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 Utah Landscape Architect Licensing Board, which acts with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing and Utah Admin. Code R156-53-601 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
The duty reaches final site plans, and only final site plans. Utah Admin. Code R156-53-601 opens “In accordance with Section 58-53-601, all final site plans prepared by the licensee or prepared under” the licensee’s supervision shall be sealed. That is narrower than any of Utah’s other design rules: R156-22-601 reaches all final plans, specifications, reports, maps, sketches, surveys, drawings, documents and plats, R156-3a-601 reaches all technical submissions, and R156-76-601 reaches final geologic documents. Work from the phrase as written rather than an assumption imported from the engineering rule.
The device is a circular seal, 1 1/2 inches minimum diameter, a floor with no ceiling, matching the figure Utah uses for architects, engineers, land surveyors and professional geologists. The face carries your name as licensed, your license number, the words State of Utah and the words Licensed Landscape Architect. Nothing provides for an expiration date, a CLARB number, a discipline line or a firm name.
On device type the landscape architect sits with the engineers rather than the architects. “A seal may be a wet stamp, embossed, or electronically produced,” and “Each seal shall be signed and dated with the signature and date appearing across the face of each seal imprint.” The Utah architect rule says neither of those things.
Utah landscape architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Utah rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | Utah Admin. Code R156-53-601 |
| Required elements | Your name as licensed, Your license number, The words State of Utah, The words Licensed Landscape Architect and A circular seal | Utah Admin. Code R156-53-601 |
| Size and shape | Circular, one and one-half inches minimum diameter. | Utah Admin. Code R156-53-601 |
| Device allowed | Three device classes, all permitted: “A seal may be a wet stamp, embossed, or electronically produced.” An embosser is expressly lawful for the required seal here. | Utah Admin. Code R156-53-601 |
| Signature and date | Across the face. | Utah Admin. Code R156-53-601 |
| What must be sealed | All final site plans prepared by the licensee or under the licensee’s supervision. | Utah Admin. Code R156-53-601 |
| Electronic seal | An electronically produced seal is one of the three permitted forms, and the rule attaches the same security duty Utah places on its other design professions, with no technology named. | Utah Admin. Code R156-53-601 |
| Renewal and lapse | Not addressed in the seal rule. | Utah Admin. Code R156-53 (seal rule silent) |
| Firm requirements | Not addressed in the seal rule. | Utah Admin. Code R156-53-601 (no firm provision) |
| Regulator | The Utah Landscape Architect Licensing Board, which acts with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing | Utah Admin. Code R156-53, Landscape Architects Licensing Act Rule, section R156-53-601, the landscape architect seal requirements section, read from the Utah Office of Administrative Rules |
Is a seal required in Utah?
The rule points at the statute and then narrows the document class. Utah Admin. Code R156-53-601 opens “In accordance with Section 58-53-601, all final site plans prepared by the licensee or prepared under” the licensee’s supervision shall be sealed in accordance with the subparagraphs that follow. Final site plans is the operative phrase, and it is narrower than the sweep in the Utah engineering and surveying rule.
What must appear on the seal
- Your name as licensed
- Your license number
- The words State of Utah
- The words Licensed Landscape Architect
- A circular seal
Four items and a circle. The legend is Licensed Landscape Architect, matching the Licensed Architect wording of R156-3a-601 rather than the Professional wording of the engineering and surveying rule. Nothing provides for an expiration date, a CLARB number, a discipline line or a firm name. A licensee who also holds a Utah architect license needs a second die, because each legend names one profession.
Size and shape
Circular, one and one-half inches minimum diameter. R156-53-601: “Each seal shall be a circular seal, 1 1/2 inches minimum diameter.” A floor with no ceiling, matching the figure Utah uses for architects, engineers, land surveyors and professional geologists.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Three device classes, all permitted: “A seal may be a wet stamp, embossed, or electronically produced.” An embosser is expressly lawful for the required seal here. Contrast the Utah architect rule at R156-3a-601, which contains no device sentence at all. The practical choice is a wet or self-inking stamp, because the signature and date must appear across the face of each seal imprint and copies must keep the seal, signature and date clearly recognizable.
Signing and dating
Across the face. R156-53-601: “Each seal shall be signed and dated with the signature and date appearing across the face of each seal imprint.” That is the same placement rule Utah applies to engineers, land surveyors and professional geologists, and it is the rule the Utah architect provision omits. At minimum each original set of final site plans carries the original seal imprint, original signature and date.
Final site plans, and only final site plans
Utah’s four design-profession seal rules share a template, and the document class is where they diverge most. R156-22-601 reaches “all final plans, specifications, reports, maps, sketches, surveys, drawings, documents and plats.” R156-3a-601 reaches all technical submissions. R156-76-601 reaches final geologic documents. R156-53-601 reaches “all final site plans.” That is a narrower class than any of the others, and it is the phrase to work from rather than an assumption imported from the engineering rule.
