California Architect seal requirements: size, wording, and the rule that sets them

No. California architects are licensed by the California Architects Board, and the stamp rule is that board's own regulation, 16 CCR § 136, with the mandatory contents set by Business and Professions Code § 5536.1(b). The Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists has no part in it, and its seal rule at 16 CCR § 411 does not reach architects — which is why a guide that gives one California authority for all three professions gets the architect's stamp wrong. (16 CCR § 136; B&P Code § 5536.1(b))

Circular, not less than one inch and not more than two inches in diameter. Of the three California seal rules this is the only one with a ceiling: the engineer's and the land surveyor's seals under 16 CCR § 411 set a 1½-inch floor and name no maximum. A one-inch stamp is correct for an architect and too small for either of the others, so the sizes are not interchangeable between the professions. (16 CCR § 136(a); 16 CCR § 411(a)-(b))

No. 16 CCR § 136(b) says flatly that the stamp shall not be of the embossing type, so a California architect's stamp has to be a visible mark on the document rather than a crimped impression. The engineer's rule runs the other way — 16 CCR § 411(e) expressly allows a permanent impression — so an architect who also holds an engineering license cannot carry that habit across. (16 CCR § 136(b))

The renewal date. B&P Code § 5536.1(b) requires the stamp itself to provide a means of indicating the renewal date of the license, and 16 CCR § 136(c) gives exactly two ways to do it: leave a space on the stamp for the architect to write the date in, or have the date printed on the stamp. The Board's own stamp guidance notes that a typeset date will require replacement every two years. (B&P Code § 5536.1(b); 16 CCR § 136(c); California Architects Board, Stamp Requirements)

Yes. 16 CCR § 136(a) asks only for a circular stamp of a design similar to the examples printed with the rule, bearing the § 5536.1(b) elements. The Board's stamp guidance confirms the circle may be drawn in solid lines thin or thick, in dashes or dots, or as a rope, beaded or worded effect, and that embellishments such as stars and graphic designs are acceptable so long as the stamp stays legible. California prescribes the contents, not the artwork. (16 CCR § 136(a); California Architects Board, Stamp Requirements)