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 XIII.A (Design and Use of Interior Designer’s Seal), effective February 7, 2022 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Two concentric circles at 1.5 inches and 1 inch, with REGISTERED INTERIOR DESIGNER and STATE OF ARKANSAS between them. Section XIII.A of the Board’s Administrative Rules, effective February 7, 2022, requires each registered interior designer to procure a seal carrying the name, the license registration number and those words, and specifies a metal impression, rubber stamp or printed format built on the two-circle geometry with the name and registration number in the inner circle. It is the same construction the Board gives architects and landscape architects, which is precisely why a shared-office order goes wrong on the legend.
The use paragraph requires the seal, a signature and the date of affixation on all original contract documents, including index sheets and any cover page identifying which specification pages the seal covers. Presentation documents need not be sealed. Incomplete contract documents may circulate for interim review unsealed if they carry your name and are clearly marked for review only and not for construction.
One Arkansas requirement lives on the sheet rather than in the die, and the seal alone does not discharge it. All contract documents must carry a statement that the document is not an architectural or engineering drawing, specification or design and may not be used for constructing load-bearing columns, load-bearing framing, load-bearing walls or structures, or for obtaining building permits. The words have to be printed on the document.
Arkansas interior designer seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Arkansas rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XIII.A (Design and Use of Interior Designer’s Seal), effective February 7, 2022 |
| Required elements | Your name as registered, Your license registration number and REGISTERED INTERIOR DESIGNER and STATE OF ARKANSAS | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XIII.A |
| Size and shape | Two concentric circles, 1.5 inches and 1 inch in diameter. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XIII.A, Seal Design Requirements |
| Device allowed | Metal impression, rubber stamp or printed, with any legible reproduction method permitted. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XIII.A, Seal Design Requirements |
| Signature and date | Seal, signature and date of affixation on original contract documents. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XIII.A, Use of Registered Interior Designer’s Seal |
| What must be sealed | All original contract documents, including index sheets and cover pages identifying the specification pages the seal covers; presentation documents are excluded. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XIII.A, Use of Registered Interior Designer’s Seal |
| Electronic seal | As with the other two professions this board registers, the electronic question is handled by a release legend rather than a signature technology. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XIII.A, Use of Registered Interior Designer’s Seal |
| Renewal and lapse | Not addressed in the seal sections. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XIII.A (silent as to lapse and surrender) |
| Firm requirements | Not applicable. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XIII.C |
| 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, Section XIII (Interior Designer’s Seal), read from the Board’s Laws and Rules page at the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, and read alongside Sections XI and XII for the architect and landscape architect devices |
Is a seal required in Arkansas?
Section XIII.A provides that “Each registered interior designers shall procure a seal that shall contain the name of the registered interior designer, license registration number, and the words” that follow, namely REGISTERED INTERIOR DESIGNER and STATE OF ARKANSAS, which the rule prints as one legend with a dash between the two phrases. The use paragraph then requires the registered interior designer to affix the seal, a signature and the date of affixation to all original contract documents, including index sheets 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 INTERIOR DESIGNER and STATE OF ARKANSAS
Same geometry as the architect and landscape architect devices from this board, different words. The outer ring carries Registered Interior Designer and State of Arkansas; the inner circle carries the name and the registration number. Any legible reproduction method is permitted. The scope disclaimer described below is a document requirement, not a seal element, so it does not go on the die.
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 concentric circles at 1.5 inches and 1 inch, the outer ring carrying Registered Interior Designer and State of Arkansas and the inner circle carrying the name and registration number. Two independently phrased readings of the Board’s published rules returned the same figures for all three professions.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Metal impression, rubber stamp or printed, with any legible reproduction method permitted. A rubber stamp at 1.5 inches outside diameter is the safe buy, because the use paragraph pairs the seal with a signature and the date of affixation on original contract documents and those have to read on the copies a client or a building department receives.
Signing and dating
Seal, signature and date of affixation on original contract documents. Signature reproductions by rubber stamp or computer generated signature are contemplated on original documents in the same section. Because those two statements sit together, take the exact wording from the current rule before restating either; the conservative practice is a handwritten signature with the date beside the seal. The rules do not require the signature to cross the impression.
Every Arkansas interior design contract document carries a no-structure disclaimer
This is the requirement that separates Arkansas from most interior design registration states. All contract documents must carry a statement that the document is not an architectural or engineering drawing, specification or design, and that it cannot be used to construct load-bearing columns, load-bearing framing, load-bearing walls or structures, or to obtain building permits. The seal alone does not discharge it; the words have to be on the sheet.
Which documents must be sealed
All original contract documents, including index sheets and cover pages identifying the specification pages the seal covers; presentation documents are excluded. Incomplete contract documents may circulate for interim review unsealed if they carry the designer’s name and are clearly marked for review only and not for construction. Consultant sheets must bear the consultant’s seal and registration number. The distinctive Arkansas requirement is a scope disclaimer: all contract documents must carry a statement that the document is not an architectural or engineering drawing, specification or design and may not be used for constructing load-bearing columns, load-bearing framing, load-bearing walls or structures, or for obtaining building permits. Once sealed documents leave the office the seal may not be removed except on an electronic reference file carrying the prescribed record-copy legend.
