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 Arkansas State Board of Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers and ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XI.D (Design and Use of Architect’s Seal), effective February 7, 2022 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
An Arkansas architect seal is built as two concentric circles, 1.5 inches and 1 inch in diameter. The space between them carries Registered Architect and State of Arkansas; the inner circle carries your name and your license registration number. Section XI.D of the Board’s Administrative Rules states the design and the wording together, so the geometry and the legend are a single requirement rather than two.
Do not take the dimension from the other Arkansas board. Engineers and professional surveyors sit under a separate agency, where 17 CAR § 285-602(d)(2) runs from 1 1/4 to 2 inches with a milled edge. Same state name on the face, different rule book behind it. This board also registers landscape architects and registered interior designers, each with the same geometry and a different legend, so a dual registrant needs two devices rather than one.
On use, the seal travels with an actual signature and the date of affixation on all original contract documents, including the index sheet and any cover page identifying which specification pages the seal covers. Presentation documents need not be sealed.
Arkansas architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Arkansas rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XI.D (Design and Use of Architect’s Seal), effective February 7, 2022 |
| Required elements | Your name as registered, Your license registration number and REGISTERED ARCHITECT and STATE OF ARKANSAS | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XI.D |
| Size and shape | Two concentric circles, 1.5 inches and 1 inch in diameter. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XI.D, Seal Design Requirements |
| Device allowed | Three formats are named in the design paragraph itself: metal impression, rubber stamp, or printed. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XI.D, Seal Design Requirements |
| Signature and date | Seal, signature and date of affixation together on original contract documents. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XI.D, Use of Architect’s Seal |
| What must be sealed | All original contract documents, including index sheets and cover pages that identify the specification pages the seal covers. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XI.D, Use of architect seal |
| Electronic seal | Arkansas handles the electronic question through a release legend rather than a signature technology. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XI.D, Use of Architect’s Seal |
| Renewal and lapse | Not addressed in the seal sections. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XI.D (silent as to lapse and surrender) |
| Firm requirements | Not on the seal in the ordinary case. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XI.D, Seal Design Requirements |
| Regulator | The Arkansas State Board of Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers | Arkansas State Board of Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers, Administrative Rules effective February 7, 2022, Sections XI (Architect’s Seal), XII (Landscape Architect’s Seal) and XIII (Interior Designer’s Seal), read from the Board’s Laws and Rules page at the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing |
Is a seal required in Arkansas?
One board, one rules document and three professions, each with its own seal section. Section XI.D provides that “Each registered architect shall procure a seal that shall contain the name of the registered architect, license registration number, and the words” that follow, namely REGISTERED ARCHITECT and STATE OF ARKANSAS, which the rule prints as one legend with a dash between the two phrases. The use provision then supplies the trigger: the architect affixes the seal, an actual signature and the date of affixation to all original contract documents, including the index sheet and any cover page identifying which specification pages the seal covers. Presentation documents need not be sealed.
What must appear on the seal
- Your name as registered
- Your license registration number
- REGISTERED ARCHITECT and STATE OF ARKANSAS
The wording is fixed and the layout is fixed with it. The outer ring carries Registered Architect and State of Arkansas; the inner circle carries the name and the registration number. The rules contemplate a corporation name and registered number, or a partnership name with the registration numbers of the partners, in place of the individual line where the seal is issued that way, so read the design paragraph before assuming an individual-only face. Any legible reproduction method is permitted. Do not letter the landscape architect or interior designer legend on an architect device; this board issues three different legends under three different sections.
Size and shape
Two concentric circles, 1.5 inches and 1 inch in diameter. The design paragraph specifies a metal impression, rubber stamp or printed format with “two (2) concentric circles 1.5″ and 1″ in diameter”, the space between them bearing Registered Architect and State of Arkansas and the inner circle bearing the name and registration number. Two independently phrased readings of the Board’s published rules returned the same figures. Note that this is the architect board’s dimension and not the Arkansas engineering and surveying board’s, which runs from 1 1/4 to 2 inches with a milled edge under 17 CAR § 285-602(d)(2).
