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 West Virginia Board of Landscape Architects and W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(a), (b) on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
The legend is in the statute and the word is Professional. W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(a) requires that each licensee “must have a seal, authorized by the board, which seal shall include the licensee’s name and the words: ‘Professional Landscape Architect, State of West Virginia,’” plus any additional words or figures the board prescribes. Professional, not Licensed and not Registered.
Note what the subsection does not list: a license number is not among the required elements, which is rare. Your name and that legend are the whole of the published content. The open-ended clause about additional words or figures is where a number, a design or a border would come from, and it is exercised through the Board’s legislative rule rather than the code.
That rule is the gap to be honest about. W. Va. Code St. R. tit. 9 ser. 1, Registration of Landscape Architects, effective April 20, 2023, is where any dimension, device type, date requirement or additional prescribed figure would live, and the Secretary of State publishes it only as a scanned image with no text layer. No diameter and no permitted device list is reported here, so ask the Board for the seal section before you order a die. What we can tell you is what Acorn cuts: a 1-5/8 inch nominal die carrying STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA and PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, with a star at each side. That is our own production artwork, not the Board’s rule.
West Virginia landscape architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | West Virginia rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(a), (b) |
| Required elements | A printed outer ring; The words “STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA” around one arc; The words “PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT” around the other arc; A star at each side, on the horizontal centerline; Your place name in the center; Your license number in the center | W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(a) and Acorn Sales production artwork |
| Size and shape | This is what Acorn actually makes for West Virginia, taken from our own production artwork rather than from a published rule. | Acorn Sales production artwork, West Virginia landscape architect seal |
| Device allowed | An inked rubber stamp or an embosser, and we make both. | W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(b) |
| Signature and date | The statute requires the signature and the seal together: all working drawings and specifications prepared by a licensee “shall be signed and stamped with the licensee’s seal.” The statute requires no date and prescribes no placement of the signature relative to the impression. | W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(b) (silent as to the date) |
| What must be sealed | All working drawings and specifications prepared by a licensee. | W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(b), (c), § 30-22-22 |
| Electronic seal | Not verified. W. Va. Code § 30-22-18 contains no electronic or digital seal provision and no signature standard. Any such provision would sit in CSR tit. 9 ser. 1, which is published only as an image-only PDF. | W. Va. Code § 30-22-18 |
| Renewal and lapse | Section 30-22-18(c) makes it unlawful for an unlicensed person to affix a seal, which reaches a lapsed licensee. | W. Va. Code §§ 30-22-12, 30-22-13, 30-22-14, 30-22-15, 30-22-18(c) |
| Firm requirements | A certificate of authorization is required. | W. Va. Code §§ 30-22-19, 30-22-20, 30-22-21 |
| Regulator | The West Virginia Board of Landscape Architects | W. Va. Code ch. 30, art. 22 (Landscape Architects), §§ 30-22-1 through 30-22-28, with §§ 30-22-12 through 30-22-15, 30-22-18, 30-22-19, 30-22-20, 30-22-21 and 30-22-22 read from the West Virginia Legislature’s code site, and § 30-22-18 taken in full. Named gap: W. Va. Code St. R. tit. 9, ser. 1, Registration of Landscape Architects, effective April 20, 2023, is published by the West Virginia Secretary of State only as a scanned image PDF with no text layer, so the seal dimension, the permitted device types, any date requirement and any additional words or figures prescribed by the board are unverified. West Virginia architects sit under a separate board with CSR tit. 2 ser. 1 and W. Va. Code art. 30-12, and professional surveyors under a separate board with art. 30-13A and CSR tit. 23 ser. 1. |
Is a seal required in West Virginia?
West Virginia puts the landscape architect’s seal in the code rather than leaving it to rule. W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(a) requires that each licensee “must have a seal, authorized by the board, which seal shall include the licensee’s name and the words: ‘Professional Landscape Architect, State of West Virginia,’” plus any additional words or figures the board prescribes. Subsection (b): “All working drawings and specifications prepared by a licensee shall be signed and stamped with the licensee’s seal.”