Electronic and digital seals
As with the other two professions this board registers, the electronic question is handled by a release legend rather than a signature technology. An electronic reference file released at a client’s request must carry the legend naming the individual and address holding the record copy and stating that the file is released for reference, coordination or facility management and shall not be used for construction. No cryptographic standard, certificate authority or digital signature criteria appear in Section XIII.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Not addressed in the seal sections. Sections XIII.A and XIII.B cover design, use and unauthorized use and say nothing about expiration, suspension, revocation, surrender of the device or whether the registration number changes on reinstatement. 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 say is that the seal is an individual act requiring personal inscription and that the registrant is responsible for its security.
Firm requirements
Not applicable. The Board issues no interior design firm seal and no firm registration number for the face of the device. Section XIII.C addresses consultants rather than firms, providing that a registered interior designer need not seal consultant-prepared documents except for index and cover sheets describing work performed by both the designer and the consultants.
What to check before you order
Order a device built as two concentric circles, 1.5 inches and 1 inch in diameter, with REGISTERED INTERIOR DESIGNER and STATE OF ARKANSAS between the circles and your name and license registration number inside the inner circle. A metal impression, rubber stamp or printed seal all qualify; a rubber stamp is the practical choice. Affix the seal, your signature and the date to all original contract documents, including index sheets and any cover page that identifies which specification pages the seal covers. Put the no-structure disclaimer on your contract documents: they must state that they are not architectural or engineering drawings and cannot be used for load-bearing construction or to obtain building permits. If you release an electronic reference file, letter the prescribed record-copy legend onto it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for an Arkansas registered interior designer?
Yes. Section XIII.A requires each registered interior designer to procure a seal and then requires the seal, a signature and the date of affixation on all original contract documents, including index sheets and any cover page identifying which specification pages the seal covers.
What goes on an Arkansas interior designer seal?
Three things: your name as registered, your license registration number, and the words REGISTERED INTERIOR DESIGNER 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. The no-structure disclaimer is a document requirement rather than a seal element, so it does not go on the die.
What size is the Arkansas interior designer seal?
Two concentric circles at 1.5 inches and 1 inch in diameter. The Board applies the same geometry to all three professions it registers, changing only the legend, so the size is not the thing that distinguishes your device. The wording is.
Metal impression, rubber stamp or printed in Arkansas?
All three, with any legible reproduction method permitted. A rubber stamp at 1.5 inches outside diameter is the practical buy, because the use paragraph pairs the seal with a signature and the date of affixation on original contract documents, and those have to read on the copies a client or a building department receives.
What is the Arkansas no-structure disclaimer?
A statement that has to appear on all contract documents: that the document is not an architectural or engineering drawing, specification or design and may not be used for constructing load-bearing columns, load-bearing framing, load-bearing walls or structures, or for obtaining building permits. It is the requirement that most separates Arkansas from other interior design registration states, and the seal does not satisfy it.
Does my signature have to cross the Arkansas seal?
The rules do not require it. Section XIII.A asks for the seal, the signature and the date of affixation on original contract documents without stating placement. Signature reproductions by rubber stamp or computer generated signature are contemplated on original documents in the same section, so read the current rule text before restating either point; a handwritten signature with the date beside the seal is the conservative practice.
Which Arkansas documents get the seal?
All original contract documents, including index sheets and cover pages identifying the specification pages the seal covers. Presentation documents are excluded. Incomplete contract documents may circulate unsealed for interim review if they carry your name and are clearly marked for review only and not for construction.
What about consultant sheets in Arkansas?
They carry the consultant’s own seal and registration number. Section XIII.C provides that a registered interior designer need not seal consultant-prepared documents except for index and cover sheets describing work performed by both the designer and the consultants.
Can I release an electronic file of a sealed Arkansas set?
Yes, with a legend. Arkansas handles the electronic question through a release legend rather than a signature technology: an electronic reference file released at a client’s request must carry the legend naming the individual and address holding the record copy and stating that the file is released for reference, coordination or facility management and shall not be used for construction. No cryptographic standard, certificate authority or digital signature criteria appear in Section XIII.
Can the seal be removed from an Arkansas document?
Not once the documents have left your office, except on an electronic reference file carrying the prescribed record-copy legend. That rule is the reason the release legend exists.
What happens to my Arkansas seal if the registration lapses?
Sections XIII.A and XIII.B cover design, use and unauthorized use and say nothing about expiration, suspension, revocation, surrender of the device or whether the registration number changes on reinstatement. What the rules do say is that sealing is an individual act requiring personal inscription and that you are responsible for the security of the device.
Is there an Arkansas interior design firm seal?
No. The Board issues no interior design firm seal and no firm registration number for the face of the device. Section XIII.C addresses consultants rather than firms.
