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 Utah Division of Professional Licensing, which administers the State Certification of Commercial Interior Designers Act and Utah Code § 58-86-401 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Utah gives state certified commercial interior designers a number rather than a stamp. Utah Code title 58 chapter 86 is the State Certification of Commercial Interior Designers Act, and its Part 4 is headed State Certification Number and Signature. Section 58-86-401(1) provides that “The division shall provide each state certified commercial interior designer with a certificate number,” and subsection (2) requires that a final plan or specification for the construction of a commercial interior design “shall bear the signature and the certificate number of the state certified commercial interior designer when submitted to a client or a building official for the purpose of obtaining a building permit.” There is no seal in the Act and none in Utah Admin. Code R156-86.
So nothing is prescribed for a device, which means nothing about one is restricted either. A simple name-and-number block is enough for what the statute asks, and a stamp that prints those two things is convenient rather than regulated. Acorn will make one 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.
What to stay away from is the Utah professional seal pattern, because the state uses one shape for everything it does license. A circular die at least one and one-half inches across reading State of Utah with a Licensed title and a number is the format of R156-3a-601, R156-22-601, R156-53-601 and R156-76-601, and Utah grants no such license to an interior designer. Put your own name, your firm name, and any credential you actually hold, such as NCIDQ. Leave off “Licensed” and “Registered” and the state-issued title state certified commercial interior designer unless Utah certified you, because that is the part some states do restrict.
Utah interior designer seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Utah rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | No seal prescribed | Utah Code § 58-86-401 |
| Required elements | Not applicable: Utah requires a signature and a certificate number on the document, not a seal | Utah Code § 58-86-401(2) |
| Size and shape | Not applicable. | Utah Code title 58, ch. 86, pt. 4 |
| Device allowed | Not applicable. | Utah Code § 58-86-401(2) |
| Signature and date | A signature and a certificate number, and no date requirement. | Utah Code § 58-86-401(2) (silent as to the date) |
| What must be sealed | A final plan or specification for the construction of a commercial interior design within a newly constructed or existing building, when submitted to a client or to a building official for the purpose of obtaining a building permit. | Utah Code § 58-86-401(2), (3) |
| Electronic seal | Not applicable. | Utah Code title 58, ch. 86 |
| Renewal and lapse | Certification renews on a two-year cycle under R156-86-203, with continuing education limited to courses offered by the Interior Design Continuing Education Council and designated Health, Safety, Welfare under R156-86-204. | Utah Admin. Code R156-86-203, R156-86-204 |
| Firm requirements | Not applicable. | Utah Code title 58, ch. 86 |
| Regulator | The Utah Division of Professional Licensing, which administers the State Certification of Commercial Interior Designers Act | Utah Code title 58 chapter 86, State Certification of Commercial Interior Designers Act, part 4, State Certification Number and Signature, § 58-86-401, read in full from the Utah State Legislature’s code site |
Is a seal required in Utah?
Utah state-certifies commercial interior designers and requires a signature and a number rather than a seal. Utah Code § 58-86-401(1) provides that “The division shall provide each state certified commercial interior designer with a certificate number,” and subsection (2) requires that a final plan or specification for the construction of a commercial interior design prepared by or under the supervision of a state certified commercial interior designer “shall bear the signature and the certificate number of the state certified commercial interior designer when submitted to a client or a building official for the purpose of obtaining a building permit.” There is no seal in the Act and none in the rule.
What must appear on the seal
- Not applicable: Utah requires a signature and a certificate number on the document, not a seal
Because there is no prescribed device there is no element list, and that cuts both ways. Nothing stops you having a block or stamp that prints your name and certificate number, and nothing approves one either. What you must not do is build a device that imitates the Utah professional seals: a circular die at least one and one-half inches across reading State of Utah with a Licensed something title and a number is exactly the pattern of R156-3a-601, R156-22-601, R156-53-601 and R156-76-601, and Utah grants no such certification to an interior designer.
Size and shape
Not applicable. Utah prescribes no interior designer seal and therefore no dimension. The sources here are Utah Admin. Code R156-86 in full and Utah Code title 58 chapter 86, including Part 4, State Certification Number and Signature, which is where a seal provision would sit if one existed.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Not applicable. With no required seal there is no required instrument, so nothing is made embossed, inked or electronic by rule. The obligation at § 58-86-401(2) is satisfied by the signature and the certificate number appearing on the final plan or specification.
Signing and dating
A signature and a certificate number, and no date requirement. Section 58-86-401(2) names the signature and the certificate number and stops; the Act does not require a date and R156-86 adds none. The sources here are chapter 86 and R156-86 in full. Date the work anyway as a matter of record-keeping, but the obligation does not come from Utah law.
Utah certifies commercial interior designers and gives them a number, not a stamp
This is the rare case where the honest answer is that there is nothing to buy. Utah Code title 58 chapter 86 is the State Certification of Commercial Interior Designers Act, and its Part 4 is headed State Certification Number and Signature. Not seal. Section 58-86-401 gives the designer a certificate number and requires a final plan or specification going to a client or a building official for a permit to bear “the signature and the certificate number” of the state certified commercial interior designer. Rule R156-86 covers the NCIDQ examination requirement, the renewal cycle, continuing education through IDCEC and unprofessional conduct, and never mentions a seal.
