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. §§ 62-2-901 to 62-2-906, chiefly § 62-2-903 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Tennessee registers interior designers and gives them no seal. The Interior Designers Title Registration Act at Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 62-2-901 to 62-2-906 protects a title and stops there. Section 62-2-903(b) says so directly: “Nothing contained in this part shall prevent any person from rendering or offering to render interior design services; provided, that the person shall not be permitted to use or be identified by the title ‘registered interior designer’ unless registered in accordance with this part.” The board’s seal statute, Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b), lists three legends a seal may carry: Registered Architect, Registered Engineer and Registered Landscape Architect.
So nothing is prescribed for your device, which means nothing about it is restricted either. No diameter, no legend, no approved artwork, no imprint to file. The stamp becomes a design decision rather than a compliance one, and Acorn will make it to whatever you want on it: your own name, your firm name, a monogram, your logo, or a credential you actually hold such as NCIDQ.
The one place Tennessee does draw a line is the wording, and it draws it on a title rather than on a shape. “Registered interior designer” is restricted by § 62-2-903(a)(1) to people the state has registered. If Tennessee registered you, those words and your registration number are yours to use. If it did not, leave that title off, put your own name, your firm name and any credential you actually hold such as NCIDQ on instead, and leave off “Licensed” and “Registered” standing alone, because that is the part some states do restrict.
Tennessee interior designer seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Tennessee rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | No seal prescribed | Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 62-2-901 to 62-2-906, chiefly § 62-2-903 |
| Required elements | No seal is prescribed for this registration and Title protection only | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) |
| Size and shape | Not addressed, because no seal exists for this registration. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(1) (three diagrams, none for interior design) |
| Device allowed | Not applicable. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.01, 0120-02-.08(8)(a) |
| Signature and date | Not applicable. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(3) |
| What must be sealed | No Tennessee document requires a registered interior designer’s seal. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.01, 0120-02-.08(2) |
| Electronic seal | Not applicable. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0120-02-.08(8)(b) |
| Renewal and lapse | Not applicable to a seal, since none exists. | Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 62-2-903, 62-2-906 |
| Firm requirements | Not applicable. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-906 |
| Regulator | The Tennessee State Board of Examiners for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors | Tenn. Code Ann. Title 62, Chapter 2, Part 9 (Interior Designers Title Registration Act, §§ 62-2-901 to 62-2-906) and Part 3 (§ 62-2-306) |
Is a seal required in Tennessee?
Tennessee registers interior designers but does not give them a seal. The Interior Designers Title Registration Act at Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 62-2-901 to 62-2-906 protects a title and nothing more. Section 62-2-903(a)(1) provides that “No person shall use the title ‘registered interior designer’ unless the person is registered as provided in this part”, and § 62-2-903(b) makes the point explicitly: “Nothing contained in this part shall prevent any person from rendering or offering to render interior design services; provided, that the person shall not be permitted to use or be identified by the title ‘registered interior designer’ unless registered in accordance with this part.” The seal statute for this board, Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b), names only Registered Architect, Registered Engineer and Registered Landscape Architect.
What must appear on the seal
- No seal is prescribed for this registration
- Title protection only
There is no die to specify. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) lists the three legends a Tennessee seal may carry under this board, being “Registered Architect,” “Registered Engineer” or “Registered Landscape Architect”, and rule 0120-02-.01 applies the rules of professional conduct chapter to persons registered to practice architecture, engineering or landscape architecture. Interior designers appear in neither. A die reading Registered Interior Designer with a Tennessee legend would imitate a sealing credential the state does not grant, which matters because § 62-2-903 is a title statute with teeth.
Size and shape
Not addressed, because no seal exists for this registration. The seal diagrams at rule 0120-02-.08(1) are labeled (a) Engineer, (b) Architect and (c) Landscape Architect, and Tennessee states no diameter even for those. Checked Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 62-2-306 and 62-2-901 to 62-2-906 and the scope rule at 0120-02-.01. The interior designer rules chapter is 0120-04, and the Secretary of State’s posted copy of that chapter could not be retrieved, so if you have been told a Tennessee interior designer seal exists, get the citation from the board before ordering anything.
