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 Tennessee State Board of Examiners for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors and Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
A Tennessee seal may not include your signature or your date of signature. Rule 0120-02-.08(8)(a) permits rubber-stamp, embossed, transparent self-adhesive and electronically generated seals, then says plainly that “Such stamps or seals shall not include the registrant’s signature or date of signature.” A die sold with a facsimile signature engraved into it, or with a date field engraved into it, is non-compliant here as manufactured.
The matching requirement is rule 0120-02-.08(3), which requires the registrant to superimpose “his signature (not a rubber stamp) and date of signature across the face and beyond the circumference of the seal.” Each half matters: the signature crosses the seal rather than sitting beside it, it runs past the outer circle, and it cannot be applied with a signature stamp.
The legend is fixed by statute as Registered Architect, not Licensed Architect, and Tennessee never states a diameter. Rule 0120-02-.08(1) gives the design as a picture: three diagrams labeled only (a) Engineer, (b) Architect and (c) Landscape Architect, with no dimension in the rule text or the statute. Work from the published diagram or a board-approved sample, because there is no number to fall back on.
Tennessee architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Tennessee rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) |
| Required elements | Your name as registered, Your registration number, Registered Architect and State of Tennessee or Tennessee | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) |
| Size and shape | Not addressed. Tennessee prescribes the seal by picture rather than by dimension. Rule 0120-02-.08(1) says “The design of the registrant’s seal required by T.C.A. § 62-2-306, shall be as follows”. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(1) (design given by diagram only) |
| Device allowed | Four device types are named. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(8)(a) |
| Signature and date | Tennessee is explicit about wet ink. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(3), (8)(b) |
| What must be sealed | Rule 0120-02-.08(2) requires the seal on all original sheets of any bound or unbound set of working drawings or plans, including tracings and other reproducible sheets; the original cover or index pages identifying all specification pages covered; and the original cover or index pages for design calculations or reports submitted for review. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(2), (4), (5), (9) |
| Electronic seal | No product is named, but criteria are. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(8)(a), (b) |
| Renewal and lapse | The statute ends the seal’s life with the certificate. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(a), (b) |
| Firm requirements | Not applicable as a seal matter. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-06-.01 to 0120-06-.03 |
| Regulator | The Tennessee State Board of Examiners for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors | Tenn. Code Ann. Title 62, Chapter 2, Part 3 (§ 62-2-306) and Part 6 (§§ 62-2-601, 62-2-602) |
Is a seal required in Tennessee?
The statute creates the duty and the rule broadens it. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) provides that each registrant “shall obtain and keep a seal of the design authorized by the board” and “shall stamp with the registrant’s seal all original sheets of any bound set of plans and the first sheet of any specifications or reports prepared by the registrant or under the registrant’s responsible charge.” Rule 0120-02-.08(2) restates and extends the list to all original sheets of any bound or unbound set of working drawings or plans, the original cover or index pages identifying all specification pages covered, and the original cover or index pages for design calculations or reports submitted for review.
What must appear on the seal
- Your name as registered
- Your registration number
- Registered Architect
- State of Tennessee or Tennessee
Two points, one of them a prohibition. The legend is “Registered Architect”. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) requires the seal to bear the registrant’s name, registration number, the words “Registered Architect,” “Registered Engineer” or “Registered Landscape Architect” and the words “State of Tennessee” or “Tennessee”. A national template reading LICENSED ARCHITECT does not match the statutory legend. The prohibition sits in rule 0120-02-.08(8)(a): rubber-stamp, embossed, transparent self-adhesive and electronically generated seals may be used, but “Such stamps or seals shall not include the registrant’s signature or date of signature.” No facsimile signature and no date belongs in a Tennessee die, not even a blank date line built into the artwork.
Size and shape
Not addressed. Tennessee prescribes the seal by picture rather than by dimension. Rule 0120-02-.08(1) says “The design of the registrant’s seal required by T.C.A. § 62-2-306, shall be as follows” and then reproduces three diagrams labeled only (a) Engineer, (b) Architect and (c) Landscape Architect. No diameter, no tolerance and no inner-circle dimension appears in the rule text or the statute. Chapter 0120-02 and chapter 0120-01 were checked for the words inch and diameter with no hit in either, and Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306 states none. The diagrams are raster images with no extractable text, so work from the published diagram in the Secretary of State’s copy of 0120-02 or from a board-approved sample, and do not import a dimension from another state.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Four device types are named. Rule 0120-02-.08(8)(a) provides that “Subject to the requirements of this rule, rubber-stamp, embossed, transparent self-adhesive or electronically generated seals may be used.” Tennessee is one of the few states that expressly blesses a transparent self-adhesive seal. The rubber stamp is the safe buy, because the signature has to be handwritten over it in any event and an inked impression accepts a pen. Whatever the device, it carries no signature and no date.