Which documents must be sealed
A final plan or specification for the construction of a commercial interior design within a newly constructed or existing building, when submitted to a client or to a building official for the purpose of obtaining a building permit. Section 58-86-401(3) then limits when the designer may put the signature and number on it at all: only where the plan is within the scope of practice of commercial interior design and is personally prepared by the certified designer, or prepared under the designer’s direct supervision with responsibility assumed, or prepared by another state certified commercial interior designer or similarly qualified designer in another state, in which case the certified designer must perform a thorough review for compliance with all applicable laws, rules and standards and make any necessary corrections before submission.
Electronic and digital seals
Not applicable. There is no seal to produce electronically, and the Act sets no electronic signature standard for a state certified commercial interior designer. The sources here are Utah Code title 58 chapter 86 and R156-86 in full. Utah’s electronic seal and signature provisions sit in the four professional licensing rules, R156-3a-601, R156-22-601, R156-53-601 and R156-76-601, and none of them reaches this certification.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Certification renews on a two-year cycle under R156-86-203, with continuing education limited to courses offered by the Interior Design Continuing Education Council and designated Health, Safety, Welfare under R156-86-204. Because the obligation is to put a certificate number on a document, a lapsed certification simply removes the entitlement to do that. Not addressed: whether the certificate number is reissued on reinstatement.
Firm requirements
Not applicable. Chapter 86 and R156-86 create no firm certification, no certificate of authorization and no firm number on the document. The individual’s signature and certificate number are what the statute asks for.
What to check before you order
Utah requires no seal for a state certified commercial interior designer, so there is no device to specify. What the statute requires on a final plan or specification going to a client or a building official is your signature and your certificate number. A simple name-and-number block is enough, and a stamp that prints those two things is convenient rather than regulated. Do not order a circular die at least one and one-half inches across reading State of Utah with a title and a number: that is the pattern Utah reserves for licensed architects, professional engineers, professional land surveyors, licensed landscape architects and licensed professional geologists, and it would assert a license you do not hold.
Browse interior designer stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Utah commercial interior designer need a seal?
No. Utah Code § 58-86-401(2) requires the signature and the certificate number on a final plan or specification going to a client or a building official for a permit, and stops there. R156-86 covers the NCIDQ examination requirement, the renewal cycle, continuing education and unprofessional conduct, and never mentions a seal.
What has to appear on a Utah permit document?
Two things: your signature and your certificate number. The division issues the number under § 58-86-401(1), and the statute names no other marking.
Does Utah require a date?
No. Section 58-86-401(2) names the signature and the certificate number and stops, and R156-86 adds no date requirement. Dating the work is sensible record-keeping, but the obligation does not come from Utah law.
Can I use a stamp in Utah anyway?
Yes, as a convenience. With no required seal there is no required instrument, so nothing is made embossed, inked or electronic by rule. A block that prints your name and certificate number does the statutory job in one action.
What design should a Utah interior designer stamp avoid?
The Utah professional seal pattern: a circular die at least one and one-half inches across carrying State of Utah, a Licensed title and a number. That is the shape Utah reserves for licensed architects, professional engineers and structural engineers, professional land surveyors, licensed landscape architects and licensed professional geologists, and a lookalike asserts a license you do not hold.
Which Utah documents need the signature and number?
A final plan or specification for the construction of a commercial interior design within a newly constructed or existing building, when submitted to a client or to a building official for the purpose of obtaining a building permit.
When may I put my Utah certificate number on a plan?
Section 58-86-401(3) limits it to three cases: where the plan is within the scope of practice of commercial interior design and you personally prepared it; where it was prepared under your direct supervision with responsibility assumed; or where another state certified commercial interior designer or similarly qualified designer in another state prepared it, in which case you must perform a thorough review for compliance with all applicable laws, rules and standards and make any necessary corrections before submission. The number is a responsibility claim even though it is not a seal.
Is there an electronic standard for Utah interior designers?
There is no seal to produce electronically, and the Act sets no electronic signature standard for this certification. Utah’s electronic seal and signature provisions sit in the four professional licensing rules at R156-3a-601, R156-22-601, R156-53-601 and R156-76-601, and none of them reaches you.
What happens if my Utah certification lapses?
You lose the entitlement to put the certificate number on a document, which is the whole of the obligation. Certification renews on a two-year cycle under R156-86-203, with continuing education limited to courses offered by the Interior Design Continuing Education Council and designated Health, Safety, Welfare under R156-86-204. Whether the certificate number is reissued on reinstatement the rule does not say.
Does a Utah interior design firm get a certificate or a number?
No. Chapter 86 and R156-86 create no firm certification, no certificate of authorization and no firm number on the document. The individual’s signature and certificate number are what the statute asks for.
