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 Washington State Board for Architects and RCW 18.08.370(2) on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Your signature goes across the seal, and every drawing sheet gets one. WAC 308-12-081(4)(a)(iv) puts the handwritten identification “across the seal or stamp,” not beside it. That is the opposite of the Washington landscape architect rule in the next chapter, WAC 308-13-055(4)(a)(iv), which places the identification adjacent. Same state, two chapters, two placements. Size the die so a signature over the middle still leaves the registration number readable.
Sealing runs per sheet, with a split. Drawings prepared by you are signed and sealed on each sheet under 308-12-081(1). Specifications and other technical submissions are sealed only on the cover, the title page and all table of contents pages under 308-12-081(2). A firm that seals only the cover sheet of a drawing set has missed the rule; a firm that seals every page of a specification book has done more than the rule asks.
And the exemptions do not reach the seal. WAC 308-12-081 states that the stamping requirements apply without exception to all work filed with public authorities that you prepare or review, or that is prepared under your personal supervision, regardless of the licensing exemptions in RCW 18.08.410.
Washington architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Washington rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | RCW 18.08.370(2) |
| Required elements | Your name as registered, Your registration number, Registered architect and State of Washington | RCW 18.08.370(2) |
| Size and shape | Not addressed for architects. | RCW 18.08.370 (silent) |
| Device allowed | An electronic seal is expressly allowed. | Wash. Admin. Code 308-12-081(3) |
| Signature and date | Seal and signature, with the signature placed across the seal. | RCW 18.08.370(2) |
| What must be sealed | All technical submissions required for building permits or regulatory approvals filed with authorities having jurisdiction. | RCW 18.08.370(3) |
| Electronic seal | The seal may be electronic under WAC 308-12-081(3), and the digital identification criteria in 308-12-081(4)(b) are the standard: unique to the licensee, capable of independent verification, under the licensee’s exclusive control, and linked to the document so the identification is invalidated if any data in the document changes. | Wash. Admin. Code 308-12-081(3), (4) |
| Renewal and lapse | RCW 18.08.370(2) makes it unlawful to seal and sign a document after a registrant’s certificate of registration or authorization has expired, been revoked, or is suspended. | RCW 18.08.370(2) |
| Firm requirements | Applicable. RCW 18.08.320(5) defines a certificate of authorization as a certificate authorizing a business entity to practice architecture, and WAC 308-12-085 answers the question whether your business needs to. | RCW 18.08.320(5), 18.08.370(2) |
| Regulator | The Washington State Board for Architects | RCW 18.08.320 and 18.08.370, Washington architects, read from the Washington State Legislature |
Is a seal required in Washington?
Statute and rule both speak. RCW 18.08.370(2) creates the device: “Each registrant shall obtain a seal of the design authorized by the board bearing the architect’s name, registration number, the legend ‘Registered Architect,’ and the name of this state. All technical submissions prepared by an architect and filed with public authorities must be sealed and signed by the architect.” The same subsection adds that it is unlawful to seal and sign after the certificate has expired, been revoked or is suspended. WAC 308-12-081 then requires every architect licensed in Washington to possess a board authorized seal showing the registrant’s name, license number and “Registered architect, state of Washington,” and states that deviations are prohibited.
What must appear on the seal
- Your name as registered
- Your registration number
- Registered architect
- State of Washington
Nothing. WAC 308-12-081 authorizes one board design and says deviations are prohibited, which rules out a firm name, a branch line, an expiration date or a decorative border of your own choosing. Note the wording difference between the two instruments: the statute prints the legend as “Registered Architect” with the name of this state, while the rule prints it as “Registered architect, state of Washington.” Order to the board authorized design shown in WAC 308-12-081 rather than to either phrase on its own.