What Acorn cuts for Tennessee: 2 inches. That is our bench standard, taken from our own production records rather than from a published rule. The board prescribes no size for an interior designer, so treat 2 inches as the size that comes back accepted rather than as a requirement, and confirm anything the board tells you directly.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Not applicable. The four permitted devices at 0120-02-.08(8)(a), being rubber-stamp, embossed, transparent self-adhesive and electronically generated seals, are authorized for registrants under that chapter, which rule 0120-02-.01 limits to architecture, engineering and landscape architecture. A registered interior designer in Tennessee who wants something for correspondence should keep it to a plain name, registration number and business block and avoid the circular board pattern.
Signing and dating
Not applicable. The wet-ink rule at 0120-02-.08(3), requiring the registrant to superimpose the signature and date of signature across the face and beyond the circumference of the seal, applies to a seal that a registered interior designer does not hold.
A Tennessee registration that protects a title and grants no seal
Tennessee registers interior designers, so the state answers yes to the licensing question and no to the seal question. That combination catches people out, because in Nevada, Missouri and several other states an interior design credential does come with a sealing duty.
The statute could not be clearer about its own reach. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-903(b) says “Nothing contained in this part shall prevent any person from rendering or offering to render interior design services”, subject only to the title restriction. Anyone may practice; only a registrant may use the words registered interior designer. Section 62-2-903(a)(2) adds that a registered architect may use the title as well.
The seal statute confirms it from the other side. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-306(b) lists the legends a seal under this board may bear, and there are three: Registered Architect, Registered Engineer and Registered Landscape Architect. Rule 0120-02-.08(1) prints three matching diagrams and rule 0120-02-.01 limits the whole chapter to architecture, engineering and landscape architecture.
So an order for a Tennessee interior designer seal has nothing behind it. If a permit set needs a seal, it comes from the architect or engineer of record. A registrant who wants something for letterhead should stay with a plain name and registration block rather than a circular device that reads like a board seal.
Which documents must be sealed
No Tennessee document requires a registered interior designer’s seal. Rule 0120-02-.08(2) lists the sealed documents for this board, being original sheets of working drawings or plans, cover or index pages for specifications, and cover or index pages for design calculations or reports, and rule 0120-02-.01 limits that chapter to architecture, engineering and landscape architecture. Where an interior alteration needs sealed construction documents, the architect or engineer of record seals them.
Electronic and digital seals
Not applicable. The digital signature criteria at 0120-02-.08(8)(b) attach to a registrant’s seal under that chapter.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Not applicable to a seal, since none exists. What does lapse is the right to the title: Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-903(a)(1) bars use of the title registered interior designer by anyone not currently registered, and § 62-2-906 governs the use of the title by corporations, partnerships and firms. Renewal and continuing education for this registration are handled in rules chapters 0120-04 and 0120-05.
Firm requirements
Not applicable. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-906 governs the use of the title interior designer or registered interior designer by a corporation, partnership or firm, and the firm disclosure regime at 0120-06-.03(1) covers firms offering architectural, engineering and landscape architectural services. Neither creates a firm seal, and there is no individual seal for a firm to stand behind in any event.
What to check before you order
There is no Tennessee interior designer seal to order. The registration at Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 62-2-901 to 62-2-906 protects the title registered interior designer and grants no sealing right, and the board’s seal statute at § 62-2-306(b) names only Registered Architect, Registered Engineer and Registered Landscape Architect. If you want something for correspondence, use a plain name and registration number block, and stay away from the circular board pattern and the words State of Tennessee arranged like a seal. Where your project needs sealed construction documents, the architect or engineer of record supplies them.
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Frequently asked questions
Does a Tennessee registered interior designer need a seal?
