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 Michigan Board of Architects, administered by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 339.2007, 339.2008 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
A Michigan seal that existed on September 1, 1992 reading “registered architect” is still acceptable. Michigan changed the legend from registered to licensed effective that date, and MCL 339.2007(1) preserved the old devices, so a long practicing Michigan architect may be filing with a legend no supplier would cut today and doing so lawfully. A newly licensed architect gets no such option and carries Licensed Architect.
For everyone else the face is set by R 339.15404(1): your name and your full license number exactly as shown on your state issued Michigan architect license, State of Michigan and Licensed Architect in the surrounding legend, and a design substantially equivalent to figure 404 in the rule. No firm or corporate name, no expiration date and no branch line.
Michigan states no dimension at all. The rule sets the standard by a picture and gives no diameter, and neither MCL 339.2007 nor MCL 339.2008 states one. Rules R 339.15101 to R 339.15507 read the same way. Any supplier quoting a Michigan architect diameter is quoting a house convention rather than a rule.
Michigan architect seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Michigan rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 339.2007, 339.2008 |
| Required elements | Your name as shown on your state issued architect license; Your full license number as shown on that license; State of Michigan in the legend surrounding the seal; Licensed Architect in the legend surrounding the seal; A design substantially equivalent to figure 404 in the rule | Mich. Admin. Code R 339.15404(1) |
| Size and shape | Not addressed. No diameter, minimum or maximum, appears in the architect rules or in the statute. Michigan sets the standard by picture instead, requiring a design substantially equivalent to figure 404. The sources. | Mich. Admin. Code R 339.15404 (silent) |
| Device allowed | Three families are legal and the statute names them. | Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 339.2007(3), 339.2008(1) |
| Signature and date | Seal and signature together, with no dating rule in the statute or the rule. | Mich. Comp. Laws § 339.2007(2), (3) |
| What must be sealed | MCL 339.2008(1) lists them: a plan, plat, drawing, map, and the title sheet of specifications, an addendum, bulletin, or report, or, if a bound copy is submitted, the index sheets of a plan, specification, or report, where prepared by a licensee and required to be submitted to a governmental agency for approval or record. | Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 339.2008(1), (2), (3), 339.2012 |
| Electronic seal | Michigan authorized the electronic seal in the statute and named no technology. | Mich. Comp. Laws § 339.2007(3), as amended by 2013 Act 178, eff. Feb. 25, 2014 |
| Renewal and lapse | Sealing stops with the license. | Mich. Comp. Laws § 339.2007(2) |
| Firm requirements | Firm approval, not a firm seal. | Mich. Comp. Laws § 339.2010 |
| Regulator | The Michigan Board of Architects, administered by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs | Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 339.2007, 339.2008, 339.2010, 339.2012, Michigan Occupational Code art. 20, read in full from the Michigan Legislature |
Is a seal required in Michigan?
Michigan splits the duty between statute and rule, and the statute is shared with engineers and surveyors. MCL 339.2007(1) creates the device: “When he or she is licensed, a licensee shall obtain or adopt a seal, in a form authorized by the appropriate board, that bears the licensee’s name and the legend indicating either ‘licensed architect’, ‘licensed professional engineer’, or ‘licensed professional surveyor’.” MCL 339.2007(2) supplies the trigger: “A licensee shall apply his or her seal and signature to a plan, specification, plat, or report that is issued by the licensee and filed with a public authority.” MCL 339.2008(1) repeats the duty at document level for anything going to a governmental agency for approval or record. The board rule, R 339.15404(1), then fixes what the face must say.
What must appear on the seal
- Your name as shown on your state issued architect license
- Your full license number as shown on that license
- State of Michigan in the legend surrounding the seal
- Licensed Architect in the legend surrounding the seal
- A design substantially equivalent to figure 404 in the rule
Almost nothing is optional. R 339.15404(1) requires the name and “full license number, as shown on the licensee’s state-issued architect license”, the two legend lines, and a design substantially equivalent to figure 404. There is one grandfather clause, and it sits in the statute rather than the rule: MCL 339.2007(1) provides that a seal existing on September 1, 1992 bearing the legend “registered architect” is still acceptable where a seal is required under state law. No firm or corporate name belongs on the face, no expiration date, and no branch line.
