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 Arkansas State Board of Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers and ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XII.A (Design and Use of Landscape Architect’s Seal), effective February 7, 2022 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Two concentric circles, 1.5 inches and 1 inch. Section XII.A of the Board’s Administrative Rules gives those figures and allows a metal impression, a rubber stamp or a printed format, with any legible reproduction method permitted. Note that this is not the Arkansas engineering and surveying dimension, which is a 1 1/4 to 2 inch range with a milled edge under 17 CAR § 285-602(d)(2), so a supplier working from the engineering rule will build the wrong device.
The legend is fixed by the same section. Section XII.A requires that “Each registered landscape architect shall procure a seal that shall contain the name of the registered landscape architect, license registration number, and the words” REGISTERED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT and STATE OF ARKANSAS, which the rule prints as one legend with a dash between the two phrases. Those go in the outer ring; your name and registration number go inside the inner circle.
This Board licenses architects, landscape architects and registered interior designers, and all three devices share the same circles with only the legend changing. A principal registered in two of the three needs two dies, and at a glance they look almost identical. Check the legend on the proof, not the outline.
Arkansas landscape architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Arkansas rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XII.A (Design and Use of Landscape Architect’s Seal), effective February 7, 2022 |
| Required elements | Your name as registered, Your license registration number and REGISTERED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT and STATE OF ARKANSAS | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XII.A |
| Size and shape | Two concentric circles, 1.5 inches and 1 inch in diameter. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XII.A, Seal Design Requirements |
| Device allowed | Metal impression, rubber stamp or printed, with any legible reproduction method permitted. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XII.A, Seal Design Requirements |
| Signature and date | Seal, signature and date of affixation together on original contract documents. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XII.A, Use of Landscape Architect’s Seal |
| What must be sealed | All original contract documents, including index sheets and cover pages identifying the specification pages covered; presentation documents are excluded. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XII.A, Use of Landscape Architect’s Seal |
| Electronic seal | Handled through the release legend rather than a signature technology. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XII.A, Use of Landscape Architect’s Seal |
| Renewal and lapse | Not addressed in the seal sections. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XII.A (silent as to lapse and surrender) |
| Firm requirements | Not applicable. | ASBALAID Administrative Rules, Section XII.C |
| Regulator | The Arkansas State Board of Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers | Arkansas State Board of Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers, Administrative Rules effective February 7, 2022, Section XII (Landscape Architect’s Seal), read from the Board’s Laws and Rules page at the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, alongside Sections XI and XIII for the architect and interior designer devices. Arkansas agency rules were codified into the Code of Arkansas Rules effective January 1, 2025, so a Code of Arkansas Rules citation may now also attach |
Is a seal required in Arkansas?
Section XII.A provides that “Each registered landscape architect shall procure a seal that shall contain the name of the registered landscape architect, license registration number, and the words” that follow, namely REGISTERED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT and STATE OF ARKANSAS, which the rule prints as one legend with a dash between the two phrases. The use paragraph requires the landscape architect to affix the seal, a signature and the date of affixation to all original contract documents, including index sheets and any cover page identifying which specification pages the seal covers. Presentation documents need not be sealed.
What must appear on the seal
- Your name as registered
- Your license registration number
- REGISTERED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT and STATE OF ARKANSAS
The outer ring carries Registered Landscape Architect and State of Arkansas; the inner circle carries the name and registration number. Any legible reproduction method is permitted. Nothing else is authorized on the face, and in particular the architect legend from Section XI and the interior designer legend from Section XIII are not interchangeable with this one even though all three devices share the same circles.
Size and shape
Two concentric circles, 1.5 inches and 1 inch in diameter. The design paragraph specifies a metal impression, rubber stamp or printed format with two concentric circles at 1.5 inches and 1 inch. Two independently phrased readings of the Board’s published rules returned the same figures. This is not the Arkansas engineering and surveying dimension, which is a 1 1/4 to 2 inch range with a milled edge under 17 CAR § 285-602(d)(2).
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Metal impression, rubber stamp or printed, with any legible reproduction method permitted. The safe buy is a rubber stamp at 1.5 inches outside diameter, because the seal has to carry a signature and a date beside it on original contract documents and must read on reproductions.
Signing and dating
Seal, signature and date of affixation together on original contract documents. Signature reproductions by rubber stamp or computer generated signature are contemplated on original documents in the same section, so take the exact wording from the current rule before restating either point. The rules do not require the signature to cross the impression.
Unauthorized use is defined as aiding unlicensed practice
Section XII.B does not merely forbid lending the stamp. It lists three situations that constitute a violation: letting the seal appear on drawings or specifications prepared by unregistered persons or without direct supervision; on documents bearing the names of unregistered persons who are not identified as engineers or consultants; and on materials that unlicensed persons were contracted to prepare or furnish. The rule then characterises the violation as aiding unlicensed practice, which is a harsher framing than a simple misuse-of-seal clause.
Which documents must be sealed
All original contract documents, including index sheets and cover pages identifying the specification pages covered; presentation documents are excluded. Incomplete contract documents may circulate for interim review unsealed if they carry the landscape architect’s name and are clearly marked for review only and not for construction. Consultant sheets retained by the landscape architect must bear the consultant’s seal and registration number. Section XII.C provides that a landscape architect need not seal consultant-prepared documents except for index and cover sheets describing work performed by both. Once sealed documents leave the office the seal may not be removed except on an electronic reference file carrying the prescribed record-copy legend.
