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 Maryland State Board of Certified Interior Designers and Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-403 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Two inches across, with a depiction of the Great Seal of Maryland at the center. COMAR 09.18.02.06D states the size in one sentence: “The diameter of the seal shall be 2 inches.” That is a single figure rather than a range, and it has to be, because COMAR 09.18.02.06C stacks five elements in a fixed vertical order: the words Certified Interior Designer at the top, then your certification number, then the pictorial Great Seal of Maryland at the center, then your name, then the words State of Maryland. A blank center, a star or a state outline is not what the rule describes.
The duty is statutory. Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-403(a) provides that “Before a certified interior designer issues to a client or submits to a public authority any interior design document, including drawings, plans, schedules, reports, or specifications, the certified interior designer who prepared or approved the document shall sign, seal, and date the document,” and § 8-403(b) adds that any such document “shall be identified as the interior design document.” That last part is a sheet marking rather than a seal element.
A rubber stamp facsimile is the practical buy. The rule requires you to obtain an individual seal with the listed contents and the two inch diameter without naming a device type, and a pictorial center has to read at two inches on a document that gets copied and filed, which a blind emboss does not manage.
Maryland interior designer seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Maryland rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-403 |
| Required elements | A depiction of the Great Seal of Maryland in the center of the seal; Your certification number above the depiction of the Great Seal of Maryland; The words Certified Interior Designer above the certification number; Your name below the depiction of the Great Seal of Maryland; The words State of Maryland below your name | COMAR 09.18.02.06C |
| Size and shape | 2 inches in diameter. | COMAR 09.18.02.06D |
| Device allowed | Not specified by device type. | COMAR 09.18.02.06C, D |
| Signature and date | Sign, seal and date, all three, and label the document. | Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-403 |
| What must be sealed | Any interior design document, including drawings, plans, schedules, reports or specifications, issued to a client or submitted to a public authority. | Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. §§ 8-101, 8-403 |
| Electronic seal | Not addressed. COMAR 09.18 contains no electronic or digital seal provision and no digital signature criteria. The sources here are the chapter list for the subtitle, which is chapter 01 General Regulations, chapter 02. | COMAR 09.18 (silent) |
| Renewal and lapse | Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-501 protects the title: “Except as otherwise provided in this title, a person may not use the title ‘certified interior designer’ or the term ‘certified interior design services’ unless certified by the Board.” Continuing education sits in COMAR 09.18.03. | Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-501 |
| Firm requirements | Not applicable. | COMAR 09.18.02.06C |
| Regulator | The Maryland State Board of Certified Interior Designers | Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. tit. 8, principally §§ 8-101, 8-403 and 8-501, read from the Maryland General Assembly |
Is a seal required in Maryland?
Maryland certifies interior designers and gives them one of the most prescriptive seals in the country. Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-403(a) provides that “Before a certified interior designer issues to a client or submits to a public authority any interior design document, including drawings, plans, schedules, reports, or specifications, the certified interior designer who prepared or approved the document shall sign, seal, and date the document,” and § 8-403(b) adds that any such document “shall be identified as the interior design document.” COMAR 09.18.02.06C then specifies the face in five numbered items and 09.18.02.06D gives the diameter.
What must appear on the seal
- A depiction of the Great Seal of Maryland in the center of the seal
- Your certification number above the depiction of the Great Seal of Maryland
- The words Certified Interior Designer above the certification number
- Your name below the depiction of the Great Seal of Maryland
- The words State of Maryland below your name
Nothing is optional and the rule even fixes the vertical order. COMAR 09.18.02.06C requires, reading down the face: the words Certified Interior Designer, then the certification number, then the pictorial depiction of the Great Seal of Maryland at the center, then the name of the certificate holder, then the words State of Maryland. A blank center, a star or a state outline is not what the rule describes. No expiration date belongs on the face. No firm name belongs on the face.