What must appear on the seal
- A printed outer ring
- The words “STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA” around one arc
- The words “PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT” around the other arc
- A star at each side, on the horizontal centerline
- Your place name in the center
- Your license number in the center
The statutory legend is exact and it is the whole of the published wording: Professional Landscape Architect, State of West Virginia. Professional, not Licensed or Registered. Note what the statute does not list: a license number is not among the required elements, which is unusual, though the board may prescribe additional words or figures. That open-ended clause is where a number, a design or a border would come from, and it is exercised through the Board’s legislative rule rather than the code. Not verified: what additional words or figures the Board has prescribed, because CSR tit. 9 ser. 1 is published only as an image-only PDF.
Size and shape
This is what Acorn actually makes for West Virginia, taken from our own production artwork rather than from a published rule. The Board’s legislative rule is issued only as a scanned image with no readable text, so no published diameter or wording could be quoted. What follows is the die we cut and the die West Virginia licensees have been getting accepted. The die is built to a 1-5/8 inch nominal circle, with the printed ring at about 1-5/8 inches. That is the size we supply.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
An inked rubber stamp or an embosser, and we make both. Not verified. The statute says only that the licensee must have a seal authorized by the board and that drawings and specifications shall be “signed and stamped” with it. No device type is named, nothing is permitted or forbidden, and the point would be addressed, if at all, in CSR tit. 9 ser. 1, which we could not read. Note for contrast that the West Virginia architect rule at CSR § 2-1-9.6 permits rubber stamp, embossed, transparent self-adhesive, electronic and digital seals, but that rule governs architects and does not reach landscape architects.
Signing and dating
The statute requires the signature and the seal together: all working drawings and specifications prepared by a licensee “shall be signed and stamped with the licensee’s seal.” The statute requires no date and prescribes no placement of the signature relative to the impression. The sources here are § 30-22-18 in full. Whether the Board’s rule adds a date requirement is not verified, because CSR tit. 9 ser. 1 could not be read.
The legend is in the statute, the number is not, and your seal cannot stand in for an architect’s
W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(a) writes the legend into the code: “Professional Landscape Architect, State of West Virginia.” Take those words exactly, including Professional rather than Licensed or Registered. What the subsection lists as required alongside them is only the licensee’s name. A license number is not a statutory element here, which is rare, though the board may prescribe additional words or figures by rule.
Which documents must be sealed
All working drawings and specifications prepared by a licensee. The important limit is in the same subsection and it is a scope rule rather than a document rule: a landscape architect’s seal cannot substitute for an architect’s, an engineer’s or a surveyor’s seal where one of those is legally required. Subsection (c) closes the other end: “It is unlawful for a person who is not licensed under the provisions of this article to affix a seal on a document.” Exemptions from the article sit at § 30-22-22.
Electronic and digital seals
Not verified. W. Va. Code § 30-22-18 contains no electronic or digital seal provision and no signature standard. Any such provision would sit in CSR tit. 9 ser. 1, which is published only as an image-only PDF. Within the same state the architect rule at CSR § 2-1-9.6 sets a four-part digital signature standard and accepts scanned signatures on PDF-type formats, but that standard governs architects only.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Section 30-22-18(c) makes it unlawful for an unlicensed person to affix a seal, which reaches a lapsed licensee. The article then handles status in detail: § 30-22-12 sets license renewal requirements, § 30-22-13 inactive license requirements, § 30-22-14 retired license requirements and § 30-22-15 reinstatement. Not addressed: whether the device must be surrendered or destroyed, and whether a license number is reissued.
Firm requirements
A certificate of authorization is required. W. Va. Code § 30-22-19 sets the certificate of authorization requirements for firms, § 30-22-20 governs its renewal and § 30-22-21 requires it to be displayed. The statute prescribes no firm seal and does not require a certificate number on the face of a sealed document; the individual licensee’s seal and signature are what § 30-22-18(b) puts on working drawings and specifications. That is a difference from West Virginia architecture, where art. 30-12 creates no certificate of authorization at all.