Electronic and digital seals
Handled through the release legend rather than a signature technology. An electronic reference file released at the client’s request must carry the legend naming the individual and address holding the record copy and stating that the electronic document is released for reference, coordination or facility management and shall not be used for construction. No certificate authority, cryptographic standard or digital signature criteria appear in Section XII.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Not addressed in the seal sections. Sections XII.A and XII.B govern design, use and unauthorized use and say nothing about expiration, suspension, revocation, surrender of the device, or whether the registration number changes on reinstatement. The sources here are the Board’s published Administrative Rules seal sections for all three professions and its Laws and Rules page.
Firm requirements
Not applicable. The Board issues no landscape architecture firm seal and puts no firm number on the individual device. Section XII.C deals with consultants, not firms. Compare the Arkansas engineering and surveying board, where 17 CAR § 285-602(c) requires a separate firm seal bearing the firm name and certificate of authorization number.
What to check before you order
Order a device built as two concentric circles, 1.5 inches and 1 inch in diameter, with REGISTERED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT and STATE OF ARKANSAS in the space between them and your name and license registration number inside the inner circle. A metal impression, a rubber stamp or a printed seal all qualify, and a rubber stamp is the practical choice. Affix the seal, your signature and the date of affixation to all original contract documents, including index sheets and any cover page identifying the specification pages your seal covers. Mark incomplete documents for review only and not for construction, and keep your name on them. If a client asks for an electronic reference file, release it with the prescribed record-copy legend rather than removing the seal.
Browse landscape architect stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for landscape architects in Arkansas?
Yes. Section XII.A of the Administrative Rules, effective February 7, 2022, requires each registered landscape architect to procure a seal, and the use paragraph requires you to affix the seal, a signature and the date of affixation to all original contract documents, including index sheets and any cover page identifying which specification pages the seal covers. Presentation documents need not be sealed.
What has to appear on an Arkansas landscape architect seal?
Three things: your name as registered, your license registration number, and the words REGISTERED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT and STATE OF ARKANSAS. The two legends sit in the outer ring, the name and number sit inside the inner circle. Nothing else is authorized on the face, and in particular the architect legend from Section XI and the interior designer legend from Section XIII are not interchangeable with this one even though all three devices share the same circles.
What size is an Arkansas landscape architect seal?
Two concentric circles at 1.5 inches and 1 inch in diameter. Section XII.A gives both figures and allows a metal impression, a rubber stamp or a printed format at those dimensions. It is worth saying again that the Arkansas engineering and surveying seal is a different device entirely, sized on a 1 1/4 to 2 inch range with a milled edge under 17 CAR § 285-602(d)(2).
Stamp, embosser or printed seal in Arkansas?
All three are permitted. Section XII.A names a metal impression, a rubber stamp or a printed format, and allows any legible reproduction method. A rubber stamp at 1.5 inches outside diameter is the practical choice, because the seal has to carry a signature and a date beside it on original contract documents and has to read on reproductions.
Does the signature go across the Arkansas seal?
The rules do not require it. What Section XII.A requires is the seal, the signature and the date of affixation together on original contract documents. Signature reproductions by rubber stamp or computer generated signature are contemplated on original documents in the same section, so take the exact wording from the current rule before relying on either point.
Which Arkansas documents have to be sealed?
All original contract documents, including index sheets and cover pages identifying the specification pages covered. Presentation documents are excluded. Incomplete contract documents may circulate for interim review unsealed if they carry your name and are clearly marked for review only and not for construction. Consultant sheets you retain must bear the consultant’s seal and registration number, and Section XII.C provides that you need not seal consultant-prepared documents except for index and cover sheets describing work performed by both.
Can I release an electronic file with my Arkansas seal on it?
Yes, but with the prescribed legend attached rather than the seal removed. An electronic reference file released at the client’s request must carry the legend naming the individual and address holding the record copy and stating that the electronic document is released for reference, coordination or facility management and shall not be used for construction. Once sealed documents leave the office the seal may not be removed except on such a reference file. Section XII names no certificate authority, cryptographic standard or digital signature criteria.
What counts as unauthorized use of an Arkansas landscape architect seal?
Section XII.B lists three situations and then characterises them as aiding unlicensed practice, which is a harsher framing than a simple misuse clause. They are: letting the seal appear on drawings or specifications prepared by unregistered persons or without direct supervision; on documents bearing the names of unregistered persons who are not identified as engineers or consultants; and on materials that unlicensed persons were contracted to prepare or furnish.
Does an Arkansas landscape architecture firm need a seal?
No. The Board issues no landscape architecture firm seal and puts no firm number on the individual device. Section XII.C deals with consultants, not firms. That differs from the Arkansas engineering and surveying board, where 17 CAR § 285-602(c) requires a separate firm seal bearing the firm name and certificate of authorization number.
What do the Arkansas rules say about a lapsed license and the seal?
Sections XII.A and XII.B govern design, use and unauthorized use, and they say nothing about expiration, suspension, revocation, surrender of the device, or whether the registration number changes on reinstatement. Those questions are handled outside the seal sections, so take them to the Board rather than to a supplier.
