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 York State Board for Landscape Architecture, under the State Education Department Office of the Professions and N.Y. Educ. Law § 7327 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
The bands follow the architect rule, not the engineer rule. 8 NYCRR § 79-1.4 puts Registered Landscape Architect at the top of the outer band and State of New York at the bottom, exactly matching the architect seal at section 69.5. Section 68.13 gives engineers, land surveyors and professional geologists the reverse order. A stamp shop working from a New York engineer template will produce a landscape architect seal with the bands upside down.
The round seal is only part of the order. Section 79-1.4 provides that “To all plans, specifications and reports to which the seal of a landscape architect has been applied, there shall also be applied a stamp with appropriate wording warning that it is a violation of the law for any person, unless acting under the direction of a licensed landscape architect, to alter an item in any way.” That is a second inked device, written into the same regulation as the seal.
Nothing else sits beside the number. The license number goes below the Great Seal of New York “with no other letters or numbers,” so an RLA prefix, a registration expiration date, a firm name or a certificate number all break the design. The rule binds applicants who first applied for licensure on or after 1 January 1987.
New York landscape architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | New York rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7327 |
| Required elements | Registered Landscape Architect at the top of the outer band; State of New York at the bottom of the outer band; Your name as licensed, above the Great Seal of New York; The Great Seal of New York in the inner circle; Your license number below the Great Seal | 8 NYCRR § 79-1.4 |
| Size and shape | Circular, approximately 1 3/4 inches in diameter. | 8 NYCRR § 79-1.4 |
| Device allowed | An embossing seal, a rubber stamp or an electronic version. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7327 |
| Signature and date | Seal plus a personal signature on the original, and no prescribed date. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7327 |
| What must be sealed | Working drawings and specifications filed with public officials, plus two rule level duties on sealed material. | N.Y. Educ. Law §§ 7326, 7327 |
| Electronic seal | New York names no protocol. | 8 NYCRR Subpart 79-1 (silent) |
| Renewal and lapse | The license does not expire; registration does, on a three year cycle. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7327 |
| Firm requirements | No firm seal and no firm identifier on the drawing. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7307(2) |
| Regulator | The New York State Board for Landscape Architecture, under the State Education Department Office of the Professions | N.Y. Education Law art. 148 (§§ 7320 to 7328, principally §§ 7326 and 7327) |
Is a seal required in New York?
Education Law section 7327 carries the duty: “Every landscape architect shall have a seal, approved by the board, which shall contain the name of the landscape architect and either the words ‘Registered Landscape Architect’” and such other words or figures as the board deems necessary, and working drawings and specifications must be “stamped with such seal and signed on the original, with the personal signature of such landscape architect when filed with public officials.” The design is prescribed by 8 NYCRR section 79-1.4, which also carries two marking duties that go beyond the round device itself.
What must appear on the seal
- Registered Landscape Architect at the top of the outer band
- State of New York at the bottom of the outer band
- Your name as licensed, above the Great Seal of New York
- The Great Seal of New York in the inner circle
- Your license number below the Great Seal
Nothing is optional in the inner circle. Section 79-1.4 places the license number below the Great Seal “with no other letters or numbers,” so an RLA prefix, a registration expiration date, a firm name or a certificate number all break the design. The outer band follows the architect pattern rather than the engineer pattern: Registered Landscape Architect at the top and State of New York at the bottom. The rule binds applicants who first applied for licensure on or after the effective date of the Part, 1 January 1987.
Size and shape
Circular, approximately 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Section 79-1.4 uses the word approximately, matching the architect seal at section 69.5 and the engineer, surveyor and geologist seal at section 68.13. The Great Seal of New York at the center has to remain legible, which is the practical limit on going small.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
An embossing seal, a rubber stamp or an electronic version. The Office of the Professions does not manufacture, sell or pre-approve seals; it publishes the specification and directs the licensee to an engraver. The safe buy is an inked rubber stamp, since the statutory trigger is filing with public officials and a municipality works from prints, on which a dry embossed impression does not read.
Signing and dating
Seal plus a personal signature on the original, and no prescribed date. Section 7327 requires working drawings and specifications to be stamped with the seal and signed on the original with the landscape architect’s personal signature when filed with public officials. Neither section 7327 nor section 79-1.4 requires a date beside the seal. The one dating duty in the rule attaches to alterations, where the altering landscape architect must add the date of the alteration.
The landscape architect seal follows the architect, not the engineer
New York has three seal rules and they are not interchangeable even though the artwork at the center is the same. Section 68.13 gives engineers, land surveyors and professional geologists STATE OF NEW YORK at the top of the outer band with the professional legend at the bottom. Section 79-1.4 gives landscape architects the reverse: Registered Landscape Architect at the top and State of New York at the bottom, exactly matching the architect rule at section 69.5. A stamp shop working from a New York engineer template will produce a landscape architect seal with the bands upside down.
Which documents must be sealed
Working drawings and specifications filed with public officials, plus two rule level duties on sealed material. Section 79-1.4 provides that “To all plans, specifications and reports to which the seal of a landscape architect has been applied, there shall also be applied a stamp with appropriate wording warning that it is a violation of the law for any person, unless acting under the direction of a licensed landscape architect, to alter an item in any way.” And where an item bearing a landscape architect’s seal is altered, the altering landscape architect must affix the seal with the notation “altered by,” the signature, the date of the alteration and a specific description of the alteration. Education Law section 7326 lists exempt persons whose activities are not regulated as landscape architecture practice, including employees working under licensed landscape architects and various horticultural and construction roles.
