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 Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, and Landscape Architects and Haw. Rev. Stat. § 464-11 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Four words in the middle of the circle: Licensed Professional Landscape Architect. HAR § 16-115-8(a) puts that legend in the center of the seal along with your license number, where HRS § 464-11 would have allowed the shorter licensed landscape architect. The statute lets the board authorize other wording and the board has done so. That is the longest of the four Hawaii legends and it has to sit inside a 1-1/8 inch inner circle within a 1-1/2 inch die while still meeting the rule’s requirement that the seal be “legible and reproducible.” Proof it before the die is cut.
The date below the seal is not the date you signed. HAR § 16-115-9(a) requires an authentication block below the seal reading “This work was prepared by me or under my supervision,” signed by you, with the caption “Expiration Date of the License” beneath. A stamp sold with a DATE line invites the wrong entry, so leave the die clear and put the block on the sheet.
Landscape architects also pick up an obligation surveyors do not. HAR § 16-115-9(b) requires the statement CONSTRUCTION OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE UNDER MY OBSERVATION on plans and specifications filed with a building or construction permit application involving public safety or health, and it names engineers, architects and landscape architects by name. Subsection (c) gives the combined wording where the same person designs and observes.
Hawaii landscape architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Hawaii rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 464-11 |
| Required elements | Two concentric circles, Your name as licensed, The words “Hawaii, U.S.A.” in the outer ring, Licensed Professional Landscape Architect in the center and Your license number in the center | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Size and shape | Two circles: a smaller one 1-1/8 inches in diameter inside a larger one 1-1/2 inches in diameter. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a)(1) |
| Device allowed | HRS § 464-11 authorizes “a seal or rubber stamp of the design authorized by the board”, so an embosser and an inked rubber stamp are both lawful. | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 464-11 |
| Signature and date | HAR § 16-115-9(a) requires an authentication block below the seal reading “This work was prepared by me or under my supervision”, signed by the licensee, with the caption “Expiration Date of the License” beneath. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-9(a), (b), (c), (e) |
| What must be sealed | All plans, specifications, maps, reports, surveys and descriptions prepared by or under the supervision of the licensee and filed with public officials, including “every sheet in a set of design drawings”. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-9(a) |
| Electronic seal | HAR § 16-115-2 defines a digital signature as a digital code, generated and authenticated by public encryption, attached to an electronically transmitted document to verify its contents and the sender’s identity, containing encryption protections using a set of algorithms to determine authenticity. | Haw. Admin. R. §§ 16-115-2, 16-115-9(e) |
| Renewal and lapse | Licenses expire April 30 of each even-numbered year and become invalid after that date unless renewed, with restoration available within two years on payment of a fee for each renewal period and reapplication as a new applicant after that. | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 464-9(c), 464-11 |
| Firm requirements | Not applicable. | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 464-12 |
| Regulator | The Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, and Landscape Architects | Haw. Rev. Stat. ch. 464, chiefly §§ 464-9, 464-11, 464-12 and 464-13, read on the Hawaii State Legislature site |
Is a seal required in Hawaii?
Hawaii requires the seal when work reaches a public official. HRS § 464-11 provides that all plans, specifications, maps and reports prepared by or under the supervision of a licensed landscape architect “shall be stamped with such seal or stamp when filed with public officials.” HAR § 16-115-8(c) widens the list to surveys and descriptions and requires that documents “submitted to public officials for approval shall be stamped with the authorized seal or stamp and authenticated as provided in section 16-115-9.” Landscape architects are full members of this scheme, sealing on the same terms as engineers, architects and land surveyors.
What must appear on the seal
- Two concentric circles
- Your name as licensed
- The words “Hawaii, U.S.A.” in the outer ring
- Licensed Professional Landscape Architect in the center
- Your license number in the center
Nothing else goes inside the circles, and this is the longest legend the rule prescribes. HAR § 16-115-8(a) puts “Licensed Professional Landscape Architect” in the center of the seal along with the license number, where HRS § 464-11 would have allowed the shorter “licensed landscape architect”. The statute permits the board to authorize other wording, and the board has done so, which means four words have to be laid out in the middle of a 1-1/2 inch die. The attestation sentence, the signature and the expiration date all sit below the seal under HAR § 16-115-9, so no date line or signature line belongs in the die. The branch abbreviation and the per-branch seal duty apply to engineers only.
