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 New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, which administers the Interior Design Act and 16.42.1.12(C)(2), (C)(3) NMAC on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Your seal carries your name, your license number and the legend Licensed Interior Designer State of New Mexico, and your signature goes across it. Rule 16.42.1.12(C)(3) requires that “All plans, specifications and reports issued by a LID shall have the LID’s signature placed across the seal/stamp,” which is a placement rule rather than mere adjacency. Subsection (C)(2) explains what the act means: “The seal shall attest that the documents were prepared and reviewed by the licensed interior designer (LID).”
The two inch embossed circular seal described earlier in the same rule is not yours. Rule 16.42.1.12(C)(1) reads: “The official seal shall be as follows: an embossed circular seal two inches in diameter consisting of two concentric circles; the annular space between the two circles shall contain the seal of the state of New Mexico.” That is the Department’s own device. Paragraph (C)(2) then switches subject to the seal or stamp the Department authorizes for licensed interior designers, and that one carries none of the state insignia.
Your device has no prescribed diameter and no prescribed device type at all. Rule 16.42.1.12(C)(2) says only that “The department authorizes a seal or stamp for use by licensed interior designers,” and (C)(3) calls it the seal/stamp throughout. An inked stamp is the practical choice, because a signature has to be readable across the face on a copied set and a dry emboss will not carry that.
New Mexico interior designer seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | New Mexico rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | 16.42.1.12(C)(2), (C)(3) NMAC |
| Required elements | Your name as licensed, Your license number and The legend Licensed Interior Designer State of New Mexico | 16.42.1.12(C)(3) NMAC |
| Size and shape | Not addressed for the licensee’s seal. | 16.42.1.12(C) NMAC (no size given for the licensee’s seal) |
| Device allowed | The rule does not specify a device type for the licensee’s seal. | 16.42.1.12(C) NMAC |
| Signature and date | Sign across the seal. | 16.42.1.12(C)(3) NMAC (silent as to the date) |
| What must be sealed | All plans, specifications and reports issued by the licensed interior designer. | 16.42.1.12(C)(2), (C)(3) NMAC |
| Electronic seal | Not addressed. Chapter 16.42 NMAC contains no electronic or digital seal provision, no signature standard and no authentication requirement. The sources here are 16.42.1 in full, which is where the seal rule sits. | 16.42.1 NMAC (no electronic seal provision) |
| Renewal and lapse | Not addressed in the seal rule. | 16.42.1.11 NMAC |
| Firm requirements | Not applicable. | 16.42.1.12(A) NMAC |
| Regulator | The New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, which administers the Interior Design Act | 16.42.1 NMAC, Interior Designers, General Provisions, section 16.42.1.12, as amended July 18, 2023, read in full from the New Mexico State Records and Archives administrative code site |
Is a seal required in New Mexico?
New Mexico licenses interior designers and requires the seal on issued work. Rule 16.42.1.12(C)(3) provides that the seal or stamp bears the licensee’s name and license number and the prescribed legend, and that “All plans, specifications and reports issued by a LID shall have the LID’s signature placed across the seal/stamp.” Subsection (C)(2) states what sealing means: “The seal shall attest that the documents were prepared and reviewed by the licensed interior designer (LID).”
What must appear on the seal
- Your name as licensed
- Your license number
- The legend Licensed Interior Designer State of New Mexico
The legend is prescribed word for word: “Licensed Interior Designer State of New Mexico.” Do not shorten it to LID, do not substitute registered for licensed, and do not add a firm name, a NCIDQ number or an expiration date, none of which the rule provides for. The important thing to leave off is the state seal. Rule 16.42.1.12(C)(1) describes a two-inch embossed circular seal containing the seal of the state of New Mexico, and that is the Department’s official seal, not yours. Your device is described in (C)(2) and (C)(3) and carries none of that.
Size and shape
Not addressed for the licensee’s seal. Rule 16.42.1.12(C) gives a diameter only for the official seal in (C)(1), the two-inch embossed circular seal bearing the seal of the state of New Mexico. The licensed interior designer’s own seal or stamp in (C)(2) and (C)(3) has no prescribed diameter, shape or lettering height. The sources here are 16.42.1 in full, which is the only part of chapter 16.42 that treats the seal.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
The rule does not specify a device type for the licensee’s seal. Rule 16.42.1.12(C)(2) says only that “The department authorizes a seal or stamp for use by licensed interior designers,” and (C)(3) calls it the seal/stamp throughout. Nothing says inked, embossed or electronic, and nothing forbids any of them. The embossing language in (C)(1) belongs to the Department’s official seal. The safe buy is an inked stamp, because your signature has to be placed across the impression and a dry emboss will not carry a readable legend under a signature on a copied set.
Signing and dating
Sign across the seal. Rule 16.42.1.12(C)(3): “All plans, specifications and reports issued by a LID shall have the LID’s signature placed across the seal/stamp.” That is a placement requirement, not merely adjacency. The rule does not require a date. The sources here are 16.42.1.12 in full; no date, no date line and no dating instruction appears. Date the documents anyway, because permitting authorities generally expect it, but understand the requirement comes from them and not from this rule.
The two-inch embossed seal in the rule is the Department’s, not yours
Rule 16.42.1.12(C)(1) reads: “The official seal shall be as follows: an embossed circular seal two inches in diameter consisting of two concentric circles; the annular space between the two circles shall contain the seal of the state of New Mexico.” That is the seal of the agency. Paragraph (C)(2) then switches subject, saying the department authorizes a seal or stamp for use by licensed interior designers, and (C)(3) describes what that device carries.