Signing and dating
Tennessee is explicit about wet ink. Rule 0120-02-.08(3) provides that “The registrant shall superimpose his signature (not a rubber stamp) and date of signature across the face and beyond the circumference of the seal on documents listed above.” Signing across the seal is mandatory, the signature must run past the outer circle, and a signature stamp is banned in terms. The date is the date of signature and is applied with the signature, never built into the die. For electronic work, 0120-02-.08(8)(b) allows an electronically generated signature and date, which “shall be placed either across the face and beyond the circumference of the seal or adjacent to the seal”, the only case in which Tennessee permits the signature beside rather than over the seal.
No signature and no date in the die, and the signature must be wet ink across it
Tennessee runs the opposite policy to several of its neighbors, and a stamp made to a generic national pattern breaks it in two directions at once. Rule 0120-02-.08(8)(a) permits rubber-stamp, embossed, transparent self-adhesive and electronically generated seals, then says plainly that “Such stamps or seals shall not include the registrant’s signature or date of signature.” A die sold with a facsimile signature engraved into it, or with a date field engraved into it, is non-compliant in Tennessee as manufactured.
The matching requirement is 0120-02-.08(3), which requires the registrant to superimpose “his signature (not a rubber stamp) and date of signature across the face and beyond the circumference of the seal”. Each half matters: the signature crosses the seal rather than sitting beside it, it runs past the outer circle, and it cannot be applied with a signature stamp. The only relief is for electronic documents, where 0120-02-.08(8)(b) allows the electronic signature and date either across the seal or adjacent to it.
The legend is the third thing. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) specifies the words “Registered Architect”. Not Licensed Architect. That is a wording difference a supplier cannot reason around, because the statute names the words themselves.
And Tennessee never states a diameter. Rule 0120-02-.08(1) gives the design as a picture. Work from the published diagram or a board-approved sample, because there is no number to fall back on.
Which documents must be sealed
Rule 0120-02-.08(2) requires the seal on all original sheets of any bound or unbound set of working drawings or plans, including tracings and other reproducible sheets; the original cover or index pages identifying all specification pages covered; and the original cover or index pages for design calculations or reports submitted for review. Subsection (4) requires each registrant in responsible charge to seal the portions they are responsible for. Subsection (5)(a) prohibits sealing work developed by others outside the registrant’s responsible charge, and (5)(b) governs successor registrants: incomplete plans prepared by a predecessor may not simply be sealed, while complete plans already submitted to a reviewing official may be addressed by sealed addenda or sealed documented changes. Subsection (9) is the preliminary carve-out, requiring working or partially completed plans that are not construction documents to be designated as preliminary and not for construction, or “for review only,” or “draft,” or given some other designation clearly indicating the drawings are not complete.
Electronic and digital seals
No product is named, but criteria are. Rule 0120-02-.08(8)(b) requires a document signed with a digital signature to “have an electronic authentication process attached to or logically associated with the electronic document”, and requires the digital signature to be “Unique to the individual using it”, “Capable of verification”, “Under the sole control of the individual using it”, and “Linked to a document in such a manner that the digital signature is invalidated if any data in the document is changed.” No certificate authority, algorithm or file format is specified. An electronically generated seal is permitted by 0120-02-.08(8)(a) on the same terms as a rubber stamp and must likewise carry no signature and no date.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
The statute ends the seal’s life with the certificate. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) provides that plans, specifications and reports “shall be stamped with the seal during the life of a registrant’s certificate, but it is unlawful for anyone to stamp or seal any document with the seal after the certificate of the registrant named on the seal has expired or has been revoked.” The prohibition reaches “anyone”, not just the registrant, which sweeps in an employer or a drafter using a departed architect’s stamp. Whether the registration number changes on reinstatement, and whether a dead seal must be destroyed or surrendered, are not addressed in § 62-2-306 or in chapters 0120-01 or 0120-02.
Firm requirements
Not applicable as a seal matter. Tennessee firms file a disclosure rather than obtaining a sealing certificate. Rule 0120-06-.03(1) requires corporations, partnerships and firms offering architectural, engineering and landscape architectural services to the public to comply with Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 62-2-601 and 62-2-602, and 0120-06-.03(2) exempts an individual registrant practicing in the registrant’s own name as a sole proprietorship from filing a disclosure form at all. The word seal does not appear anywhere in chapter 0120-06. No firm seal exists and no firm number goes on the sheet.
What to check before you order
Order a plain seal: your name as registered, your registration number, the words Registered Architect, and either State of Tennessee or Tennessee. Nothing else. No signature in the die, no date in the die, no blank date line. Rubber stamp, embosser, transparent self-adhesive and electronic image are all permitted, and the rubber stamp is the practical choice because you sign across it in ink. Take the layout and the diameter from the diagram published at 0120-02-.08(1) or from a board-approved sample, since Tennessee states no dimension in words.