Size and shape
Two circles: a smaller one 1-1/8 inches in diameter inside a larger one 1-1/2 inches in diameter. The 1-1/2 inch figure is the outside diameter. HAR § 16-115-8 also requires a seal or stamp that is “legible and reproducible”, which is the constraint that bites when a four-word legend and a license number share the inner circle.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
HRS § 464-11 authorizes “a seal or rubber stamp of the design authorized by the board”, so an embosser and an inked rubber stamp are both lawful. The inked rubber stamp is the safe buy, and with this legend it is the practical one, since embossing fine lettering rarely survives a photocopy. Whether a computer-generated seal image is permitted is not addressed; the rule defines and permits a digital signature but does not speak to a digital seal graphic. Checked HAR §§ 16-115-2, 16-115-8 and 16-115-9 and HRS § 464-11.
Signing and dating
HAR § 16-115-9(a) requires an authentication block below the seal reading “This work was prepared by me or under my supervision”, signed by the licensee, with the caption “Expiration Date of the License” beneath. The date is the expiration date of the license, not the signing date. Landscape architects are also named in the construction observation rules: § 16-115-9(b) requires CONSTRUCTION OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE UNDER MY OBSERVATION on plans and specifications filed with building or construction permit applications involving public safety or health, and § 16-115-9(c) combines both statements where the same licensee designs and observes. Under § 16-115-9(e) the signature must be original or digital, and “The use of rubber signature stamps or other facsimile signatures is prohibited.”
Four words in the middle of the circle, and an expiration date where you expect a signing date
HAR § 16-115-8(a) prescribes the center of the seal, and for this license it reads “Licensed Professional Landscape Architect” together with the license number. That is the longest of the four Hawaii legends, and it has to sit inside a 1-1/8 inch inner circle within a 1-1/2 inch die while still meeting the rule’s requirement that the seal be legible and reproducible. Proof it before the die is cut.
The date trap is the same one that catches Hawaii engineers. The block below the seal, set out in HAR § 16-115-9(a), ends with the caption “Expiration Date of the License”. It is not the date you signed. A stamp sold with a DATE line invites the wrong entry, so leave the die clear and put the block on the sheet.
Landscape architects also pick up an obligation that surveyors do not. HAR § 16-115-9(b) requires the statement CONSTRUCTION OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE UNDER MY OBSERVATION on plans and specifications filed with a building or construction permit application involving public safety or health, and it names engineers, architects and landscape architects. Subsection (c) gives the combined wording where the same person designs and observes.
Finally, note what Hawaii does not require of you. The per-branch seal rule in § 16-115-8(b) is an engineering rule. A landscape architect licensed in Hawaii buys one seal.
Which documents must be sealed
All plans, specifications, maps, reports, surveys and descriptions prepared by or under the supervision of the licensee and filed with public officials, including “every sheet in a set of design drawings”. The HRS § 464-13 exemption is written around building cost thresholds and structural materials and does not create a general drafts exception. Hawaii has no preliminary or progress carve-out in HAR chapter 16-115, so a landscape architectural sheet that goes to a county for approval is sealed even at an early submittal stage.
Electronic and digital seals
HAR § 16-115-2 defines a digital signature as a digital code, generated and authenticated by public encryption, attached to an electronically transmitted document to verify its contents and the sender’s identity, containing encryption protections using a set of algorithms to determine authenticity. No certificate authority, standard or vendor is named. The digital signature substitutes for the handwritten signature; the rule does not separately authorize an electronic seal graphic.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Licenses expire April 30 of each even-numbered year and become invalid after that date unless renewed, with restoration available within two years on payment of a fee for each renewal period and reapplication as a new applicant after that. HRS § 464-11 makes it “unlawful for anyone to seal or stamp any document with such seal or stamp after the license has expired or has been revoked or suspended unless such license has been renewed or reissued.” Whether the license number changes on reapplication after two years is not addressed in HRS § 464-9 or HAR chapter 16-115. No surrender or destruction is required, but the expiration date written beside the seal changes at every renewal.
Firm requirements
Not applicable. A corporation, partnership or limited liability company may practice landscape architecture in Hawaii provided the person directly in charge of the professional work is licensed and is a full-time employee, principal, officer, partner, member or manager with legal authority to bind the entity. There is no certificate of authorization, no firm number on the sheet and no firm seal.
