Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Holly R, VP of Sales and Marketing at Acorn Sales, against Michigan Board of Real Estate Appraisers, Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs on 22 September 2026 · Updated 22 September 2026
Michigan requires no appraiser seal, and it is one of the few states that states its report-marking duty twice, once in the statute and once in the rules, in almost the same words. MCL 339.2609, inside Article 26 of the Occupational Code, provides that an appraisal shall be in writing and shall, among other things, “indicate on every appraisal report the license number and level of licensure of the appraiser”. Mich. Admin. Code R 339.23405(2) then says: “A licensee shall place his or her license number and license level on all reports and shall produce evidence of licensing upon request by a member of the public or a representative of the department. A license number is not required in advertising material.” Neither “seal” nor “stamp” appears in either place.
Two elements, then, and an inversion worth noting before you order: the level of licensure belongs in advertising, and the number expressly does not have to. A die cut for reports carries both; a die cut for marketing material only needs the level. No diameter, shape or position is prescribed anywhere in R 339.23101 to R 339.23405, so the device is a working tool built to a short content specification rather than to a design.
Michigan real estate appraiser seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Michigan rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | No. Neither “seal” nor “stamp” appears in MCL 339.2609 or anywhere in R 339.23101 through R 339.23405. | MCL 339.2609; Mich. Admin. Code R 339.23101 to R 339.23405 |
| Required elements | The license number and the level of licensure, on every appraisal report. | MCL 339.2609(d); Mich. Admin. Code R 339.23405(2) |
| Size and shape | None prescribed. No size, diameter or shape appears anywhere in R 339.23101 to R 339.23405. | Mich. Admin. Code R 339.23101 to R 339.23405 |
| Device allowed | Not addressed, and not restricted. The statute says indicate and the rule says place; neither names an instrument, so typed text, an ink stamp, an embossed impression or an image all answer the wording. | MCL 339.2609(d); Mich. Admin. Code R 339.23405(2) |
| Signature and date | No signature or date element is prescribed for the report marking. R 339.23403(3) adds a related duty: “The licensee allowed to sign the report shall identify all participating licensees and their contributions to the report.” USPAP applies through MCL 339.2609(b). | Mich. Admin. Code R 339.23403(3); MCL 339.2609(b) |
| What must be sealed | Nothing is sealed. What must carry the number and the level is every appraisal report, and the rule puts it more broadly still: all reports. | MCL 339.2609(d); Mich. Admin. Code R 339.23405(2) |
| Electronic seal | Not addressed. The Real Estate Appraisers General Rules contain no provision on electronic seals or digital signatures. | Mich. Admin. Code R 339.23101 to R 339.23405 |
| Renewal and lapse | No expiry date is among the prescribed elements, so a die carrying your number and level stays accurate through renewal. A change of level, such as state licensed to certified residential, changes the level line and needs new artwork. | Mich. Admin. Code R 339.23405(2) |
| Firm requirements | No firm seal exists. Advertising is handled separately and inversely: R 339.23405(1) requires the level of license to be stated in all advertising, while R 339.23405(2) states that a license number is not required in advertising material. | Mich. Admin. Code R 339.23405(1) and (2) |
| Regulator | Michigan Board of Real Estate Appraisers, Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs | Occupational Code, 1980 PA 299, Article 26, MCL 339.2601 et seq.; rules at Mich. Admin. Code R 339.23101 to R 339.23405 |
What the Michigan rule actually says
Michigan puts the duty in two places and they agree. MCL 339.2609 lists what an appraisal must do, and the list runs: disclose limitations on the analysis, valuation or opinion; be independently and impartially prepared and conform to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice and any other standards adopted by the director; include an opinion of defined value of adequately described real property as of a specific date, supported by the presentation and analysis of relevant market information; and “indicate on every appraisal report the license number and level of licensure of the appraiser”. R 339.23405(2) restates the same duty at rule level and widens the document: a licensee shall place the license number and license level “on all reports”. Neither provision names a seal, a stamp or any instrument.