Size and shape
Not addressed. No diameter, minimum or maximum, appears in the architect rules or in the statute. Michigan sets the standard by picture instead, requiring a design substantially equivalent to figure 404. The sources here are R 339.15101 to R 339.15507 in full, the current Architects General Rules published through the Michigan Administrative Rules System, together with MCL 339.2007 and MCL 339.2008.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Three families are legal and the statute names them. MCL 339.2008(1) requires the document to “carry the embossed, printed, or electronic seal of the person in responsible charge.” Printed covers an inked rubber or self inking stamp, embossed covers a crimping seal, and electronic is defined in MCL 339.2007(3)(a) as a seal created by electronic or optical means and affixed electronically. The safe buy is an inked stamp. Michigan architectural output is filed with municipal building departments that work from reproductions, and an unfilled embossed impression does not survive a scan.
Signing and dating
Seal and signature together, with no dating rule in the statute or the rule. MCL 339.2007(2) requires the licensee to apply “his or her seal and signature” to the filed document. MCL 339.2007(3)(b) defines an electronic signature as one created by electronic or optical means and affixed electronically with intent to sign, and 339.2007(3)(d) provides that “Signature” includes an electronic signature. Nothing requires the signature to cross the seal, and nothing requires a date beside it. The sources here are R 339.15404 and both statute sections.
One statute, three professions, and a 1992 legend change that is still grandfathered
MCL 339.2007 is not an architect statute. It is Article 20 of the Occupational Code, and the same subsection creates the seal for licensed architects, licensed professional engineers and licensed professional surveyors. What separates them is one line of text in the legend, and the board rule that fixes the rest of the face is different for each: R 339.15404 for architects, R 339.16032 for engineers, R 339.17301 for surveyors. Copying an engineer’s Michigan artwork and swapping the words is the wrong starting point, because each rule points to a different figure.
Which documents must be sealed
MCL 339.2008(1) lists them: a plan, plat, drawing, map, and the title sheet of specifications, an addendum, bulletin, or report, or, if a bound copy is submitted, the index sheets of a plan, specification, or report, where prepared by a licensee and required to be submitted to a governmental agency for approval or record. MCL 339.2008(3) bars a licensee from sealing a document not prepared by the licensee or under the licensee’s supervision as person in responsible charge. MCL 339.2008(2) allows an architect who seals a project to perform incidental engineering services where the two professions overlap. Article 20 also carries an exemption section at MCL 339.2012, Persons exempted, whose text is not published in readable form and is identified here by citation only.
Electronic and digital seals
Michigan authorized the electronic seal in the statute and named no technology. The 2013 amendment effective February 25, 2014 added MCL 339.2007(3), which defines electronic seal and electronic signature and then provides that “Seal” includes an electronic seal and “Signature” includes an electronic signature. MCL 339.2008(1) accepts an electronic seal on the filed document. No certificate authority, hash standard or tamper evident container is specified anywhere in the Architects General Rules. The sources here are R 339.15101 to R 339.15507 in full.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Sealing stops with the license. MCL 339.2007(2) provides that “If the license of the licensee named on a document has expired or is suspended or revoked, a person shall not apply the licensee’s seal or signature to the document unless the license is renewed, reinstated, or reissued.” R 339.15404(2) adds that the seal “must be used by the licensee whose name appears on the seal for as long as the license is in effect” and makes the licensee responsible for its security. Because no expiration date belongs on the face and the license number does not change on renewal, an existing die never goes stale. Relicensure is handled at R 339.15304.
Firm requirements
Firm approval, not a firm seal. MCL 339.2010(1) allows a firm to practice architecture if not less than two thirds of its principals are licensees, and 339.2010(2) requires a nonlicensed principal and the principal’s firm to apply for and receive department approval. MCL 339.2010(4) requires a person in responsible charge in the field offered at each Michigan place of business, except a field office providing only construction review. No firm number goes on the seal and Michigan issues no architectural firm seal.
What to check before you order
Order an inked stamp reproducing figure 404 from R 339.15404. Put your name and your full license number exactly as they appear on your state issued Michigan architect license, with State of Michigan and Licensed Architect in the surrounding legend. Michigan states no diameter, so size for legibility on a filed sheet. Do not add a firm name, an expiration date or a branch line. If you have held your license since before September 1, 1992 and your existing seal reads registered architect, MCL 339.2007(1) lets you keep using it. An embosser and an electronic seal are both lawful, but the permit sets that go to a Michigan building department are reproductions, so an inked device is the one that reads.
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Frequently asked questions
Is an architect seal required in Michigan?
