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 Maine State Board for Licensure of Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers and 32 M.R.S. § 225-A on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Maine gives interior designers a certified signature rather than a seal. The board that licenses architects and landscape architects also certifies interior designers, and its statute deals with the three credentials in two consecutive sections. 32 M.R.S. § 225, the seal section, reaches only licensed architects and licensed landscape architects. Section 225-A, headed Certified signature, covers you, and it requires documents filed for public record to bear your signature with a certification of licensure, your license number and the date.
The board rules confirm the split by what they leave out. 02-288 C.M.R. ch. 14 is Licensure of Certified Interior Designers and contains no seal provision, and the only place in the chapter set where a certified interior designer appears alongside seals is ch. 18 s. 3, which lets all three credentials rely on technical submissions in electronic form including the seals reproduced on them. So there is no stamp to buy and no board-authorized design to ask for, which also means nothing about a device of yours is restricted. Acorn will make one to whatever you want on it.
Maine does police the legend outside the document, and it is credential-specific. The board’s Display of Legend guidance requires licensees to display “Maine Certified Interior Designer” in all advertising, promotional materials, correspondence and business cards, with Maine Licensed Architect and Maine Licensed Landscape Architect as the other two. Those words belong to you if Maine certified you. If it did not, put your own name, your firm name and any credential you actually hold such as NCIDQ on instead, and leave off “Licensed” and “Registered” and any state-issued title.
Maine interior designer seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Maine rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | No seal prescribed | 32 M.R.S. § 225-A |
| Required elements | Maine prescribes no interior designer seal; the document carries your signature, a certification of licensure, your license number and the date | 32 M.R.S. § 225-A(1) |
| Size and shape | No dimension exists. | 32 M.R.S. ch. 3-A (no interior designer seal section) |
| Device allowed | Not a regulated purchase. | 32 M.R.S. §§ 225, 225-A |
| Signature and date | Signature, certification of licensure, license number and date. | 32 M.R.S. § 225-A(1), (2), (3), (4) |
| What must be sealed | Documents filed for public record. | 32 M.R.S. §§ 220-B, 225-A(1) |
| Electronic seal | Maine addresses reliance rather than technology and includes certified interior designers in it. | 02-288 C.M.R. ch. 18 s. 3 |
| Renewal and lapse | Denial or refusal to renew and disciplinary action sit at 32 M.R.S. § 218, and the license itself at § 224. | 32 M.R.S. §§ 218, 224, 225-A |
| Firm requirements | Not applicable. 32 M.R.S. § 220-C provides that a license under chapter 3-A is limited to individuals, and the chapter contains no certificate of authorization, firm registration or firm seal provision for any of. | 32 M.R.S. § 220-C |
| Regulator | The Maine State Board for Licensure of Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers | 32 M.R.S. ch. 3-A, §§ 210 through 228, principally § 225-A (Certified signature), § 225 (Seal), § 220-B and § 220-C, read from the Maine Legislature’s published statutes |
Is a seal required in Maine?
Maine certifies interior designers and gives them no seal. 32 M.R.S. § 225, the seal section, reaches only licensed architects and licensed landscape architects. Certified interior designers are dealt with in the next section, § 225-A, headed Certified signature, which requires documents filed for public record to bear the designer’s signature with a certification of licensure, the license number and the date. The same section bars a designer from signing documents depicting work the designer is not competent or licensed to perform, or work not prepared by the designer or under that person’s responsible supervising control unless reviewed and adopted as the designer’s own, and requires prepared materials to be “of a sufficiently high standard to clearly and accurately indicate all essential parts of the work.”
What must appear on the seal
- Maine prescribes no interior designer seal; the document carries your signature, a certification of licensure, your license number and the date
Because there is no prescribed seal, there is no authorized wording and no prohibited wording on a device. What Maine does control is the legend you use elsewhere: the board’s published Display of Legend guidance requires licensees to display Maine Certified Interior Designer in “all advertising, promotional materials, correspondence and business cards.” The corresponding legends for the board’s other two credentials are Maine Licensed Architect and Maine Licensed Landscape Architect, so the wording is credential-specific and not interchangeable.
Size and shape
No dimension exists. Maine prescribes no certified interior designer seal, so there is no diameter to state. The sources here are 32 M.R.S. §§ 210 through 228 and read 02-288 C.M.R. chapters 10, 12, 13, 14, 17 and 18 in full; chapter 14 is Licensure of Certified Interior Designers and contains no seal provision, and the only chapter in the set that mentions sealing at all is chapter 18, which regulates who may seal and permits reliance on electronic technical submissions.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Not a regulated purchase. Any device a Maine certified interior designer uses is an identification stamp, not a professional seal. If you want one for convenience, keep it to the four things § 225-A(1) puts on a document filed for public record: your signature, a certification of licensure, your license number and the date. What it must not do is imply architectural or landscape architectural licensure, because 32 M.R.S. § 225 confines the seal to those two credentials and the board’s legend guidance confines you to Maine Certified Interior Designer.
Signing and dating
Signature, certification of licensure, license number and date. Section 225-A(1) requires all four on documents filed for public record. Subsection (2) bars signing documents depicting work the designer is not competent or licensed to perform. Subsection (3) bars signing work not prepared by the designer or under that person’s responsible supervising control unless the designer has reviewed and adopted it as their own. Subsection (4) sets a documentation standard: prepared materials must be of a sufficiently high standard to clearly and accurately indicate all necessary parts of the work.
