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 Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, acting through the Director, which regulates landscape architects under 26 V.S.A. chapter 46 and 26 V.S.A. § 2628 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Vermont regulates this seal in a single statutory sentence and publishes no rule behind it. 26 V.S.A. § 2628: “Each licensed landscape architect shall obtain a seal of a design as the Director shall authorize and direct. Plans and specifications prepared by or under the direct supervision of a licensed landscape architect shall be stamped with the licensed landscape architect’s seal.” That is the whole of the published law on the subject.
So there is no Vermont landscape architect seal diameter, no prescribed legend, no device type and no signature or date requirement in published law. The Office of Professional Regulation’s landscape architect page links the statute, the general professional regulation chapter at 3 V.S.A. ch. 5 and two Office-wide administrative rules on hearing procedure and on foreign credentials, and no landscape architect rule elaborating the seal is published. Anyone quoting you a figure is quoting something that is not there.
The operative step is to ask the Office for the design it authorizes and directs, then cut the die to that. Do not borrow from the other two Vermont design professions: architects get an exact replica mailed by the Office and file an impression back, and land surveyors have a published rule with a legend, a one and one-half inch ceiling and a one-tenth inch lettering floor. Neither applies to you, and neither wording belongs on your die.
Vermont landscape architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Vermont rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | 26 V.S.A. § 2628 |
| Required elements | The word “VERMONT” around the upper arc; The words “LICENSED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT” around the lower arc; A five-pointed star at each side, on the horizontal centerline; An outline map of the State of Vermont in the center; Your name above the map; Your license number below it, in the form “No. 12345”; A dotted inner ring enclosing the center block; A beaded outer border of elongated ovals | Acorn Sales production artwork, Vermont landscape architect seal (26 V.S.A. § 2628 delegates the design to the Director) |
| Size and shape | This is what Acorn actually makes for Vermont, taken from our own production artwork rather than from a published rule. | Acorn Sales production artwork, Vermont landscape architect seal |
| Device allowed | Not addressed. The statute says the licensee obtains a seal of a design the Director authorizes and directs, and that plans and specifications shall be “stamped” with it. Nothing names a device type, permits. | 26 V.S.A. § 2628 (device type not prescribed) |
| Signature and date | Not addressed. Section 2628 requires the stamp and says nothing about a signature or a date, and there is no landscape architect rule to supply either. The sources here are 26 V.S.A. ch. 46 in full, §§ 2611. | 26 V.S.A. § 2628 (silent as to signature and date) |
| What must be sealed | Plans and specifications prepared by or under the direct supervision of the licensed landscape architect. | 26 V.S.A. §§ 2612, 2613, 2628 |
| Electronic seal | Not addressed. There is no electronic or digital seal provision for Vermont landscape architects, no digital signature standard and no authentication requirement, because no profession-specific administrative rule is. | 26 V.S.A. ch. 46 |
| Renewal and lapse | Not addressed. Section 2628 says nothing about the seal on expiration, lapse, retirement or revocation, and no rule supplies it. Section 2626 governs license renewal and § 2629 governs unprofessional conduct. | 26 V.S.A. §§ 2626, 2628, 2629 |
| Firm requirements | Not addressed. Chapter 46 creates no certificate of authorization, no firm seal and no firm number on a sealed document. That is a difference from the Vermont architect chapter, which addresses entity practice expressly. | 26 V.S.A. ch. 46 (no firm provision) |
| Regulator | The Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, acting through the Director, which regulates landscape architects under 26 V.S.A. chapter 46 | 26 V.S.A. ch. 46 (Landscape Architects), §§ 2611 through 2629, in particular §§ 2612, 2613, 2626, 2628 and 2629, from the Vermont General Assembly site |
Is a seal required in Vermont?
Vermont licenses landscape architects and requires them to seal, in one sentence of statute. 26 V.S.A. § 2628: “Each licensed landscape architect shall obtain a seal of a design as the Director shall authorize and direct. Plans and specifications prepared by or under the direct supervision of a licensed landscape architect shall be stamped with the licensed landscape architect’s seal.” The design is delegated to the Director, and no profession-specific administrative rules elaborating it are published.