Yes. MCL 339.2007(1) requires a licensee, when licensed, to obtain or adopt a seal in a form authorized by the appropriate board bearing the licensee’s name and a legend indicating licensed architect, licensed professional engineer or licensed professional surveyor. MCL 339.2007(2) supplies the trigger: “A licensee shall apply his or her seal and signature to a plan, specification, plat, or report that is issued by the licensee and filed with a public authority.” MCL 339.2008(1) repeats the duty at document level for anything going to a governmental agency for approval or record.
What has to appear on a Michigan architect seal?
Five things under R 339.15404(1): your name as shown on your state issued architect license, your full license number as shown on that license, State of Michigan in the legend, Licensed Architect in the legend, and a design substantially equivalent to figure 404. The rule polices content closely, so the name and number have to match the license rather than a preferred styling.
What size is a Michigan architect seal?
No diameter, minimum or maximum, appears anywhere. R 339.15404 sets the standard by requiring a design substantially equivalent to figure 404, and MCL 339.2007 and 339.2008 are silent. The current Architects General Rules, R 339.15101 to R 339.15507, contain no figure. Size for legibility on a filed sheet.
Can I use an embosser in Michigan?
Yes, and three families are named. MCL 339.2008(1) requires the document to “carry the embossed, printed, or electronic seal of the person in responsible charge.” Printed covers an inked rubber or self-inking stamp, embossed covers a crimping seal, and electronic is defined at MCL 339.2007(3)(a) as a seal created by electronic or optical means and affixed electronically. An inked stamp is the practical buy, because Michigan architectural output is filed with municipal building departments that work from reproductions and an unfilled embossed impression does not survive a scan.
My Michigan seal says registered architect. Is it still valid?
If it existed on September 1, 1992, yes. MCL 339.2007(1) provides that a seal existing on that date bearing the legend registered architect is still acceptable where a seal is required under state law. That is a statutory grandfather clause rather than an informal tolerance. A seal cut after that date carries Licensed Architect.
Does Michigan require a date next to the seal?
No. MCL 339.2007(2) requires the licensee to apply “his or her seal and signature” to the filed document, and nothing in the statute or in R 339.15404 requires a date beside it or requires the signature to cross the seal. MCL 339.2007(3)(b) defines an electronic signature as one created by electronic or optical means and affixed electronically with intent to sign, and (3)(d) provides that Signature includes an electronic signature.
Which documents have to be sealed in Michigan?
MCL 339.2008(1) lists them: a plan, plat, drawing, map, and the title sheet of specifications, an addendum, bulletin, or report, or, if a bound copy is submitted, the index sheets of a plan, specification, or report, where prepared by a licensee and required to be submitted to a governmental agency for approval or record. MCL 339.2008(3) bars a licensee from sealing a document not prepared by the licensee or under the licensee’s supervision as person in responsible charge. MCL 339.2008(2) allows an architect who seals a project to perform incidental engineering services where the two professions overlap. Article 20 also carries an exemption section at MCL 339.2012.
Does Michigan set a digital signature standard?
No. Michigan authorized the electronic seal in the statute and named no technology. The 2013 amendment effective February 25, 2014 added MCL 339.2007(3), which defines electronic seal and electronic signature and provides that Seal includes an electronic seal and Signature includes an electronic signature, and MCL 339.2008(1) accepts an electronic seal on the filed document. No certificate authority, hash standard or tamper evident container is specified anywhere in the Architects General Rules, R 339.15101 to R 339.15507.
Can I seal after my Michigan license expires?
No. MCL 339.2007(2) provides that “If the license of the licensee named on a document has expired or is suspended or revoked, a person shall not apply the licensee’s seal or signature to the document unless the license is renewed, reinstated, or reissued.” R 339.15404(2) adds that the seal “must be used by the licensee whose name appears on the seal for as long as the license is in effect” and makes the licensee responsible for its security. Because no expiration date belongs on the face and the license number does not change on renewal, an existing die never goes stale. Relicensure is at R 339.15304.
Does a Michigan architecture firm get its own seal?
No. MCL 339.2010(1) allows a firm to practice architecture if not less than two thirds of its principals are licensees, and 339.2010(2) requires a nonlicensed principal and the principal’s firm to apply for and receive department approval. MCL 339.2010(4) requires a person in responsible charge in the field offered at each Michigan place of business, except a field office providing only construction review. No firm number goes on the seal and Michigan issues no architectural firm seal.