Size and shape
Not addressed for architects. Neither RCW 18.08.370 nor WAC 308-12-081 states a diameter, a height or a proportion. The control is the board authorized design and the prohibition on deviations. The sources here are RCW 18.08.320 and 18.08.370 and the full section list of chapter 308-12 WAC. This is a different treatment from Washington landscape architects, whose rule expressly allows the size to be adjusted so long as the stamp remains readable, and from Washington engineers and land surveyors, whose rule requires a size that assures full legibility.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
An electronic seal is expressly allowed. WAC 308-12-081(3) states plainly that the seal may be electronic. Nothing in the chapter restricts the physical device to an embosser or to an inked stamp, so an inked stamp is the safe physical buy: Washington architects file technical submissions with building departments that work from reproductions and scans, where an unfilled embossed impression does not read.
Signing and dating
Seal and signature, with the signature placed across the seal. RCW 18.08.370(2) requires technical submissions filed with public authorities to be sealed and signed. WAC 308-12-081(4)(a) defines a handwritten identification as one that is original, handwritten or a scanned image of an original, permanently affixed, applied by the licensee or a designee under the licensee’s direction, and placed across the seal or stamp. Subsection (4)(b) allows a digital identification that is unique to the licensee, independently verifiable, under the licensee’s exclusive control, and linked so that any change to the document invalidates it. The rule states no date requirement for architects.
Sign across the seal, and seal every drawing sheet
Washington is a signature across the seal state for architects. WAC 308-12-081(4)(a)(iv) puts the handwritten identification “across the seal or stamp”, not beside it. That is the opposite of the Washington landscape architect rule in the next chapter, WAC 308-13-055(4)(a)(iv), which places the identification adjacent to the seal or stamp. Same state, two chapters, two placements, and a device sized so that a signature over the middle still leaves the number readable is the practical answer.
Which documents must be sealed
All technical submissions required for building permits or regulatory approvals filed with authorities having jurisdiction. WAC 308-12-081(1) requires drawings prepared by you to be signed and sealed on each sheet. Subsection (2) relaxes that for the rest: specifications and other technical submissions need only be sealed on the cover, the title page and all table of contents pages. The rule also states that the stamping requirements apply without exception to all work filed with public authorities that you prepare or review, or that is prepared under your personal supervision, regardless of the licensing exemptions in RCW 18.08.410. RCW 18.08.370(3) sets out when you may seal work prepared by subordinates, by a direct subcontractor, in collaboration with an architect licensed in a board recognized jurisdiction, or from prototypical documents with written permission from the preparing architect and the legal owner.
Electronic and digital seals
The seal may be electronic under WAC 308-12-081(3), and the digital identification criteria in 308-12-081(4)(b) are the standard: unique to the licensee, capable of independent verification, under the licensee’s exclusive control, and linked to the document so the identification is invalidated if any data in the document changes. The board names no certificate authority, no hash algorithm and no vendor. The one express prohibition to know is in the handwritten branch: a scanned image of an original handwritten identification is accepted at 308-12-081(4)(a), which is the opposite of the North Carolina architect rule.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
RCW 18.08.370(2) makes it unlawful to seal and sign a document after a registrant’s certificate of registration or authorization has expired, been revoked, or is suspended. Renewal is at WAC 308-12-215, retired status at 308-12-225, withdrawal from active practice at 308-12-235 and reactivation at 308-12-240. Because the registration number is a required element and no expiration date is, renewal never makes the die stale and there is nothing to reorder.
Firm requirements
Applicable. RCW 18.08.320(5) defines a certificate of authorization as a certificate authorizing a business entity to practice architecture, and WAC 308-12-085 answers the question whether your business needs to register with the board. RCW 18.08.370(2) extends the unlawful sealing bar to a certificate of authorization that has expired, been revoked or is suspended, which ties firm standing to the individual’s ability to seal. The certificate number does not go on the individual seal; the required elements are fixed by 308-12-081.
What to check before you order
Order the board authorized design in WAC 308-12-081, carrying your name, your license number and the words Registered architect, state of Washington. The board prohibits deviations, so no firm name, no expiration date and no house border. Washington states no diameter for architects, so size the die large enough that your signature can run across the impression, which the rule requires, without burying your registration number. An inked stamp is the practical physical device because Washington technical submissions are filed and scanned. An electronic seal is lawful under 308-12-081(3), and a scanned image of your original handwritten signature is accepted under 308-12-081(4)(a).
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Frequently asked questions
Is an architect seal required in Washington?