What must appear on the seal
- The word “VERMONT” around the upper arc
- The words “LICENSED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT” around the lower arc
- A five-pointed star at each side, on the horizontal centerline
- An outline map of the State of Vermont in the center
- Your name above the map
- Your license number below it, in the form “No. 12345”
- A dotted inner ring enclosing the center block
- A beaded outer border of elongated ovals
The list above is Acorn’s own production artwork, not a published specification. It is what we cut and ship for this credential, and it is offered as a starting point rather than as the rule. As for what the state itself publishes: No element list is published. Section 2628 delegates the design to the Director and stops, and the Office of Professional Regulation’s landscape architect page links only the statute, 26 V.S.A. ch. 46, together with the general professional regulation chapter at 3 V.S.A. ch. 5 and two Office-wide administrative rules on hearings and on foreign credentials. There is no landscape architect rule setting wording, layout or content. Ask the Office for the authorized design before ordering. Do not assume the Vermont architect wording or the Vermont land surveyor legend, State of Vermont, Licensed Land Surveyor, transfers to this profession, because those come from different boards and different rules.
Size and shape
This is what Acorn actually makes for Vermont, taken from our own production artwork rather than from a published rule. Section 2628 gives no diameter, shape or lettering height, and no landscape architect administrative rule is published that would supply one. What follows is the die we cut. The printed die measures about 1-9/16 inches across, drawn inside a 1-5/8 inch guide, so 1-5/8 inches is the nominal size and 1-9/16 is what actually prints. Note that this is close to, but not the same as, the approximately one-and-one-half inches that Vermont’s separate engineering board sets by rule for professional engineers; that rule does not reach landscape architects, and the two devices are cut to different plates.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Not addressed. The statute says the licensee obtains a seal of a design the Director authorizes and directs, and that plans and specifications shall be “stamped” with it. Nothing names a device type, permits an embosser or forbids one, and no rule supplies the detail. The practical course is to obtain the authorized design from the Office and order an inked stamp cut to it, because plans go through permit review and the imprint has to read on copies.
Signing and dating
Not addressed. Section 2628 requires the stamp and says nothing about a signature or a date, and there is no landscape architect rule to supply either. The sources here are 26 V.S.A. ch. 46 in full, §§ 2611 through 2629. That is the same pattern as the Vermont architect statute at § 208. Sign and date your sealed plans anyway; reviewing authorities expect it and nothing in Vermont law discourages it.
A one-sentence seal law and no published rule behind it
Vermont licenses landscape architects, which surprises people, and then regulates the seal in a single statutory sentence. 26 V.S.A. § 2628 requires a seal “of a design as the Director shall authorize and direct” and requires plans and specifications to be stamped with it. That is the whole of the published law. The Office of Professional Regulation’s statutes and resources page for the profession links the statute, the general professional regulation chapter at 3 V.S.A. ch. 5 and two Office-wide administrative rules on hearing procedure and on foreign credentials. No landscape architect rule elaborating the seal is published.
Which documents must be sealed
Plans and specifications prepared by or under the direct supervision of the licensed landscape architect. The statute gives no preliminary or draft carve-out and no title-sheet concession. The scope boundary sits at § 2613, Exemptions, and at § 2612, Prohibition and enforcement, which are the sections to read to decide whether a given piece of work is landscape architecture at all.
Electronic and digital seals
Not addressed. There is no electronic or digital seal provision for Vermont landscape architects, no digital signature standard and no authentication requirement, because no profession-specific administrative rule is published and § 2628 does not reach the question. The sources here are 26 V.S.A. ch. 46 in full and the Office of Professional Regulation’s published resources for the profession. Ask the Office and the permitting authority before relying on an electronic seal.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Not addressed. Section 2628 says nothing about the seal on expiration, lapse, retirement or revocation, and no rule supplies it. Section 2626 governs license renewal and § 2629 governs unprofessional conduct. Compare the Vermont land surveyor statute at 26 V.S.A. § 2596(b), which makes it unlawful to use the seal after the certificate has expired or been suspended or revoked; landscape architects have no equivalent express provision, though using a seal that asserts a current license you do not hold would be unprofessional conduct.
Firm requirements
Not addressed. Chapter 46 creates no certificate of authorization, no firm seal and no firm number on a sealed document. That is a difference from the Vermont architect chapter, which addresses entity practice expressly at 26 V.S.A. § 203 and conditions it on all plans and specifications being signed and stamped with the personal seal of the architect in responsible charge, and from the land surveyor chapter, which addresses entities at § 2593.