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Three formats are named in the design paragraph itself: metal impression, rubber stamp, or printed. Any legible reproduction method is permitted. The safe buy is a rubber stamp at 1.5 inches outside diameter, because the use paragraph requires the seal to travel with an actual signature and the date of affixation on original contract documents, and because an impression alone will not reproduce on the copies a client or a building department works from.
Signing and dating
Seal, signature and date of affixation together on original contract documents. The rules also permit signature reproductions, by rubber stamp or computer generated, on original documents. Those two statements sit in the same section and should be read against the current rule text before either is restated as a bare rule: the safe practice is a handwritten signature with the date next to the seal on the original, with reproduced signatures reserved for the situations the rule describes. The rules do not require the signature to cross the impression.
Three legends, one board, and a record-copy legend you must letter out in full
This board registers architects, landscape architects and registered interior designers, and it gives each of them a seal of the same geometry with a different legend. All three are two concentric circles at 1.5 inches and 1 inch. The words are not interchangeable: REGISTERED ARCHITECT and STATE OF ARKANSAS, REGISTERED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT and STATE OF ARKANSAS and REGISTERED INTERIOR DESIGNER and STATE OF ARKANSAS. A dual registrant needs two devices, not one.
Which documents must be sealed
All original contract documents, including index sheets and cover pages that identify the specification pages the seal covers. Presentation documents need not be sealed. Incomplete contract documents may be released for interim review without the seal provided they carry the architect’s name and are clearly marked as being for review only and not for construction. Sheets prepared by a consultant must bear the consultant’s seal and registration number. Once sealed documents have left the office the seal may not be removed, with one exception: an electronic reference file released at the client’s request, which must carry the record-copy legend the rules print in full, stating where the record copy is filed and that the electronic document shall not be used for construction.
Electronic and digital seals
Arkansas handles the electronic question through a release legend rather than a signature technology. Where a client asks for an electronic reference file, the file must carry the legend the rules set out, which names the individual and address holding the record copy, states that the electronic document is released for reference, coordination or facility management, and states that it “SHALL NOT BE USED FOR CONSTRUCTION.” No certificate authority, cryptographic standard or digital signature criteria appear in the architect sections. Computer generated signature reproductions are contemplated on original documents.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Not addressed in the seal sections. Sections XI.D and XI.E govern design, use and unauthorized use, and neither says what happens to the device on expiration, suspension or revocation, whether the registration number changes on reinstatement, or whether the seal must be surrendered. The sources here are the Board’s published Administrative Rules seal sections for all three professions and its Laws and Rules page. What the rules do make clear is that the seal is personal: its use is an individual act requiring personal inscription, and the registrant is responsible for the security of the device.
Firm requirements
Not on the seal in the ordinary case. The design paragraph contemplates a corporation name with its registered number, or a partnership name with the partners’ registration numbers, where the seal is issued in that form, but the default face is the individual’s name and number. The Board issues no separate firm seal. That is the opposite of the Arkansas engineering and surveying board, where 17 CAR § 285-602(c) requires each firm holding a certificate of authorization to obtain its own seal bearing the firm name and the COA number and to attach it to plan cover sheets, specification cover or seals pages and reports.
What to check before you order
Order a device built as two concentric circles, 1.5 inches and 1 inch in diameter, with REGISTERED ARCHITECT and STATE OF ARKANSAS in the space between the circles and your name and license registration number inside the inner circle. A metal impression, a rubber stamp or a printed seal all qualify, and a rubber stamp is the practical choice because the seal must travel with a signature and the date of affixation on original contract documents. Seal index sheets and any cover page that identifies the specification pages your seal covers. If you release an electronic reference file to a client, letter the record-copy legend the rules prescribe onto it, naming your office as the holder of the record copy and stating that the file is not for construction. Keep the seal under your own control; the rules treat its use as a personal act.