What to check before you order
Order a device carrying your name as licensed and the words Professional Landscape Architect, State of West Virginia, spelled exactly that way. That legend is written into the statute. A license number is not a statutory element, but the board may prescribe additional words or figures by rule, so ask the West Virginia Board of Landscape Architects for the seal section of its legislative rule before ordering: no diameter and no device type is published in readable form. Sign and stamp all working drawings and specifications you prepare. Remember the statutory limit: your seal does not substitute for an architect’s, engineer’s or surveyor’s seal where one of those is legally required.
Browse landscape architect stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for landscape architects in West Virginia?
Yes, and it is in the code rather than left to rule. W. Va. Code § 30-22-18(a) requires each licensee to have a board authorized seal, and subsection (b) provides that “All working drawings and specifications prepared by a licensee shall be signed and stamped with the licensee’s seal.”
What has to appear on a West Virginia landscape architect seal?
Your name as licensed and the words Professional Landscape Architect, State of West Virginia, plus any additional words or figures the board prescribes. That last clause is open-ended and is exercised through the Board’s legislative rule, whose text could not be read, so ask the Board what else it has prescribed. Acorn’s own production artwork carries STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA on one arc, PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT on the other, a star at each side, and the place name and license number in the center. That is what we cut, not a published specification.
What size is a West Virginia landscape architect seal?
The statute gives no diameter, shape or lettering height. Any dimension would sit in W. Va. Code St. R. tit. 9 ser. 1, which is published only as a scanned image PDF with no text layer, so no figure is reported here. Ask the Board for the seal section of the rule. Acorn’s own production artwork for this seal is built to a 1-5/8 inch nominal circle, with the printed ring at about the same diameter. That is our production record rather than a published rule, so the board remains the authority if it later publishes a figure.
Which device does West Virginia require?
The statute names none. It says only that the licensee must have a seal authorized by the board and that drawings and specifications shall be “signed and stamped” with it, so nothing is permitted or forbidden in the code. For contrast, the West Virginia architect rule at CSR § 2-1-9.6 permits rubber stamp, embossed, transparent self-adhesive, electronic and digital seals, but that rule governs architects and does not reach landscape architects.
Does West Virginia require a date with the seal?
The statute requires the signature and the seal together and requires no date, and it prescribes no placement of the signature relative to the impression. Whether the Board’s rule adds a date requirement could not be verified, because the rule text is not available in readable form.
Which West Virginia documents have to be sealed?
All working drawings and specifications prepared by a licensee, under § 30-22-18(b). Exemptions from the article sit at § 30-22-22.
Can a West Virginia landscape architect seal stand in for an architect seal?
No. The same subsection says a landscape architect’s seal cannot substitute for an architect’s, an engineer’s or a surveyor’s seal where one of those is legally required. Sealing a site plan that needs an engineer’s seal does not cure the omission.
Who may affix a West Virginia landscape architect seal?
Only a licensee. Section 30-22-18(c): “It is unlawful for a person who is not licensed under the provisions of this article to affix a seal on a document.” That reaches a lapsed licensee as well as someone who never held the credential.
Is there an electronic seal standard for West Virginia landscape architects?
Section 30-22-18 contains no electronic or digital seal provision and no signature standard. Any such provision would sit in CSR tit. 9 ser. 1, which could not be read. Within the same state the architect rule at CSR § 2-1-9.6 sets a four-part digital signature standard and accepts scanned signatures on PDF-type formats, but that standard governs architects only.
Does a West Virginia landscape architecture firm need a certificate of authorization?
Yes. W. Va. Code § 30-22-19 sets the certificate of authorization requirements for firms, § 30-22-20 governs its renewal and § 30-22-21 requires it to be displayed. The statute prescribes no firm seal and does not require a certificate number on the face of a sealed document; the individual licensee’s seal and signature are what § 30-22-18(b) puts on working drawings and specifications. That is a difference from West Virginia architecture, where art. 30-12 creates no certificate of authorization at all.
What happens to a West Virginia seal on lapse?
Section 30-22-18(c) makes it unlawful for an unlicensed person to affix a seal, which reaches a lapsed licensee. The article handles status in detail: § 30-22-12 sets license renewal requirements, § 30-22-13 inactive license requirements, § 30-22-14 retired license requirements and § 30-22-15 reinstatement. Whether the device must be surrendered or destroyed, and whether a license number is reissued, are not addressed.