What to check before you order
Contact the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation for the seal design it authorizes and directs before ordering anything. The statute delegates the design to the Director and publishes no diameter, legend, layout or device type, and no landscape architect administrative rule supplies them. Do not borrow the Vermont land surveyor legend or the Vermont architect replica; those belong to other professions and other rules. Once you have the authorized design, an inked stamp cut to it is the practical choice, because plans and specifications go through permit review. The statute requires no signature and no date, but sign and date anyway.
Browse landscape architect stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for landscape architects in Vermont?
Yes. Vermont licenses landscape architects under 26 V.S.A. chapter 46, and § 2628 requires each licensed landscape architect to obtain a seal of a design as the Director shall authorize and direct, and requires plans and specifications prepared by or under the direct supervision of a licensed landscape architect to be stamped with it.
What has to appear on a Vermont landscape architect seal?
Whatever the Director authorizes and directs. No element list is published: § 2628 delegates the design and stops, and there is no landscape architect rule setting wording, layout or content. Ask the Office for the authorized design before ordering, and do not assume the Vermont architect wording or the Vermont land surveyor legend, State of Vermont, Licensed Land Surveyor, transfers to this profession. Acorn’s own production artwork carries VERMONT on the upper arc, LICENSED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT on the lower arc, an outline map of the state in the center with the name above it and the license number below, a star at each side, a dotted inner ring and a beaded outer border. That is what we cut, not a published specification.
What size is a Vermont landscape architect seal?
No diameter, shape or lettering height appears in § 2628, and no landscape architect administrative rule is published that would supply one. Compare the Vermont land surveyor rule at 6.1(b), which caps the seal at one and one-half inches and sets a one-tenth inch lettering floor; landscape architects have no equivalent. Acorn’s own production artwork for this seal prints at about 1-9/16 inches inside a 1-5/8 inch guide, which is close to but not the same as the approximately one-and-one-half inches Vermont sets by rule for professional engineers. That is our production record rather than a published rule, so the board remains the authority if it later publishes a figure.
Stamp or embosser in Vermont?
The statute does not say. It requires a seal of a design the Director authorizes and directs, and says plans and specifications shall be “stamped” with it. Nothing names a device type, permits an embosser or forbids one. The practical course is to obtain the authorized design from the Office and order an inked stamp cut to it, because plans go through permit review and the imprint has to read on copies.
Does Vermont require a signature and date?
Section 2628 requires the stamp and says nothing about a signature or a date, and there is no landscape architect rule to supply either. That is the same pattern as the Vermont architect statute at § 208. Sign and date your sealed plans anyway; reviewing authorities expect it and nothing in Vermont law discourages it.
Which Vermont documents have to be sealed?
Plans and specifications prepared by or under the direct supervision of the licensed landscape architect. The statute gives no preliminary or draft carve-out and no title-sheet concession. The scope boundary sits at § 2613, Exemptions, and at § 2612, Prohibition and enforcement, which are the sections to read to decide whether a given piece of work is landscape architecture at all.
Is there an electronic seal rule for Vermont landscape architects?
No. There is no electronic or digital seal provision, no digital signature standard and no authentication requirement, because no profession-specific administrative rule is published and § 2628 does not reach the question. Ask the Office and the permitting authority before relying on an electronic seal.
What happens to a Vermont seal on lapse?
Section 2628 says nothing about the seal on expiration, lapse, retirement or revocation, and no rule supplies it. Section 2626 governs license renewal and § 2629 governs unprofessional conduct. Compare the Vermont land surveyor statute at 26 V.S.A. § 2596(b), which makes it unlawful to use the seal after the certificate has expired or been suspended or revoked. Landscape architects have no equivalent express provision, though using a seal that asserts a current license you do not hold would be unprofessional conduct.
Does a Vermont landscape architecture firm need a seal?
No. Chapter 46 creates no certificate of authorization, no firm seal and no firm number on a sealed document. That is a difference from the Vermont architect chapter, which addresses entity practice expressly at 26 V.S.A. § 203 and conditions it on all plans and specifications being signed and stamped with the personal seal of the architect in responsible charge, and from the land surveyor chapter, which addresses entities at § 2593.