No. The registration at Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 62-2-901 to 62-2-906 grants no sealing right, and the seal statute at § 62-2-306(b) names only Registered Architect, Registered Engineer and Registered Landscape Architect. Rule 0120-02-.01 applies the seal chapter to persons registered to practice architecture, engineering or landscape architecture, and rule 0120-02-.08(1) prints three matching diagrams, labeled Engineer, Architect and Landscape Architect. There is no fourth.
Can anyone practice interior design in Tennessee?
Yes. Section 62-2-903(b) preserves the right of any person to render or offer to render interior design services, subject only to the title restriction. What registration buys is the words, not the work. Section 62-2-903(a)(2) also allows a registered architect to use the title.
What can I put on a Tennessee interior designer stamp?
Anything true of you. Your name, your firm name, a monogram, a logo, contact details, and, if you hold the registration, the title registered interior designer with your registration number. If you do not hold it, name a credential you do hold, such as the NCIDQ certificate from the Council for Interior Design Qualification, and leave the state title off. With no prescribed layout, the shape and size are open.
What should a Tennessee interior designer stamp avoid?
The circular board pattern. A die reading Registered Interior Designer inside a ring with a Tennessee legend imitates a sealing credential the state does not grant, and § 62-2-903 is a title statute with real force behind it. A plain name, registration number and business block does the identifying job without borrowing the look of a board seal.
Is there a prescribed size for a Tennessee interior designer seal?
No, and Tennessee states no diameter even for the three seals it does prescribe, since rule 0120-02-.08(1) gives them as diagrams. For interior designers there is nothing at all in §§ 62-2-306 or 62-2-901 to 62-2-906 or in the scope rule at 0120-02-.01. Pick a size that reads well on your sheets. If anyone tells you a Tennessee interior designer seal is prescribed somewhere, ask the board for the citation before you order anything; the interior designer rules sit in chapter 0120-04, not in the seal chapter.
Rubber stamp or embosser for a Tennessee interior designer?
Your choice, and neither is regulated. The four permitted devices at rule 0120-02-.08(8)(a), being rubber-stamp, embossed, transparent self-adhesive and electronically generated seals, are authorized for registrants under a chapter limited to architecture, engineering and landscape architecture. An inked stamp reproduces on a copy and an embosser does not, which is usually the deciding factor.
Who seals a Tennessee interior alteration that needs a permit?
The architect or engineer of record. Rule 0120-02-.08(2) lists the sealed documents for this board, being original sheets of working drawings or plans, cover or index pages for specifications, and cover or index pages for design calculations or reports, and rule 0120-02-.01 limits that chapter to the three licensed practices. No Tennessee document requires a registered interior designer’s seal.
Do I have to sign across anything in Tennessee?
Not as an interior designer. The wet-ink rule at 0120-02-.08(3), which requires the registrant to superimpose the signature and the date of signature across the face and beyond the circumference of the seal, applies to a seal you do not hold. Your signature on interior design documents is a business matter rather than a regulated act.
Can I sign Tennessee interior design documents electronically?
Nothing restricts you. The digital signature criteria at 0120-02-.08(8)(b) attach to a registrant’s seal under the architecture, engineering and landscape architecture chapter. Tennessee sets no electronic signing standard for registered interior designers.
What happens to the title if my Tennessee registration lapses?
The title goes with it. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-903(a)(1) bars use of the words registered interior designer by anyone not currently registered, and § 62-2-906 governs use of the title by corporations, partnerships and firms. Renewal and continuing education for the registration are handled in rules chapters 0120-04 and 0120-05. Since there is no seal, there is no device to surrender and nothing to recut; what needs attention is any printed material carrying the title.
Does a Tennessee interior design firm need a board credential?
Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-2-906 governs use of the title interior designer or registered interior designer by a corporation, partnership or firm, and the firm disclosure regime at rule 0120-06-.03(1) covers firms offering architectural, engineering and landscape architectural services. Neither creates a firm seal, and there is no individual seal for a firm to stand behind in any case.