Electronic and digital seals
New York names no protocol. The Office of the Professions grounds electronic seals and signatures in the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, under which an electronic signature has the same validity and effect as a signature affixed by hand, while stating that no particular technology is mandated and that adoption by state and local entities is voluntary. Subpart 79-1 itself contains no electronic sealing rule. In practice the landscape architect and the receiving authority have to agree on a method, because the receiving authority is not obliged to accept an electronically sealed filing.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
The license does not expire; registration does, on a three year cycle. Because section 79-1.4 puts only the license number on the seal and no expiration date, renewal never obsoletes the device and the number does not change. Whether the seal must be surrendered or destroyed on lapse, retirement or revocation is not addressed: neither Education Law section 7327 nor 8 NYCRR Subpart 79-1 mentions surrender, and the Office of the Professions seals notice is silent.
Firm requirements
No firm seal and no firm identifier on the drawing. Education Law section 7307(2), which sits in the architecture article but names landscape architects expressly, allows engineers, land surveyors, geologists, architects and landscape architects to form a joint enterprise, a partnership, a professional service corporation or a design professional service corporation, or any combination, with the title of any profession that will be practiced usable in the corporate name and each member’s profession indicated after the name. The seal stays personal: section 79-1.4 closes the inner circle to the licensee’s name and number.
What to check before you order
Engrave the Great Seal of New York at the center, your name exactly as licensed above it, and your license number below it with nothing else. The outer band reads Registered Landscape Architect at the top and State of New York at the bottom, the same order as the New York architect seal and the reverse of the New York engineer seal. Circular, approximately 1 3/4 inches. Order the alteration warning stamp as a companion device, because section 79-1.4 requires it on every sealed plan, specification and report. Do not add an RLA prefix, a registration expiration date or a firm name. NYSED does not sell or pre-approve seals and asks your engraver for nothing.
Browse landscape architect stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for landscape architects in New York?
Yes. Education Law § 7327 provides that “Every landscape architect shall have a seal, approved by the board, which shall contain the name of the landscape architect and either the words ‘Registered Landscape Architect’” and such other words or figures as the board deems necessary, and requires working drawings and specifications to be “stamped with such seal and signed on the original, with the personal signature of such landscape architect when filed with public officials.” The design is prescribed by 8 NYCRR § 79-1.4.
What has to appear on a New York landscape architect seal?
Registered Landscape Architect at the top of the outer band, State of New York at the bottom of it, your name as licensed above the Great Seal of New York, the Great Seal of New York in the inner circle, and your license number below the Great Seal. Nothing is optional in the inner circle, because the rule puts the number there with no other letters or numbers.
What size is a New York landscape architect seal?
Circular, approximately 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Section 79-1.4 uses the word approximately, matching the architect seal at section 69.5 and the engineer, surveyor and geologist seal at section 68.13. The Great Seal of New York at the center has to remain legible, which is the practical limit on going small.
Embosser, rubber stamp or electronic seal in New York?
All three are contemplated. The Office of the Professions does not manufacture, sell or pre-approve seals; it publishes the specification and directs the licensee to an engraver. An inked rubber stamp is the practical buy, since the statutory trigger is filing with public officials and a municipality works from prints, on which a dry embossed impression does not read.
What is the New York alteration warning stamp?
A second device the regulation requires alongside the seal. Section 79-1.4 requires a stamp with appropriate wording, applied to all plans, specifications and reports carrying a landscape architect’s seal, warning that it is a violation of the law for any person to alter an item in any way unless acting under the direction of a licensed landscape architect.
What do I do if I alter a sealed New York document?
Section 79-1.4 sets out four steps: affix your seal, add the notation “altered by,” your signature, the date of the alteration and a specific description of the alteration. The description is the part people skip.
Does New York require a date beside the seal?
No. Neither § 7327 nor § 79-1.4 requires a date beside the seal. What the statute requires is the seal plus your personal signature on the original when working drawings and specifications are filed with public officials. The one dating duty in the rule attaches to alterations.
Which New York documents have to be sealed?
Working drawings and specifications filed with public officials, under § 7327, plus the two rule level duties on sealed material, the alteration warning stamp and the alteration marking. Education Law § 7326 lists exempt persons whose activities are not regulated as landscape architecture practice, including employees working under licensed landscape architects and various horticultural and construction roles.
Can I seal a New York filing electronically?
New York names no protocol. The Office of the Professions grounds electronic seals and signatures in the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, under which an electronic signature has the same validity and effect as a signature affixed by hand, while stating that no particular technology is mandated and that adoption by state and local entities is voluntary. Subpart 79-1 contains no electronic sealing rule. In practice you and the receiving authority have to agree on a method, because the receiving authority is not obliged to accept an electronically sealed filing.
Does renewal change a New York landscape architect seal?
No. The license does not expire; registration does, on a three year cycle. Because § 79-1.4 puts only the license number on the seal and no expiration date, renewal never obsoletes the device and the number does not change. Whether the seal must be surrendered or destroyed on lapse, retirement or revocation is not addressed in § 7327 or Subpart 79-1, and the Office of the Professions seals notice is silent on it.
Does a New York landscape architecture firm get a seal?
No firm seal and no firm identifier on the drawing. Education Law § 7307(2), which sits in the architecture article but names landscape architects expressly, allows engineers, land surveyors, geologists, architects and landscape architects to form a joint enterprise, a partnership, a professional service corporation or a design professional service corporation, or any combination, with the title of any profession that will be practiced usable in the corporate name and each member’s profession indicated after the name. The seal stays personal: § 79-1.4 closes the inner circle to your name and number.