Which documents must be sealed
All final site plans prepared by the licensee or under the licensee’s supervision. Each original set must at minimum carry the original seal imprint, original signature and date, and copies of the original set are acceptable: “Copies of the original set of site plans which contain the original seal, original signature and date shall be acceptable provided the seal, signature and date is clearly recognizable.” The rule does not extend the sealing duty to reports, specifications or studies in the way R156-22-601 does for engineering and surveying, so read the document class as written.
Electronic and digital seals
An electronically produced seal is one of the three permitted forms, and the rule attaches the same security duty Utah places on its other design professions, with no technology named. No certificate authority, cryptographic standard or authentication procedure is prescribed. Confirm the acceptable electronic format with the reviewing authority before relying on it.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Not addressed in the seal rule. R156-53-601 says nothing about the device on expiration, lapse, inactive status or revocation, and nothing about surrender or destruction. Renewal, inactive status and reinstatement are governed elsewhere in R156-53 and in Utah Code title 58 chapter 53, and the general licensing rule R156-1 supplies the inactive-status framework.
Firm requirements
Not addressed in the seal rule. R156-53-601 creates no firm seal, no certificate of authorization and no firm number on the face of a sealed document. The document carries the individual licensee’s seal alone.
What to check before you order
Order a circular stamp at least one and one-half inches in diameter carrying your name as licensed, your license number, the words State of Utah and the words Licensed Landscape Architect. There is no maximum size. A wet stamp, an embossed seal or an electronically produced seal is permitted; a wet or self-inking stamp is the practical choice because your signature and the date must appear across the face of each imprint and must remain clearly recognizable on copies. Seal, sign and date all final site plans, with at minimum the original imprint, original signature and date on each original set. If you also hold a Utah architect license you need a second die, because the legend names one profession.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for landscape architects in Utah?
Yes. Utah Admin. Code R156-53-601, made in accordance with Utah Code § 58-53-601, requires all final site plans prepared by the licensee or under the licensee’s supervision to be sealed in accordance with the subparagraphs that follow.
What has to appear on a Utah landscape architect seal?
Four items and a circle: your name as licensed, your license number, the words State of Utah and the words Licensed Landscape Architect. The legend is Licensed Landscape Architect, matching the Licensed Architect wording of R156-3a-601 rather than the Professional wording of the engineering and surveying rule. A licensee who also holds a Utah architect license needs a second die, because each legend names one profession.
What size is a Utah landscape architect seal?
Circular, one and one-half inches minimum diameter: “Each seal shall be a circular seal, 1 1/2 inches minimum diameter.” A floor with no ceiling.
Wet stamp, embosser or electronic seal in Utah?
All three: “A seal may be a wet stamp, embossed, or electronically produced.” An embosser is expressly lawful for the required seal here, unlike in the Utah architect rule, which contains no device sentence at all. A wet or self-inking stamp is the practical choice, because the signature and date must appear across the face of each imprint and copies must keep the seal, signature and date clearly recognizable.
Where do the signature and date go in Utah?
Across the face. R156-53-601: “Each seal shall be signed and dated with the signature and date appearing across the face of each seal imprint.” That is the same placement rule Utah applies to engineers, land surveyors and professional geologists, and the one the architect provision omits.
Which Utah documents have to be sealed?
All final site plans prepared by you or under your supervision. Each original set must at minimum carry the original seal imprint, original signature and date. The rule does not extend the duty to reports, specifications or studies in the way R156-22-601 does for engineering and surveying.
Are copies of a sealed Utah set acceptable?
Yes, on a legibility test: “Copies of the original set of site plans which contain the original seal, original signature and date shall be acceptable provided the seal, signature and date is clearly recognizable.” That test is the practical argument against a dry embossed impression, even though embossing is permitted.
Is there a Utah electronic seal standard?
An electronically produced seal is one of the three permitted forms, and the rule attaches the same security duty Utah places on its other design professions without naming a technology. No certificate authority, cryptographic standard or authentication procedure is prescribed. Confirm the acceptable electronic format with the reviewing authority before relying on it.
What happens to a Utah seal on lapse?
R156-53-601 says nothing about the device on expiration, lapse, inactive status or revocation, and nothing about surrender or destruction. Renewal, inactive status and reinstatement are governed elsewhere in R156-53 and in Utah Code title 58 chapter 53, with the general licensing rule R156-1 supplying the inactive-status framework.
Does a Utah landscape architecture firm need a seal?
The seal rule creates no firm seal, no certificate of authorization and no firm number on the face of a sealed document. The document carries the individual licensee’s seal alone.
