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 Oregon Landscape Architect Board and Or. Admin. R. 804-030-0000(1) on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Approximately 1 5/8 inches, not the two inch Oregon seal you may have heard about. OAR 804-030-0000(2): “The stamp shall be circular, approximately 1 5/8 inches in diameter.” The engineering and surveying board is the one that demands at least two inches point to point and forbids reducing or enlarging the image. Different board, different chapter, different number, and a landscape architect who reads across will order a stamp a third too large.
The layout is written line by line, and the order is part of the rule. REGISTERED across the top with a large dot at each end of the word. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT around the bottom. A clear space through the center, because subsection (3) requires that the stamp “must have space for the registrant’s signature to be written through the center.” Then, in fixed sequence, your registration number above the signature space and below REGISTERED, and below the signature space your name first, the word OREGON second, and your initial date of registration third. A supplier cannot infer that from a list of elements, so send the layout.
Your expiration date does not go on the stamp. OAR 804-030-0000(5) has you note the current registration expiration date “either near the signature or directly underneath the stamp” when you stamp and sign a final draft, so it is written fresh each time rather than engraved once. The initial date of registration, which is on the die, never changes.
Oregon landscape architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Oregon rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | Or. Admin. R. 804-030-0000(1) |
| Required elements | The word REGISTERED across the top with a large dot at each end; Your registration number below REGISTERED; A clear center space for your signature; Your name below the signature space; The word OREGON below your name; Your initial date of registration below OREGON; The words LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT around the bottom | Or. Admin. R. 804-030-0000(2), (3), (4) |
| Size and shape | Approximately 1 5/8 inches in diameter, circular. | Or. Admin. R. 804-030-0000(2) |
| Device allowed | OAR 804-030-0000(1): “The stamp may be a crimp or rubber style hand stamp or a computer-generated (digital) stamp.” The rubber style hand stamp is the safe buy, because subsection (3) requires an open center. | Or. Admin. R. 804-030-0000(1) |
| Signature and date | OAR 804-030-0003(1): “After a Registered Landscape Architect has stamped a final draft document, the Registered Landscape Architect shall sign in the designated space provided across the stamp.” Signature means an original handwritten identification, a scanned image of one, or a computer-generated representation of your handwritten signature; for digitally stamped documents a digital signature is acceptable as allowed by ORS 84.001 to 84.061. | Or. Admin. R. 804-030-0003 |
| What must be sealed | The title page of construction specifications, every sheet of the plan drawings, and all other final drafts of professional documents prepared by you or under your direct supervision and responsible charge. | Or. Admin. R. 804-027-0010(2), (5), (6) |
| Electronic seal | Oregon points landscape architects at the general electronic signature statute rather than at an engineering standard. | Or. Admin. R. 804-030-0003(2), (3), (4) |
| Renewal and lapse | The stamp carries your initial date of registration, which never changes, so renewal never forces a reorder of the device. | Or. Admin. R. 804-030-0000(5), (8) |
| Firm requirements | Business registration is required, and the business name goes on the stamped document. | Or. Admin. R. 804-035-0010, 804-035-0030, 804-035-0035 |
| Regulator | The Oregon Landscape Architect Board | Or. Admin. R. ch. 804 div. 27 (804-027-0005, 804-027-0010), div. 30 (804-030-0000, 804-030-0003, 804-030-0020) and div. 35 (804-035-0010, 804-035-0030, 804-035-0035), read from the Oregon Secretary of State Administrative Rules database, with Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 671.310 to 671.459. Oregon landscape architects are governed by their own board and chapter, separately from OAR chapter 806 for architects and OAR chapter 820 for engineers and land surveyors. |
Is a seal required in Oregon?
Oregon landscape architects have their own board and their own chapter, and the stamp is mandatory. OAR 804-030-0000(1): “Every Registered Landscape Architect must obtain a stamp of the design approved by the Board.” OAR 804-027-0010(2) sets the reach: “The stamp with the Registered Landscape Architect’s signature shall appear on the title page of construction specifications, every sheet of the plan drawings, and on all other final drafts of professional documents prepared by or under the direct supervision and responsible charge of the Registered Landscape Architect.”
What must appear on the seal
- The word REGISTERED across the top with a large dot at each end
- Your registration number below REGISTERED
- A clear center space for your signature
- Your name below the signature space
- The word OREGON below your name
- Your initial date of registration below OREGON
- The words LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT around the bottom
This is one of the most tightly specified stamps in the country, and the order of the lines is part of the rule. OAR 804-030-0000(2) puts “REGISTERED over the top with a large dot at both ends of the word, and the words LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT around the bottom.” Subsection (3) requires that the stamp “must have space for the registrant’s signature to be written through the center.” Subsection (4) then fixes four items in sequence: the registration number above the center signature space and below REGISTERED, then below the signature space your name first, the word OREGON second, and your initial date of registration third. The current registration expiration date is not on the stamp. Subsection (5) requires you to note it “either near the signature or directly underneath the stamp” when you stamp and sign a final draft.
