Colorado · Architect seal requirements
Colorado Architect seal requirements: size, wording, and the rule that sets them
As of
Architects in Colorado seal under Board Rule 1.7(A), 4 CCR 730-1 (Sealing Requirements for Architects), administered by the State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers, and Professional Land Surveyors. The seal reads “COLORADO LICENSED ARCHITECT”. The outer circle is nominally 1-5/8 inches (41 mm) in diameter and the inner circle nominally 15/16 inches (24 mm).
One board licenses architects, professional engineers and professional land surveyors in Colorado, and all three seals share the same two-circle geometry — only the bottom arc changes. Rule 1.5(A)(1) deems engineer and land surveyor seals obtained before July 1, 2005 acceptable; Rule 1.7(A)(1) does the same for architect seals obtained before September 1, 2015.
Colorado Architect seal
- Board
- State Board of Licensure for Architects, Professional Engineers, and Professional Land Surveyors
- Legend
- “COLORADO LICENSED ARCHITECT”
- Diameter
- The outer circle is nominally 1-5/8 inches (41 mm) in diameter and the inner circle nominally 15/16 inches (24 mm).
- Expiration date
- The rule does not require the license expiration date on the seal.(Board Rule 1.7(A)(1), 4 CCR 730-1; C.R.S. § 12-120-417(1))
- Signature date
- The signature and the date of the signature appear across the face of each original seal imprint.(Board Rule 1.7(A)(1) and 1.7(A)(3), 4 CCR 730-1)
- City on seal
- The rule does not require a city on the seal.(Board Rule 1.7(A)(1), 4 CCR 730-1)
- The top arc reads "COLORADO LICENSED" and the bottom arc "ARCHITECT", with your name over your license number in the inner area.(Board Rule 1.7(A)(1), illustrated design)
- The original signature of the individual named on the seal and the date of the signature shall appear across the face of each original seal imprint. The only exception is where a federal contract requires otherwise.(Board Rule 1.7(A)(1))
- The stamp may be embossing type, rubber stamp type or electronically generated, and must be affixed directly to the reproduction drawings and specifications.(Board Rule 1.7(A)(1))
Colorado architect seal questions
What does the bottom arc of a Colorado architect seal say?▾
The single word ARCHITECT. The statutory designation is "Colorado licensed architect", but the design incorporated into Board Rule 1.7(A)(1) splits it between the arcs — "COLORADO LICENSED" across the top and "ARCHITECT" across the bottom, with the name over the license number in the middle. Setting "LICENSED ARCHITECT" in the bottom arc repeats a word the top arc already carries and departs from the approved design. (C.R.S. § 12-120-417(1); Board Rule 1.7(A)(1), 4 CCR 730-1, and the design incorporated in it)
Can a Colorado architect keep using an older seal design?▾
Yes, and two different cut-offs govern. C.R.S. § 12-120-417(1) lets architects licensed before July 1, 2013 continue to use their existing seals, while Board Rule 1.7(A)(1) deems any seal obtained before September 1, 2015 acceptable. One test keys off the date of licensure and the other off the date the seal was obtained, and both dates are architect-specific: the engineer and land surveyor statutes use July 1, 2004 and their rules use July 1, 2005. (C.R.S. § 12-120-417(1); Board Rule 1.7(A)(1), 4 CCR 730-1)
Is there any exception to signing across a Colorado architect's seal?▾
One, and it is narrow. Board Rule 1.7(A)(1) requires the original signature of the individual named on the seal and the date of that signature to appear across the face of each original seal imprint, and then allows an exception "only as required for compliance with a federal contract". No other reason — a title block convention, a plan-check preference, an electronic workflow — moves the signature and date off the face of the seal. (Board Rule 1.7(A)(1), 4 CCR 730-1)
Does a Colorado architect's electronic stamp have to appear on every sheet issued?▾
Yes. Board Rule 1.7(A)(1) puts an electronically generated stamp on the same footing as an embossing type or rubber stamp type seal, and then requires the seal to “be affixed directly to the reproduction drawings and specifications”. Sealing one master and issuing copies made from it does not satisfy that sentence, because the reproductions themselves carry no seal. (Board Rule 1.7(A)(1), 4 CCR 730-1)
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