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 Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects and 18VAC10-20-760 A and B on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Two inches in diameter, with no smaller variant. 18VAC10-20-760 F: “The original seal shall conform in detail and size to the design illustrated in this subsection and shall be two inches in diameter.” Virginia writes one seal rule for seven credentials and landscape architects get the full specification, on the cover sheet and on every individual sheet of plans, plats or drawings. There is no reduced version for smaller disciplines and no relief for a crowded title block, so 1-5/8 inches, the usual supplier default, is not compliant here.
The designs exist as images rather than as rule text, and the regulation adds that the illustrations “may not be shown to scale.” You cannot quote the arc wording out of the regulation and a supplier cannot derive it from the text. Send the landscape architect illustration itself: COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA on the upper arc, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT on the lower arc, your name and Lic. No. plus the last six digits of your license number inside, leading zeros optional.
The offsetting fact is permanence. The number is the last six digits shown on the license and it does not change, so a Virginia landscape architect buys one two-inch device and keeps it through every renewal.
Virginia landscape architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Virginia rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | 18VAC10-20-760 A and B |
| Required elements | Your name; “Lic. No.” plus the last six digits of your license number; The arc legend “COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA”; The arc designation “LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT”; Adjacent to the seal: your signature; Adjacent to the seal: the date | 18VAC10-20-760 B and F |
| Size and shape | Two inches in diameter. 18VAC10-20-760 F: “The original seal shall conform in detail and size to the design illustrated in this subsection and shall be two inches in diameter.” The illustrations “may. | 18VAC10-20-760 F |
| Device allowed | No device type is prescribed or prohibited, and subsection C permits an electronic seal, signature and date in place of the original set. | 18VAC10-20-760 C and F |
| Signature and date | Seal, signature and date move together and the rule never mentions one alone. | 18VAC10-20-760 A, B and C |
| What must be sealed | Final documents: the cover sheet of plans, plats, documents, drawings, technical reports and specifications, plus each individual sheet of plans, plats or drawings. | 18VAC10-20-760 B, D and E |
| Electronic seal | Electronic sealing is permitted under the three criteria in subsection C: unique identification of the professional, verifiable, and under the professional’s direct control. | 18VAC10-20-760 C |
| Renewal and lapse | Two-year validity measured from the last day of the month of issuance, so expiration dates are staggered across licensees. | 18VAC10-20-87 A |
| Firm requirements | Business entity registration is required. 18VAC10-20-627 requires a business entity offering or rendering professional services in Virginia to register with the board and designate a responsible person for each service offered, and 18VAC10-20-770 confines a firm to the professions shown on its registration. | 18VAC10-20-627 |
| Regulator | The Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects | 18VAC10-20, Part XII, principally 18VAC10-20-760 (use of seal), with 18VAC10-20-627, 18VAC10-20-670, 18VAC10-20-87 and 18VAC10-20-770, from the Virginia Administrative Code, and Code of Virginia §§ 54.1-402 and 54.1-410. |
Is a seal required in Virginia?
Landscape architects sit inside the same rule and the same sentence as every other credential the board issues. 18VAC10-20-760 B 1: “All final documents, including cover sheet of plans, plats, documents, drawings, technical reports, and specifications, and each sheet of plans or plats, or drawings prepared by the professional, or someone under the licensee’s direct control and personal supervision, must be sealed, signed, and dated by the professional.” Subsection A supplies the meaning: seal, signature and date indicate that you exercised direct control and personal supervision over the work.
What must appear on the seal
- Your name
- “Lic. No.” plus the last six digits of your license number
- The arc legend “COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA”
- The arc designation “LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT”
- Adjacent to the seal: your signature
- Adjacent to the seal: the date
The landscape architect design is one of seven illustrated in 18VAC10-20-760 F, and because those designs are pictures rather than rule text the lettering has to be copied from the published landscape architect design rather than adapted from an architect one. The number is the last six digits shown on the license, it is permanent, and leading zeros may be omitted. Separately from the seal, subsection B 1 requires the document itself to bear your name or firm name, the address and the project name.
Size and shape
Two inches in diameter. 18VAC10-20-760 F: “The original seal shall conform in detail and size to the design illustrated in this subsection and shall be two inches in diameter.” The illustrations “may not be shown to scale.” Virginia allows no smaller variant for landscape architects.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
No device type is prescribed or prohibited, and subsection C permits an electronic seal, signature and date in place of the original set. An inked rubber stamp is the safe buy, because landscape architecture sheets are submitted to local reviewers as copies and an unpigmented embossed impression does not reproduce.
Signing and dating
Seal, signature and date move together and the rule never mentions one alone. There is no requirement to sign across the seal. The date is the date of sealing and signing rather than any license date. An electronic set may replace the original when it is a unique identification of the professional, is verifiable and is under the professional’s direct control.
Your seal is two inches because an engineer’s is, and the rule makes no allowance for scale
Virginia writes one seal rule for seven credentials, and landscape architects get the full engineering-grade specification: two inches in diameter, conforming in detail to the illustrated design, on the cover sheet and on every individual sheet of plans, plats or drawings. There is no reduced version for smaller disciplines and no relief for a crowded title block.
The designs live in 18VAC10-20-760 F as images. The rule text itself says only that the seal “shall conform in detail and size to the design illustrated in this subsection and shall be two inches in diameter,” and adds that the illustrations “may not be shown to scale.” So you cannot quote the arc wording out of the regulation, and a supplier cannot derive it from the text. Send the landscape architect illustration itself.