Size and shape
Approximately 1 5/8 inches in diameter, circular. OAR 804-030-0000(2): “The stamp shall be circular, approximately 1 5/8 inches in diameter.” The word approximately gives ordinary manufacturing latitude, which is a softer standard than the 2 inch floor plus no-resizing rule that Oregon imposes on engineers and land surveyors. A landscape architect who assumes Oregon’s well known 2 inch requirement applies here is reading the wrong chapter and will order a stamp a third too large.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
OAR 804-030-0000(1): “The stamp may be a crimp or rubber style hand stamp or a computer-generated (digital) stamp.” The rubber style hand stamp is the safe buy, because subsection (3) requires an open center for a signature written through the stamp and a crimp impression gives a signature nothing to register against on a reproduction.
Signing and dating
OAR 804-030-0003(1): “After a Registered Landscape Architect has stamped a final draft document, the Registered Landscape Architect shall sign in the designated space provided across the stamp.” Signature means an original handwritten identification, a scanned image of one, or a computer-generated representation of your handwritten signature; for digitally stamped documents a digital signature is acceptable as allowed by ORS 84.001 to 84.061. Subsection (3) requires the signature to be permanently affixed, placed across the stamp in the designated location, unique to you, under your direct control and verifiable. Rather than a date of signing, OAR 804-030-0000(5) requires the current registration expiration date near the signature or directly underneath the stamp.
Oregon writes your stamp line by line, and it is not the 2 inch engineering seal
OAR 804-030-0000 is unusually prescriptive. REGISTERED across the top with a large dot at each end of the word. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT around the bottom. A clear space through the center for your signature. Then, in fixed order, your registration number above the signature space, and below it your name, then the word OREGON, then your initial date of registration. A supplier cannot infer that layout and will not produce it from a description of the elements alone.
The diameter is the trap for anyone who knows Oregon by reputation. The engineering and surveying board demands at least 2 inches point to point and forbids reducing or enlarging the image. The landscape architect board says the stamp “shall be circular, approximately 1 5/8 inches in diameter.” Different board, different chapter, different number.
The expiration date is handled differently again. It does not go on the stamp. OAR 804-030-0000(5) requires you to note the current registration expiration date near the signature or directly underneath the stamp when you stamp and sign a final draft, so it is written each time rather than engraved once.
Two more that change what a document has to say. Preliminary documents may carry the stamp without a signature under subsection (6). And if your work is issued through a registered business, OAR 804-035-0010(3)(b)(A) requires the document to bear the name of the business as well as your stamp and signature.
Which documents must be sealed
The title page of construction specifications, every sheet of the plan drawings, and all other final drafts of professional documents prepared by you or under your direct supervision and responsible charge. Oregon then carves out three categories in OAR 804-030-0000(7): documents containing no landscape architecture work, such as project checklists, cost estimates, construction schedules, payment verifications, general correspondence and advertising; documents reflecting an as-installed or as-fabricated condition supplied by another party, such as manufacturer cut sheets, that you have not modified before submitting them; and informative pieces such as technical journal articles, conference papers, magazine articles, slide presentations and brochures. Subsection (6) allows the stamp without a signature on preliminary documents. Collaborative work is handled by OAR 804-027-0010(5), which requires you to indicate within the document the portions for which you are in responsible charge and to stamp and sign those portions accordingly.
Electronic and digital seals
Oregon points landscape architects at the general electronic signature statute rather than at an engineering standard. OAR 804-030-0003(2)(c) permits a computer-generated representation of your handwritten signature and provides that, for computer-generated documents stamped with a digital stamp, “a digital signature is acceptable as allowed by ORS 84.001 to ORS 84.061.” The criteria in (3) still apply: permanently affixed, placed across the stamp, unique, under your direct control and verifiable. No certificate authority is named, which is a materially lighter regime than OAR 820-025-0010 imposes on Oregon engineers and surveyors. Subsection (4) makes you responsible for the custody and proper use of a digital signature, and improper use is grounds for discipline or civil penalty whether or not you authorized it.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
The stamp carries your initial date of registration, which never changes, so renewal never forces a reorder of the device. What changes every cycle is the current registration expiration date, which OAR 804-030-0000(5) requires you to note near the signature or directly underneath the stamp each time you stamp and sign a final draft, so that figure has to be written or set fresh rather than engraved. OAR 804-030-0000(8) makes you responsible for the custody and proper use of the stamp, and improper use, “whether authorized or not by the Registered Landscape Architect,” is grounds for disciplinary action or civil penalty. Civil penalties under OAR 804-030-0020 run up to $5,000 per offense.
Firm requirements
Business registration is required, and the business name goes on the stamped document. OAR 804-035-0010(1) requires a business providing landscape architecture services in Oregon to obtain and maintain an active business registration, and to hold a separate registration for each office from which those services are provided. At least one owner or officer must be a registered landscape architect in responsible charge. Item (3)(b)(A) is the part that affects the sheet: professional documents issued by the business that must be stamped “shall bear the stamp and signature of a Registered Landscape Architect designated as in responsible charge under the business registration on file with the Board. Such professional documents shall also bear the name of the business.” Business registrations renew annually and expire beyond one year of lapse.