Yes. RCW 18.08.370(2) provides that “Each registrant shall obtain a seal of the design authorized by the board bearing the architect’s name, registration number, the legend ‘Registered Architect,’ and the name of this state. All technical submissions prepared by an architect and filed with public authorities must be sealed and signed by the architect.” WAC 308-12-081 requires every architect licensed in Washington to possess a board authorized seal and states that deviations are prohibited.
What has to appear on a Washington architect seal?
Your name as registered, your registration number, Registered architect and State of Washington. WAC 308-12-081 authorizes one board design and says deviations are prohibited, which rules out a firm name, a branch line, an expiration date or a decorative border of your own choosing. Note the wording difference between the two instruments: the statute prints the legend as “Registered Architect” with the name of this state, while the rule prints it as “Registered architect, state of Washington.” Order to the board authorized design shown in WAC 308-12-081 rather than to either phrase on its own.
What size is a Washington architect seal?
No dimension is stated. Neither RCW 18.08.370 nor WAC 308-12-081 gives a diameter, a height or a proportion, across RCW 18.08.320 and 18.08.370 and the full section list of chapter 308-12 WAC. The control is the board authorized design and the prohibition on deviations. That differs from Washington landscape architects, whose rule expressly allows the size to be adjusted so long as the stamp remains readable, and from Washington engineers and land surveyors, whose rule requires a size that assures full legibility.
Can I use an electronic seal in Washington?
Yes. WAC 308-12-081(3) states plainly that the seal may be electronic. Nothing in the chapter restricts the physical device to an embosser or to an inked stamp, so an inked stamp is the safe physical buy: Washington architects file technical submissions with building departments that work from reproductions and scans, where an unfilled embossed impression does not read.
Is a scanned signature accepted in Washington?
Yes, and that is unusual. WAC 308-12-081(4)(a) defines a handwritten identification as one that is original, handwritten or a scanned image of an original, permanently affixed, applied by the licensee or a designee under the licensee’s direction, and placed across the seal or stamp. That is the opposite of the North Carolina architect rule, which bars a scanned image of an original signature in lieu of a digital or electronic signature.
Does Washington require a date with the seal?
The rule states no date requirement for architects. What RCW 18.08.370(2) requires is that technical submissions filed with public authorities be sealed and signed.
Which documents have to be sealed in Washington?
All technical submissions required for building permits or regulatory approvals filed with authorities having jurisdiction. WAC 308-12-081(1) requires drawings prepared by you to be signed and sealed on each sheet; subsection (2) relaxes that for the rest, so specifications and other technical submissions need only be sealed on the cover, the title page and all table of contents pages.
Whose work can a Washington architect seal?
RCW 18.08.370(3) sets out when you may seal work prepared by subordinates, by a direct subcontractor, in collaboration with an architect licensed in a board recognized jurisdiction, or from prototypical documents with written permission from the preparing architect and the legal owner.
What does Washington require of a digital identification?
Four criteria under WAC 308-12-081(4)(b): unique to the licensee, capable of independent verification, under the licensee’s exclusive control, and linked to the document so the identification is invalidated if any data in the document changes. The board names no certificate authority, no hash algorithm and no vendor.
Can I seal after my Washington certificate expires?
No. RCW 18.08.370(2) makes it unlawful to seal and sign a document after a registrant’s certificate of registration or authorization has expired, been revoked, or is suspended. Renewal is at WAC 308-12-215, retired status at 308-12-225, withdrawal from active practice at 308-12-235 and reactivation at 308-12-240. Because the registration number is a required element and no expiration date is, renewal never makes the die stale and there is nothing to reorder.
Does a Washington architecture firm need a certificate of authorization?
Yes. RCW 18.08.320(5) defines a certificate of authorization as a certificate authorizing a business entity to practice architecture, and WAC 308-12-085 answers whether your business needs to register with the board. RCW 18.08.370(2) extends the unlawful sealing bar to a certificate of authorization that has expired, been revoked or is suspended, which ties firm standing to the individual’s ability to seal. The certificate number does not go on the individual seal; the required elements are fixed by 308-12-081.