Which documents must be sealed
All plans, specifications and reports issued by the licensed interior designer. Rule 16.42.1.12(C)(2) adds a responsibility rule that matters when work is shared: signing, stamping or sealing a document containing the work of others represents that the entire document was prepared by the licensee under the licensee’s responsible control, “unless they include a written statement adjacent to their signature, stamp or seal identifying the portion of the document that was prepared by them or prepared under their responsible control.” Sealing a document prepared by others but under the licensee’s responsible control exposes the licensee to discipline “as if they prepared it themselves.”
Electronic and digital seals
Not addressed. Chapter 16.42 NMAC contains no electronic or digital seal provision, no signature standard and no authentication requirement. The sources here are 16.42.1 in full, which is where the seal rule sits. Contrast the architect rule at 16.30.3.18(B)(1) and the surveyor rule at 16.39.5.11(G), both of which set out electronic conditions. Confirm the acceptable format with the permitting authority before relying on an electronic seal here.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Not addressed in the seal rule. Rule 16.42.1.12 says nothing about expiration, lapse, inactive status, retirement or revocation, and nothing about surrendering or destroying the device. Rule 16.42.1.11 requires the certificate of licensure to be publicly displayed at the place of employment, with duplicate originals at secondary places of employment, which is the only continuing-possession duty in the part. The Interior Design Act, Sections 61-24C-1 to 61-24C-15 NMSA 1978, governs renewal and discipline.
Firm requirements
Not applicable. Chapter 16.42 NMAC creates no certificate of authorization and no firm seal, and nothing requires a firm number on a sealed document. What it does impose is an advertising duty that reaches the business: 16.42.1.12(A) requires a sole proprietorship, corporation, limited liability company or partnership advertising interior design services to display the name, state and license number of at least one licensed interior designer employed by or working within that entity.
What to check before you order
Order a stamp carrying your name as licensed, your license number, and the legend Licensed Interior Designer State of New Mexico, spelled out in full. The rule sets no diameter and names no device type for your seal, so size it to leave room for a signature written across the face, which is what the rule requires on every plan, specification and report you issue. Ignore the two-inch embossed state-seal description in the rule; that one belongs to the Regulation and Licensing Department. Keep the state seal, any firm name and any expiration date off your die. No date is required by the rule, but leave room to write one.
Browse interior designer stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for a New Mexico licensed interior designer?
Yes, on issued work. Rule 16.42.1.12(C)(3) requires all plans, specifications and reports issued by a licensed interior designer to carry the seal with the signature placed across it, and NMSA 1978, § 61-24C-5 is the statutory authority for the rule.
What has to appear on a New Mexico interior designer seal?
Three things under rule 16.42.1.12(C)(3): your name as licensed, your license number, and the legend Licensed Interior Designer State of New Mexico. Spell the legend out in full. Do not shorten it to LID, do not substitute registered for licensed, and do not add a firm name, an NCIDQ number or an expiration date, none of which the rule provides for.
Should the New Mexico state seal go on my stamp?
No. The two inch embossed device containing the seal of the state of New Mexico at rule 16.42.1.12(C)(1) is the Department’s official seal. Ordering a two inch embosser with the state seal on it would be the wrong device and would carry state insignia you have no authority to use.
What size is a New Mexico interior designer seal?
No size is stated for the licensee’s seal. The diameter in rule 16.42.1.12(C) belongs to the official seal at (C)(1); the device described at (C)(2) and (C)(3) has no prescribed diameter, shape or lettering height. Size it to leave room for a signature written across the face.
Rubber stamp or embosser in New Mexico?
The rule names no device type for your seal and neither permits nor forbids any of them. An inked stamp is the practical buy, because the signature has to be placed across the impression and a dry emboss will not carry a readable legend under a signature on a copied set.
Does New Mexico require a date on sealed documents?
The rule does not require one. Rule 16.42.1.12 states no date, no date line and no dating instruction. Dating the documents anyway is sensible, because permitting authorities generally expect it, but the requirement comes from them rather than from this rule. Leave room on the device for one.
Which New Mexico documents get the seal?
All plans, specifications and reports issued by the licensed interior designer, under rule 16.42.1.12(C)(3).
What happens when I seal a document containing other people's work?
You take responsibility for the whole of it unless you say otherwise on the sheet. Rule 16.42.1.12(C)(2) provides that signing, stamping or sealing a document containing the work of others represents that the entire document was prepared by you under your responsible control, “unless they include a written statement adjacent to their signature, stamp or seal identifying the portion of the document that was prepared by them or prepared under their responsible control.” Sealing work prepared by others under your responsible control exposes you to discipline “as if they prepared it themselves.”
Can I seal New Mexico documents electronically?
Chapter 16.42 NMAC contains no electronic or digital seal provision, no signature standard and no authentication requirement. That is different from the architect rule at 16.30.3.18(B)(1) and the surveyor rule at 16.39.5.11(G), which both set out electronic conditions. Confirm the acceptable format with the permitting authority before relying on an electronic seal here.
What happens to my New Mexico seal if the license lapses?
Rule 16.42.1.12 says nothing about expiration, lapse, inactive status, retirement or revocation, and nothing about surrendering or destroying the device. The one continuing-possession duty in the part is rule 16.42.1.11, which requires the certificate of licensure to be publicly displayed at your place of employment, with duplicate originals at secondary places. Renewal and discipline sit in the Interior Design Act, NMSA 1978 §§ 61-24C-1 to 61-24C-15.
Does my New Mexico firm need a certificate or a number on the sheet?
Chapter 16.42 NMAC creates no certificate of authorization and no firm seal, and nothing requires a firm number on a sealed document. What it does impose is an advertising duty: rule 16.42.1.12(A) requires a sole proprietorship, corporation, limited liability company or partnership advertising interior design services to display the name, state and license number of at least one licensed interior designer employed by or working within that entity.