Size and shape
2 inches in diameter. COMAR 09.18.02.06D states it in one sentence: “The diameter of the seal shall be 2 inches.” That is a single figure, not a range, and it is larger than most professional seals, which is a direct consequence of having to fit five stacked elements around a pictorial device. Note that neither the Maryland architects subtitle nor the land surveyors subtitle states any diameter at all.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Not specified by device type. COMAR 09.18.02.06 requires the certificate holder to “obtain an individual seal” with the listed contents and the two inch diameter, and does not name an impression seal, a rubber stamp or an electronic form. A rubber stamp facsimile is the practical buy, because the pictorial device of the Great Seal of Maryland has to read at two inches on a document that is copied and filed, and a blind emboss of a pictorial center does not survive reproduction.
Signing and dating
Sign, seal and date, all three, and label the document. Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-403(a) requires the certified interior designer who prepared or approved the document to sign, seal and date it before issuing it to a client or submitting it to a public authority, and § 8-403(b) requires the document to be identified as the interior design document. COMAR 09.18.02.06 does not state where the signature goes relative to the seal and does not name an ink color, which is a lighter hand than the Maryland architects rule at COMAR 09.21.02.03E, which requires permanent ink.
Two inches across, with the Great Seal of Maryland in the middle
COMAR 09.18.02.06C and D describe a device unlike any other interior design seal in the country. Five elements in a fixed vertical order: the words Certified Interior Designer at the top, then your certification number, then a depiction of the Great Seal of Maryland at the center, then your name, then the words State of Maryland. And the size is stated flatly: “The diameter of the seal shall be 2 inches.” Two inches is large for a professional seal, and it has to be, because a pictorial center plus four text bands does not fit in an inch and a half.
Which documents must be sealed
Any interior design document, including drawings, plans, schedules, reports or specifications, issued to a client or submitted to a public authority. The scope is set by statute: Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-101 defines interior design services as rendering or offering to render services for a fee in the preparation and administration of interior design documents, including drawings, schedules and specifications, pertaining to the planning and design of interior spaces including furnishings, layouts, fixtures, cabinetry, lighting fixtures, finishes, materials and interior construction not materially related to or materially affecting the building systems, all complying with applicable laws, codes, regulations and standards, and expressly excludes engineering and architectural interior construction related to structural, electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilating, air conditioning and mechanical systems. COMAR 09.18.02.06A permits sealing only where the certificate holder is competent in the subject matter and either personally prepared or approved the documents.
Electronic and digital seals
Not addressed. COMAR 09.18 contains no electronic or digital seal provision and no digital signature criteria. The sources here are the chapter list for the subtitle, which is chapter 01 General Regulations, chapter 02 Code of Ethics and chapter 03 Continuing Education, the regulation list for 09.18.01, which is.01 Purpose,.02 Definitions and.03 Fees and Costs, and the regulation list for 09.18.02, and read 09.18.02.06 in full. That is a real gap next to the architects subtitle, where COMAR 09.21.02.03E defines a digital signature and 09.21.02.03F imposes a View Format transmission rule.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-501 protects the title: “Except as otherwise provided in this title, a person may not use the title ‘certified interior designer’ or the term ‘certified interior design services’ unless certified by the Board.” Continuing education sits in COMAR 09.18.03. Because the seal carries a certification number and no expiration date, renewal does not make the device stale and the number does not change. Nothing in COMAR 09.18 requires the seal to be destroyed or surrendered.
Firm requirements
Not applicable. COMAR 09.18 prescribes no interior design firm permit and no firm seal, and the five listed seal elements at 09.18.02.06C are all individual. That is a contrast with Maryland architects, where COMAR 09.21.02.04 requires an entity titleblock carrying the entity name and a principal’s certification, and with Maryland engineers, where Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 14-402 requires a firm permit.
What to check before you order
Order a round rubber stamp exactly 2 inches in diameter, as COMAR 09.18.02.06D requires. Stack the face in the order the rule gives: the words Certified Interior Designer, your certification number, a depiction of the Great Seal of Maryland at the center, your name, and the words State of Maryland. Do not accept a substitute for the pictorial Great Seal, and do not accept a smaller die, since the two inch figure is stated as a single number rather than a range. Leave the expiration date and any firm name off the face. On every interior design document you issue or submit, sign, seal and date it, and mark the document as the interior design document, which Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-403(b) requires.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for a Maryland certified interior designer?