What to check before you order
Send the supplier the layout from OAR 804-030-0000 rather than a list of elements, because the order of the lines is prescribed: REGISTERED across the top with a large dot at each end, your registration number below it, an open signature channel through the center, then your name, then OREGON, then your initial date of registration, with LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT around the bottom. Specify approximately 1 5/8 inches and circular, and do not let anyone build you the 2 inch seal Oregon requires of engineers and surveyors. Insist on a clear center, because you must sign through the stamp. Choose a rubber style hand stamp or a digital file, or both. Do not have your expiration date engraved; the rule has you write it near the signature or directly under the stamp each time.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a stamp required for landscape architects in Oregon?
Yes. OAR 804-030-0000(1): “Every Registered Landscape Architect must obtain a stamp of the design approved by the Board.” OAR 804-027-0010(2) sets the reach: “The stamp with the Registered Landscape Architect’s signature shall appear on the title page of construction specifications, every sheet of the plan drawings, and on all other final drafts of professional documents prepared by or under the direct supervision and responsible charge of the Registered Landscape Architect.”
What has to appear on an Oregon landscape architect stamp?
Seven things in a prescribed arrangement under OAR 804-030-0000(2), (3) and (4): the word REGISTERED across the top with a large dot at each end, your registration number below REGISTERED, a clear center space for your signature, your name below the signature space, the word OREGON below your name, your initial date of registration below OREGON, and the words LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT around the bottom. The current registration expiration date is not on the stamp.
What size is an Oregon landscape architect stamp?
Circular, approximately 1 5/8 inches in diameter. The word approximately gives ordinary manufacturing latitude, which is a softer standard than the two inch floor plus no-resizing rule Oregon imposes on engineers and land surveyors.
Crimp, rubber stamp or digital stamp in Oregon?
All three. OAR 804-030-0000(1): “The stamp may be a crimp or rubber style hand stamp or a computer-generated (digital) stamp.” The rubber style hand stamp is the practical buy, because subsection (3) requires an open center for a signature written through the stamp and a crimp impression gives a signature nothing to register against on a reproduction.
How do I sign an Oregon stamped document?
Through the center. OAR 804-030-0003(1): “After a Registered Landscape Architect has stamped a final draft document, the Registered Landscape Architect shall sign in the designated space provided across the stamp.” Signature means an original handwritten identification, a scanned image of one, or a computer-generated representation of your handwritten signature. Subsection (3) requires the signature to be permanently affixed, placed across the stamp in the designated location, unique to you, under your direct control and verifiable.
Where does my Oregon expiration date go?
Near the signature or directly underneath the stamp, written when you stamp and sign a final draft, under OAR 804-030-0000(5). Do not have it engraved, because it changes every cycle. The initial date of registration, which is engraved, never does.
What does an Oregon landscape architect not have to stamp?
OAR 804-030-0000(7) carves out three categories: documents containing no landscape architecture work, such as project checklists, cost estimates, construction schedules, payment verifications, general correspondence and advertising; documents reflecting an as-installed or as-fabricated condition supplied by another party, such as manufacturer cut sheets, that you have not modified before submitting them; and informative pieces such as technical journal articles, conference papers, magazine articles, slide presentations and brochures. Subsection (6) also allows the stamp without a signature on preliminary documents.
How does Oregon handle collaborative work?
OAR 804-027-0010(5) requires you to indicate within the document the portions for which you are in responsible charge and to stamp and sign those portions accordingly.
Can I sign an Oregon document digitally?
Yes, under the general electronic signature statute rather than an engineering standard. OAR 804-030-0003(2)(c) permits a computer-generated representation of your handwritten signature and provides that, for computer-generated documents stamped with a digital stamp, “a digital signature is acceptable as allowed by ORS 84.001 to ORS 84.061.” The criteria in (3) still apply. No certificate authority is named, which is materially lighter than OAR 820-025-0010 imposes on Oregon engineers and surveyors. Subsection (4) makes you responsible for the custody and proper use of a digital signature, and improper use is grounds for discipline or civil penalty whether or not you authorized it.
Does an Oregon landscape architecture business need registration?
Yes, and the business name goes on the stamped document. OAR 804-035-0010(1) requires a business providing landscape architecture services in Oregon to obtain and maintain an active business registration, with a separate registration for each office from which those services are provided and at least one owner or officer a registered landscape architect in responsible charge. Item (3)(b)(A) requires professional documents issued by the business that must be stamped to “bear the stamp and signature of a Registered Landscape Architect designated as in responsible charge under the business registration on file with the Board. Such professional documents shall also bear the name of the business.” Business registrations renew annually and expire beyond one year of lapse.
Who is responsible if my Oregon stamp is misused?
You are. OAR 804-030-0000(8) makes you responsible for the custody and proper use of the stamp, and improper use, “whether authorized or not by the Registered Landscape Architect,” is grounds for disciplinary action or civil penalty. Civil penalties under OAR 804-030-0020 run up to $5,000 per offense.