Level of licensure means the words, not a code
The second element is the level, meaning the credential class Michigan issued you, such as state licensed, certified residential or certified general. It is a phrase rather than a code, and it is the element that makes a die worth having, because it is the part nobody wants to retype. Pair it with the number and you have satisfied both the statute and the rule in one press. Note that neither provision prescribes an order, a separator or a position on the page, so the block can read level then number or number then level, on one line or two, without falling foul of anything.
The advertising inversion
R 339.23405 is one rule with two subsections that pull in opposite directions, and reading only one of them is how Michigan appraisers get this wrong. Subsection (1) requires the level of license to be stated in all advertising. Subsection (2) requires the number and the level on all reports, and then adds that “a license number is not required in advertising material”. So the level is the element that follows you everywhere, and the number attaches to reports. That is useful at the order stage if you are buying more than one thing: the report die carries both elements, and a marketing block or a business card needs only the level, though nothing stops you putting the number there too.
The two Michigan traps, both under the same agency
Michigan has two seal provisions that turn up in any search and belong to other professions, and both sit under the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs alongside the appraiser rules. The first is Mich. Admin. Code R 339.19041, headed “Requirements of seal; use of seal”, which belongs to the landscape architects rules. Its number is deceptively close to the appraiser rules because both sit under the same 339 prefix. The second is more dangerous: MCL 339.2007, headed “Seal; signature”, which sits in Article 20 of the Occupational Code and governs architects, professional engineers and professional surveyors. Appraisers are Article 26. Article 20 against Article 26 inside one statute, under one agency, is the single most common way a Michigan appraiser is told they need a seal. Neither provision reaches an appraiser.
Who signs, and who gets named
R 339.23403(3) adds an attribution duty that shapes what goes on the page next to the block: “The licensee allowed to sign the report shall identify all participating licensees and their contributions to the report.” So a Michigan report with more than one licensee involved names them and says what each contributed, and the signature belongs to the licensee allowed to sign. For a device that means the block follows the credential rather than the office. A trainee or a second licensee who participates is identified in the text, and the number and level pressed beside a signature are those of the person signing.
Why there is no seal in the Michigan rules
The rule set was read in full and the structure rules out a hidden provision. The Board of Real Estate Appraisers General Rules run R 339.23101 to R 339.23405 in six parts: Part 1 General Provisions at 23101 to 23104, Part 2 Licensing at 23201 to 23209, Part 3 Appraiser Education at 23301 to 23315, Part 3A Prelicensure Education at 23316 to 23320, Part 3B Continuing Education at 23321 to 23327, and Part 4 Standards of Conduct at 23401 to 23405. A seal rule, if one existed, would sit in Part 4. Part 4 ends at 23405, and 23405 is the report-marking rule with no seal in it. An older copy of the same general rules hosted by the department carries no seal provision either, so this is not a rule that was quietly dropped.
What to engrave and where it goes
Two elements are prescribed and neither position nor order is. A working Michigan block runs: your name as it appears on the credential, the level of licensure spelled out as the department issues it, and the license number. Adding Michigan is not required and is useful when the report travels out of state. Adding an expiration date is not required and is the one element that will make the die wrong at renewal, so leave it off. On position, the certification page beside the signature is the natural home in a USPAP report, and because R 339.23405(2) says all reports rather than appraisal reports alone, the same die is worth having to hand for the shorter deliverables as well.
Embosser, ink stamp or the eSeal image
Michigan names no instrument and ranks none, so choose for delivery. An ink stamp reproduces cleanly in a scan and a photocopy: the Regular Rubber Stamp of Seal is $34.95 and takes a separate pad, the Self Inking Rubber Stamp of Seal is $39.95, the Slim and MaxLight pre inked models are $46.95 each and the Xstamper is $64.95. An embosser raises the paper and reads as a credential object in the hand, which is why it is the usual gift on a level upgrade: the Hybrid Seal Embosser is $42.95, the Soft Seal and Desk Seal Embossers are $44.95 each and the Handheld Seal Embosser is $46.95. A raised impression scans faintly, so appraisers delivering PDFs often add the eSeal Electronic Image Stamp of Seal at $20.00, which is an image file rather than a tool and carries no separate Michigan authority.