Yes. Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-403(a) requires you to sign, seal and date any interior design document before you issue it to a client or submit it to a public authority, and COMAR 09.18.02.06 requires the certificate holder to obtain an individual seal. Both the client route and the public authority route are covered, which is wider than many states.
What goes on a Maryland certified interior designer seal?
Five elements in a fixed order under COMAR 09.18.02.06C, reading down the face: the words Certified Interior Designer, your certification number, a depiction of the Great Seal of Maryland at the center, your name, and the words State of Maryland. No expiration date and no firm name belong on the face.
What size is the Maryland interior designer seal?
Exactly 2 inches in diameter, under COMAR 09.18.02.06D. It is stated as a single figure rather than a range, which is unusual, and it is larger than most professional seals because a pictorial device plus four text bands does not fit in an inch and a half. Neither the Maryland architects subtitle nor the land surveyors subtitle states any diameter at all.
Does the Great Seal of Maryland really have to be on it?
Yes, as a pictorial depiction at the center. COMAR 09.18.02.06C names it expressly, so a substitute device will not do. Worth knowing that this is not a universal Maryland convention: the Great Seal is required at the center of the professional engineer seal under COMAR 09.23.01.03 and of this one, and it is not required for Maryland architects under COMAR 09.21, for professional land surveyors under Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 15-501, or for landscape architects under COMAR 09.28.01.05. Two of Maryland’s five design credentials carry it and three do not.
Rubber stamp or embosser in Maryland?
No device type is specified. COMAR 09.18.02.06 requires an individual seal with the listed contents and the stated diameter and names no form. The practical answer is an inked rubber stamp, because the pictorial center has to stay legible at two inches through copying and filing.
Where does the signature go on a Maryland interior design document?
The rule does not say, and it names no ink color either. Section 8-403(a) requires you to sign, seal and date, and COMAR 09.18.02.06 states no placement relative to the seal. That is a lighter hand than the Maryland architects rule at COMAR 09.21.02.03E, which requires permanent ink.
What has to be labeled on a Maryland interior design document?
The document itself. Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-403(b) requires any interior design document issued or submitted to be “identified as the interior design document.” That is a sheet marking rather than a seal element, and it pairs with the scope exclusion in § 8-101.
What work can a Maryland certified interior designer seal?
Interior design services as § 8-101 defines them: the preparation and administration of interior design documents pertaining to the planning and design of interior spaces including furnishings, layouts, fixtures, cabinetry, lighting fixtures, finishes, materials and interior construction not materially related to or materially affecting the building systems, complying with applicable laws, codes, regulations and standards. The definition expressly excludes engineering and architectural interior construction related to structural, electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilating, air conditioning and mechanical systems. COMAR 09.18.02.06A permits sealing only where you are competent in the subject matter and either personally prepared or approved the documents.
Can I seal Maryland interior design documents electronically?
COMAR 09.18 contains no electronic or digital seal provision and no digital signature criteria. That is a genuine gap next to the architects subtitle, where COMAR 09.21.02.03E defines a digital signature and 09.21.02.03F imposes a View Format transmission rule. If you need an electronic workflow, take the question to the Board rather than borrowing the architects rule.
Does my Maryland seal go stale on renewal?
No. The seal carries a certification number and no expiration date, the number does not change, and nothing in COMAR 09.18 requires the device to be destroyed or surrendered. Continuing education sits in COMAR 09.18.03.
Who may use the title certified interior designer in Maryland?
Only someone the Board certified. Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 8-501 provides that “Except as otherwise provided in this title, a person may not use the title ‘certified interior designer’ or the term ‘certified interior design services’ unless certified by the Board.” The title travels with the certification, so keep it off letterhead and drawing blocks if you do not hold it.
Is there a Maryland interior design firm seal?
No. COMAR 09.18 prescribes no interior design firm permit and no firm seal, and the five listed seal elements at 09.18.02.06C are all individual. That contrasts with Maryland architects, where COMAR 09.21.02.04 requires an entity titleblock carrying the entity name and a principal’s certification, and with Maryland engineers, where Md. Code Ann., Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 14-402 requires a firm permit.
