannot be shared nor delegated under any circumstances, so a firm cannot pool one seal among staff.
What size is the Alberta ink stamp?
Not published on the pages read. The AALA controls issuance of the ink stamp, so its size and wording are the association’s decision, and the Landscape Architects Regulation could not be opened to check for a dimension.
Is the Digital Seal compulsory for every Alberta landscape architect?
It becomes compulsory when you transmit a seal image electronically. Otherwise the AALA describes it as something active members who wish to use it take up, and a 2024 webinar notice addressed members who already had one or were considering it.
What does the Alberta Digital Seal do that an image cannot?
The AALA lists four things: it guarantees the origin of the document, ensures its integrity and data contents, establishes its authenticity and ensures its longevity. A picture of a stamp does none of that.
What did this review not read?
The Landscape Architects Regulation text and the AALA Digital Seal Policy (PRC-003). Both were linked from AALA or Government of Alberta pages but were blocked to automated reading, so no rule is quoted from them.