Browse architect stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
Is an architect seal required in Tennessee?
Yes. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) provides that each registrant “shall obtain and keep a seal of the design authorized by the board” and “shall stamp with the registrant’s seal all original sheets of any bound set of plans and the first sheet of any specifications or reports prepared by the registrant or under the registrant’s responsible charge.” Rule 0120-02-.08(2) restates and extends that list.
What has to appear on a Tennessee architect seal?
Four items under § 62-2-306(b): your name as registered, your registration number, the words Registered Architect, and the words State of Tennessee or Tennessee. A national template reading LICENSED ARCHITECT does not match the statutory legend, and the statute names the words themselves, so a supplier cannot reason around it.
What size is a Tennessee architect seal?
No dimension is stated. Rule 0120-02-.08(1) says “The design of the registrant’s seal required by T.C.A. § 62-2-306, shall be as follows” and then reproduces three diagrams. Chapters 0120-02 and 0120-01 were checked for the words inch and diameter with no hit in either, and § 62-2-306 states none. The diagrams are raster images with no extractable text, so work from the published diagram in the Secretary of State’s copy of 0120-02 or from a board-approved sample.
Can I use a self-adhesive seal in Tennessee?
Yes. Rule 0120-02-.08(8)(a) provides that “Subject to the requirements of this rule, rubber-stamp, embossed, transparent self-adhesive or electronically generated seals may be used.” Tennessee is one of the few states that expressly blesses a transparent self-adhesive seal. The rubber stamp is the practical buy, because the signature has to be handwritten over it in any event and an inked impression accepts a pen.
Can I use a signature stamp in Tennessee?
No. Rule 0120-02-.08(3) requires the registrant to superimpose “his signature (not a rubber stamp) and date of signature across the face and beyond the circumference of the seal.” The only relief is for electronic documents, where 0120-02-.08(8)(b) allows an electronically generated signature and date to be “placed either across the face and beyond the circumference of the seal or adjacent to the seal,” the only case in which Tennessee permits the signature beside rather than over the seal.
Which documents have to be sealed in Tennessee?
Rule 0120-02-.08(2) requires the seal on all original sheets of any bound or unbound set of working drawings or plans, including tracings and other reproducible sheets; the original cover or index pages identifying all specification pages covered; and the original cover or index pages for design calculations or reports submitted for review. Subsection (4) requires each registrant in responsible charge to seal the portions they are responsible for.
Can I seal a predecessor architect’s plans in Tennessee?
Not simply. Rule 0120-02-.08(5)(a) prohibits sealing work developed by others outside your responsible charge, and (5)(b) governs successor registrants: incomplete plans prepared by a predecessor may not simply be sealed, while complete plans already submitted to a reviewing official may be addressed by sealed addenda or sealed documented changes.
How do I label preliminary work in Tennessee?
Subsection (9) requires working or partially completed plans that are not construction documents to be designated as preliminary and not for construction, or “for review only,” or “draft,” or given some other designation clearly indicating the drawings are not complete.
What does Tennessee require of a digital signature?
Criteria rather than a product. Rule 0120-02-.08(8)(b) requires a document signed with a digital signature to “have an electronic authentication process attached to or logically associated with the electronic document,” and requires the digital signature to be unique to the individual using it, capable of verification, under the sole control of the individual using it, and linked to a document in such a manner that the digital signature is invalidated if any data in the document is changed. No certificate authority, algorithm or file format is specified. An electronically generated seal is permitted on the same terms as a rubber stamp and must likewise carry no signature and no date.
Who can be prosecuted for using a lapsed Tennessee seal?
Anyone. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) provides that plans, specifications and reports “shall be stamped with the seal during the life of a registrant’s certificate, but it is unlawful for anyone to stamp or seal any document with the seal after the certificate of the registrant named on the seal has expired or has been revoked.” The prohibition reaches anyone, not just the registrant, which sweeps in an employer or a drafter using a departed architect’s stamp. Whether the registration number changes on reinstatement, and whether a dead seal must be destroyed or surrendered, is not addressed in § 62-2-306 or in chapters 0120-01 or 0120-02.
Does a Tennessee architecture firm get a seal?
No. Tennessee firms file a disclosure rather than obtaining a sealing certificate. Rule 0120-06-.03(1) requires corporations, partnerships and firms offering architectural, engineering and landscape architectural services to the public to comply with Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 62-2-601 and 62-2-602, and 0120-06-.03(2) exempts an individual registrant practicing in the registrant’s own name as a sole proprietorship from filing a disclosure form at all. The word seal does not appear anywhere in chapter 0120-06, and no firm number goes on the sheet.