Maine gives interior designers a certified signature, not a seal
This is the fact that contradicts most of what circulates. The Maine board that licenses architects and landscape architects also certifies interior designers, and its statute deals with the three credentials in two consecutive sections. Section 225 gives architects and landscape architects a seal. Section 225-A gives certified interior designers a certified signature: signature, certification of licensure, license number and date on documents filed for public record. There is no stamp to buy and no board-authorized design to ask for.
Which documents must be sealed
Documents filed for public record. Note the narrower trigger compared with the architect and landscape architect seal duty at § 225, which reaches technical submissions prepared by or under direct supervision generally. Chapter 18 s. 3 of the board rules does reach certified interior designers: an architect, landscape architect or certified interior designer may rely on technical submissions in electronic form, including the seals reproduced on them, to the same extent as their physical counterparts. 32 M.R.S. § 220-B governs use of the title interior designer, with qualifications and grandfathering.
Electronic and digital seals
Maine addresses reliance rather than technology and includes certified interior designers in it. Chapter 18 s. 3 permits an architect, landscape architect or certified interior designer to rely on technical submissions in electronic form, portable document format given as the example, including the seals reproduced on them, to the same extent as their physical counterparts. No digital signature criteria, certificate authority or cryptographic standard appears in 32 M.R.S. ch. 3-A or in 02-288 C.M.R. The sources here are chapter 18 in full.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Denial or refusal to renew and disciplinary action sit at 32 M.R.S. § 218, and the license itself at § 224. Because Maine prescribes no seal for this credential, the statutory sealing prohibition at § 225, which makes it unlawful to stamp documents after the license named on the seal has expired or been revoked, has no counterpart here; what expires is the right to sign as a certified interior designer and to use the title. Not addressed: whether the license number changes on reissuance. Checked §§ 218, 220-B, 224, 225 and 225-A and read 02-288 C.M.R. chapters 14, 17 and 18 in full.
Firm requirements
Not applicable. 32 M.R.S. § 220-C provides that a license under chapter 3-A is limited to individuals, and the chapter contains no certificate of authorization, firm registration or firm seal provision for any of the three credentials this board issues.
What to check before you order
Maine prescribes no seal for a certified interior designer, so there is nothing you are required to buy. If you want a stamp for convenience, keep it to what the statute puts on a document filed for public record: a signature line, a certification that you are licensed, your license number and the date. Do not letter anything that reads as architect or landscape architect, because Maine reserves the seal to those two credentials. Use the exact legend Maine Certified Interior Designer in your advertising, promotional materials, correspondence and business cards, as the board’s guidance requires. Sign nothing depicting work you are not competent or licensed to perform, and nothing prepared by others unless you have reviewed it and adopted it as your own.
Browse interior designer stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Maine certified interior designer need a seal?
No. 32 M.R.S. § 225 confines the seal to licensed architects and licensed landscape architects, and § 225-A gives certified interior designers a certified signature instead. 02-288 C.M.R. ch. 14, the chapter governing your licensure, contains no seal provision.
What has to go on a Maine document filed for public record?
Four things under § 225-A(1): your signature, a certification of licensure, your license number and the date. That is the full authentication requirement, and there is no impression involved.
Which Maine documents does that reach?
Documents filed for public record. That is a narrower trigger than the architect and landscape architect seal duty at § 225, which reaches technical submissions prepared by or under direct supervision generally. 32 M.R.S. § 220-B separately governs use of the title interior designer, with qualifications and grandfathering.
What may I not sign in Maine?
Two categories. Section 225-A(2) bars signing documents depicting work you are not competent or licensed to perform. Section 225-A(3) bars signing work not prepared by you or under your responsible supervising control unless you have reviewed it and adopted it as your own. Section 225-A(4) adds a documentation standard: prepared materials must be “of a sufficiently high standard to clearly and accurately indicate all essential parts of the work.”
Can I still use a stamp in Maine?
Yes, as identification rather than as a seal. If you want one for convenience, keep it to the four things § 225-A(1) puts on a document filed for public record: a signature line, a certification that you are licensed, your license number and the date. What it must not do is imply architectural or landscape architectural licensure, since Maine reserves the seal to those two credentials.
What size would a Maine interior designer seal be?
There is no figure, because there is no seal. 32 M.R.S. ch. 3-A has no interior designer seal section, and 02-288 C.M.R. chapters 10, 12, 13, 14, 17 and 18 contain no seal provision for this credential. Size any identification stamp for legibility on the documents you issue.
What legend does Maine require in my advertising?
Maine Certified Interior Designer, exactly. The board’s Display of Legend guidance requires it in all advertising, promotional materials, correspondence and business cards. It is not Maine Licensed Interior Designer, and the wording is not interchangeable with the board’s other two credentials.
Can I rely on electronic documents in Maine?
Yes, and certified interior designers are expressly included. 02-288 C.M.R. ch. 18 s. 3 permits an architect, landscape architect or certified interior designer to rely on technical submissions in electronic form, portable document format given as the example, including the seals reproduced on them, to the same extent as their physical counterparts. No digital signature criteria, certificate authority or cryptographic standard appears in 32 M.R.S. ch. 3-A or in 02-288 C.M.R.
What happens if my Maine certification lapses?
What expires is the right to sign as a certified interior designer and to use the title. Because Maine prescribes no seal for this credential, the statutory sealing prohibition at § 225, which makes it unlawful to stamp documents after the license named on the seal has expired or been revoked, has no counterpart here. Denial or refusal to renew and disciplinary action sit at 32 M.R.S. § 218, and the license itself at § 224. Whether the license number changes on reissuance the statute does not say.
Can a Maine firm hold this credential?
No. 32 M.R.S. § 220-C provides that a license under chapter 3-A is limited to individuals, and the chapter contains no certificate of authorization, firm registration or firm seal provision for any of the three credentials this board issues.