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Frequently asked questions
Is an architect seal required in Arkansas?
Yes. Section XI.D provides that “Each registered architect shall procure a seal that shall contain the name of the registered architect, license registration number, and the words” REGISTERED ARCHITECT and STATE OF ARKANSAS. The use provision supplies the trigger: you affix the seal, an actual signature and the date of affixation to all original contract documents, including the index sheet and any cover page identifying which specification pages the seal covers.
What has to appear on an Arkansas architect seal?
Your name as registered, your license registration number, and the words REGISTERED ARCHITECT and STATE OF ARKANSAS, which the rule prints as one legend with a dash between the two phrases. The outer ring carries the legend and the inner circle carries the name and number. Do not letter the landscape architect or interior designer legend on an architect device; this board issues three different legends under three different sections.
What size is an Arkansas architect seal?
Two concentric circles, 1.5 inches and 1 inch in diameter, under the Seal Design Requirements in Section XI.D. The rule specifies a metal impression, rubber stamp or printed format with “two (2) concentric circles 1.5″ and 1″ in diameter,” the space between them bearing the legend and the inner circle bearing the name and registration number.
Can I use a rubber stamp or an embosser in Arkansas?
Either, plus a printed seal. The design paragraph names a metal impression, a rubber stamp or a printed format, and permits any legible reproduction method. A rubber stamp at 1.5 inches outside diameter is the practical choice, because the seal has to travel with a signature and the date of affixation on original contract documents and an unpigmented impression will not survive the copies a client or a building department works from.
Where do the signature and date go on an Arkansas sealed document?
Seal, signature and date of affixation go together on original contract documents. The rules do not require the signature to cross the impression. They also contemplate signature reproductions, by rubber stamp or computer generated, on original documents. Those statements sit side by side in the same section, so read the current rule text before treating either as the whole answer; the safe practice is a handwritten signature with the date next to the seal on the original.
Which documents have to be sealed in Arkansas?
All original contract documents, including index sheets and cover pages that identify the specification pages the seal covers. Presentation documents need not be sealed. Incomplete contract documents may be released for interim review without the seal provided they carry your name and are clearly marked as being for review only and not for construction. Sheets prepared by a consultant carry the consultant’s seal and registration number.
Can I strip my seal off a CAD file before sending it to a client?
No, and this is the operational trap in the Arkansas rules. Once sealed documents have left the office the seal may not be removed. The one sanctioned route is the electronic reference file released at the client’s request, which must carry the record-copy legend the rules print in full, naming the individual and address holding the record copy, stating that the file is released for reference, coordination or facility management, and stating that it “SHALL NOT BE USED FOR CONSTRUCTION.” Offices that quietly delete the stamp and send a clean file are outside the rule.
Does Arkansas set a digital signature standard for architects?
The architect sections handle the electronic question through that release legend rather than through a signature technology. No certificate authority, cryptographic standard or digital signature criteria appear in them. Computer generated signature reproductions are contemplated on original documents.
What happens to my Arkansas seal if my registration lapses?
Sections XI.D and XI.E govern design, use and unauthorized use, and neither says what happens to the device on expiration, suspension or revocation, whether the registration number changes on reinstatement, or whether the seal must be surrendered. The Board’s published Administrative Rules seal sections for all three professions and its Laws and Rules page read the same way. What the rules do make clear is that the seal is personal: its use is an individual act requiring personal inscription, and you are responsible for the security of the device.
Does an Arkansas architecture firm get its own seal?
Not in the ordinary case. The Board issues no separate firm seal, and the default face is the individual’s name and number. The design paragraph does contemplate a corporation name with its registered number, or a partnership name with the partners’ registration numbers, where the seal is issued in that form, so read the design paragraph before assuming an individual-only face. That is the reverse of the Arkansas engineering and surveying board, where 17 CAR § 285-602(c) requires each firm holding a certificate of authorization to obtain its own seal bearing the firm name and the certificate number.