What to check before you order
Order a 1-1/2 inch outside circle with a 1-1/8 inch inner circle. Outer ring: your name as licensed plus Hawaii, U.S.A. Center: Licensed Professional Landscape Architect in full, then your license number. Ask for a proof, because that is four words in the smallest part of the die and the rule requires the impression to be legible and reproducible. Take the inked rubber stamp over the embosser. No date line, no signature line, no word SEAL, since the attestation block with your license expiration date goes on the sheet below the seal.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for landscape architects in Hawaii?
Yes, when the work reaches a public official. HRS § 464-11 provides that all plans, specifications, maps and reports prepared by or under the supervision of a licensed landscape architect “shall be stamped with such seal or stamp when filed with public officials,” and HAR § 16-115-8(c) widens the list to surveys and descriptions, requiring documents “submitted to public officials for approval” to be stamped with the authorized seal and authenticated as provided in section 16-115-9.
What has to appear on a Hawaii landscape architect seal?
Two concentric circles, your name as licensed, the words Hawaii, U.S.A. in the outer ring, and in the center Licensed Professional Landscape Architect together with your license number. Nothing else goes inside the circles. The attestation sentence, the signature and the expiration date all sit below the seal under HAR § 16-115-9, so no date line and no signature line belongs in the die. The branch abbreviation and the per-branch seal duty apply to engineers only.
What size is a Hawaii landscape architect seal?
A smaller circle 1-1/8 inches in diameter inside a larger one 1-1/2 inches in diameter, the 1-1/2 inch figure being the outside diameter, under HAR § 16-115-8(a)(1). The same section requires a seal or stamp that is legible and reproducible, which is the constraint that bites when a four word legend and a license number share the inner circle.
Embosser or rubber stamp in Hawaii?
HRS § 464-11 authorizes “a seal or rubber stamp of the design authorized by the board,” so both are lawful. The inked rubber stamp is the practical buy with this legend, since embossing fine lettering rarely survives a photocopy and the rule demands a reproducible seal. Whether a computer-generated seal image is permitted is not addressed: the rule defines and permits a digital signature but does not speak to a digital seal graphic.
What goes in the block below a Hawaii seal?
HAR § 16-115-9(a) requires the sentence “This work was prepared by me or under my supervision,” your signature, and beneath it the caption “Expiration Date of the License.” Section 16-115-9(b) adds CONSTRUCTION OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE UNDER MY OBSERVATION on plans and specifications filed with a building or construction permit application involving public safety or health, and (c) combines both statements where the same licensee designs and observes.
Can I use a signature stamp in Hawaii?
No. Under HAR § 16-115-9(e) the signature must be original or digital, and “The use of rubber signature stamps or other facsimile signatures is prohibited.” A digital signature is defined at HAR § 16-115-2 as a digital code, generated and authenticated by public encryption, attached to an electronically transmitted document to verify its contents and the sender’s identity, containing encryption protections using a set of algorithms to determine authenticity. No certificate authority, standard or vendor is named.
Which Hawaii documents have to be sealed?
All plans, specifications, maps, reports, surveys and descriptions prepared by or under your supervision and filed with public officials, including “every sheet in a set of design drawings.” The HRS § 464-13 exemption is written around building cost thresholds and structural materials and does not create a general drafts exception. HAR chapter 16-115 has no preliminary or progress carve-out, so a landscape architectural sheet that goes to a county for approval is sealed even at an early submittal stage.
How many seals does a Hawaii landscape architect need?
One. The per-branch seal rule at HAR § 16-115-8(b) is an engineering rule and does not reach this license.
When does a Hawaii license expire and what does that do to the seal?
Licenses expire April 30 of each even-numbered year and become invalid after that date unless renewed, with restoration available within two years on payment of a fee for each renewal period and reapplication as a new applicant after that. HRS § 464-11 makes it “unlawful for anyone to seal or stamp any document with such seal or stamp after the license has expired or has been revoked or suspended unless such license has been renewed or reissued.” No surrender or destruction is required, and whether the license number changes on reapplication after two years is not addressed. The expiration date written beside the seal does change at every renewal, which is another reason to keep it off the die.
Does a Hawaii landscape architecture firm need a seal or certificate?
No. A corporation, partnership or limited liability company may practice landscape architecture in Hawaii provided the person directly in charge of the professional work is licensed and is a full-time employee, principal, officer, partner, member or manager with legal authority to bind the entity. There is no certificate of authorization, no firm number on the sheet and no firm seal.