The exempt-work trap in subsection E applies to you as much as to architects. Work that § 54.1-402 exempts from licensure must still be sealed, signed and dated once a professional licensed or certified by this board performs it. The exemption protects the unlicensed person, not the licensee.
The offsetting fact is that the number is permanent. Virginia landscape architects buy one two-inch impression and keep it.
Which documents must be sealed
Final documents: the cover sheet of plans, plats, documents, drawings, technical reports and specifications, plus each individual sheet of plans, plats or drawings. On multi-discipline sets each professional seals the component completed by or under that professional and the compiling professional seals the cover sheet of the aggregate collection. Incomplete or preliminary copies escape only if they are identified as incomplete on the face of the document. Subsection E requires work exempt from licensure under § 54.1-402 to be sealed once a licensee of this board performs it.
Electronic and digital seals
Electronic sealing is permitted under the three criteria in subsection C: unique identification of the professional, verifiable, and under the professional’s direct control. Every other requirement of the section continues to apply, including the two-inch landscape architect design. Virginia names no technology, certificate authority or standard, and does not require the signature to be invalidated when the document changes.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Two-year validity measured from the last day of the month of issuance, so expiration dates are staggered across licensees. Practice with an expired license is prohibited, a late fee applies after 30 days and reinstatement is required after six months. The seal number is permanent, so renewal never forces a new device, and the regulation imposes no duty to surrender or destroy one.
Firm requirements
Business entity registration is required. 18VAC10-20-627 requires a business entity offering or rendering professional services in Virginia to register with the board and designate a responsible person for each service offered, and 18VAC10-20-770 confines a firm to the professions shown on its registration. The firm holds no seal and no firm number appears on the sheet; the sheet carries your seal plus your name or the firm name, the address and the project name.
What to check before you order
Specify two inches, since 1-5/8 inches is the usual default and is not compliant here. Supply the landscape architect illustration from 18VAC10-20-760 F rather than describing it, because the arc wording exists only as a picture in the regulation: COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA on the upper arc, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT on the lower arc, your name and Lic. No. plus the last six digits inside, leading zeros optional. Choose an inked rubber stamp for reproducibility and ask for a matching two-inch image file for the electronic route in subsection C. No proof of licensure is demanded of the supplier.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for landscape architects in Virginia?
Yes. 18VAC10-20-760 B 1: “All final documents, including cover sheet of plans, plats, documents, drawings, technical reports, and specifications, and each sheet of plans or plats, or drawings prepared by the professional, or someone under the licensee’s direct control and personal supervision, must be sealed, signed, and dated by the professional.” Subsection A supplies the meaning: seal, signature and date indicate that you exercised direct control and personal supervision over the work.
What has to appear on a Virginia landscape architect seal?
Your name, “Lic. No.” plus the last six digits of your license number, the arc legend COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA and the arc designation LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT. Your signature and the date go adjacent to the seal. Separately from the seal, subsection B 1 requires the document itself to bear your name or firm name, the address and the project name.
What size is a Virginia landscape architect seal?
Two inches in diameter, conforming in detail and size to the illustrated design, under 18VAC10-20-760 F. Virginia allows no smaller variant for landscape architects.
Why can my supplier not letter the Virginia seal from the rule?
Because the landscape architect design is one of seven illustrated in 18VAC10-20-760 F as pictures rather than rule text, and the regulation says the illustrations may not be shown to scale. Copy the lettering from the published landscape architect design rather than adapting an architect one, and send the illustration itself to your supplier.
Stamp or embosser in Virginia?
No device type is prescribed or prohibited, and subsection C permits an electronic seal, signature and date in place of the original set. An inked rubber stamp is the practical buy, because landscape architecture sheets are submitted to local reviewers as copies and an unpigmented embossed impression does not reproduce.
Does the signature cross the Virginia seal?
No requirement either way. Seal, signature and date move together and the rule never mentions one alone, but it does not require you to sign across the seal. The date is the date of sealing and signing rather than any license date.
Which Virginia documents have to be sealed?
Final documents: the cover sheet of plans, plats, documents, drawings, technical reports and specifications, plus each individual sheet of plans, plats or drawings. On multi-discipline sets each professional seals the component completed by or under that professional and the compiling professional seals the cover sheet of the aggregate collection. Incomplete or preliminary copies escape only if they are identified as incomplete on the face of the document.
Does exempt work need a Virginia seal?
Yes, once a licensee of this board performs it. Subsection E requires work exempt from licensure under § 54.1-402 to be sealed where a professional licensed or certified by this board did it. The exemption protects the unlicensed person, not the licensee.
Can I seal electronically in Virginia?
Yes, under the three criteria in subsection C: unique identification of the professional, verifiable, and under the professional’s direct control. Every other requirement of the section continues to apply, including the two-inch landscape architect design. Virginia names no technology, certificate authority or standard, and does not require the signature to be invalidated when the document changes.
Does renewal change a Virginia landscape architect seal?
No. The seal number is permanent, so renewal never forces a new device, and the regulation imposes no duty to surrender or destroy one. Licenses run two years measured from the last day of the month of issuance, so expiration dates are staggered across licensees. Practice with an expired license is prohibited, a late fee applies after 30 days and reinstatement is required after six months.
Does a Virginia landscape architecture firm need registration?
Yes. 18VAC10-20-627 requires a business entity offering or rendering professional services in Virginia to register with the board and designate a responsible person for each service offered, and 18VAC10-20-770 confines a firm to the professions shown on its registration. The firm holds no seal and no firm number appears on the sheet; the sheet carries your seal plus your name or the firm name, the address and the project name.