Sizing and layout
No size is prescribed. Michigan fixes no diameter and no shape, so the die is cut to fit the wording and the line count decides the type size. Certified General Real Estate Appraiser is long enough to want a line of its own, which sets everything else smaller at the same diameter; state licensed sits comfortably beside the number on one line. If the number has to survive a photocopy of a scan, keep the block to the name, the level and the number, and leave the firm name and the office details for stationery, where under R 339.23405(1) only the level is called for anyway. Send the wording line by line with the order, because there is no state diagram for us to work from.
What is not settled
One limit worth stating. The Michigan Legislature’s own site was not reachable in this pass: the agent proxy refused the connection and a fetch of its robots file failed on a certificate verification error, on every path tried including the PDF of MCL 339.2609. The statutory quotation above was therefore read from a well known code republisher and is not confirmed against the legislature’s own server. Its substance is corroborated by the administrative rule, which imposes the same license number and license level duty in its own words and likewise contains no seal. If your engagement turns on the exact statutory text, take it from the legislature or from the board.
Ordering and care
Send the level of licensure exactly as the department words it on your credential, your license number, and your name as you sign it. There is no board specification to match, so the wording you supply is the specification. Embossers want the sliding lock engaged when idle and the jaws kept clear of grit so die and counter die meet cleanly. Self inking and pre inked stamps are re-inked rather than replaced, and a pre inked model with a dust cover keeps it on between uses. Dies are cut to the wording supplied and are not refitted afterwards, so moving up a level means new artwork rather than an amendment. This page is a research summary and not legal advice. Browse real estate appraiser stamps and seals, or contact us with your wording.
- Real Estate Appraiser Stamps and Seals
- Real estate appraiser stamps and seals
- Kentucky Appraiser Seal: Not Required, Nothing Prescribed
- Maryland Appraiser Seal: Classification and Number
Frequently asked questions
Does Michigan require an appraiser to seal a report?
No. Neither seal nor stamp appears in MCL 339.2609 or anywhere in the Board of Real Estate Appraisers General Rules at R 339.23101 to R 339.23405. What Michigan asks for is the license number and the level of licensure.
What exactly goes on a Michigan appraisal report?
The license number and the level of licensure. MCL 339.2609(d) requires an appraisal to indicate them on every appraisal report, and R 339.23405(2) requires a licensee to place the license number and license level on all reports.
I found MCL 339.2007 about a seal and a signature. Does it apply to me?
No. MCL 339.2007 sits in Article 20 of the Occupational Code and governs architects, professional engineers and professional surveyors. Appraisers are Article 26. The two articles share a statute and an agency, which is why the provision turns up, but it does not reach appraisers.
What about R 339.19041, requirements of seal?
That rule belongs to the landscape architects. It sits under the same 339 prefix and the same department as the appraiser rules, which makes the number look adjacent, but it is a different credential and it does not reach appraisers.
Does my license number have to appear in advertising?
No. R 339.23405(2) states that a license number is not required in advertising material. R 339.23405(1) does require the level of license to be stated in all advertising, so the level follows you into marketing and the number attaches to reports.
Is an electronic appraiser seal recognized in Michigan?
The General Rules contain no provision on electronic seals or digital signatures, so there is no Michigan standard and no Michigan permission. Because both provisions prescribe content rather than method, an image of your number and level block in a PDF answers them the same way typed text would.
Two licensees worked on the report. Whose number goes on it?
The number and level pressed beside a signature are those of the person signing. R 339.23403(3) then requires the licensee allowed to sign the report to identify all participating licensees and their contributions to the report, which is a text duty rather than a device one.
Should a Michigan appraiser stamp carry an expiration date?
No. The prescribed elements are the number and the level, and nothing asks for a date. A date is the element that makes a die fall out of step at renewal, while the number and level stay accurate until your credential level changes.
