North Carolina · Architect seal requirements
North Carolina Architect seal requirements: size, wording, and the rule that sets them
As of
Architects in North Carolina seal under 21 NCAC 02 .0206 (Requirement for and Use of Professional Seal by an Architect or Registered Interior Designer); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 83A-10(a), administered by the North Carolina Board of Architecture and Registered Interior Designers. The seal reads “Licensed Architect”. Two concentric circles, 1½ to 1¾ inches in diameter. The firm seal is the same size.
The seal design rule for engineers and land surveyors is 21 NCAC 56 .1102; .1103 governs how the seal is used, and summaries that cite .1103 for the seal's appearance are citing the wrong rule. 21 NCAC 56 .0104 describes the Board's own official seal — the Great Seal of the State with the Board name on the perimeter — and is not the licensee's seal. The Code and the statutes name the engineering and surveying board the "North Carolina State Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors" (21 NCAC 56 .0101; G.S. 47-30(d)), while the Board itself uses the shorter "North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors" on its own site; the Code form is used here. The architect rule, 21 NCAC 02 .0206, was readopted effective June 1, 2026 and is the current text; the readoption added language to Paragraph (d) permitting unlocked copies of sealed construction documents to be provided for plan review approval stamps or contractor material takeoffs where document content is not effectively being altered. North Carolina also registers interior designers through the architecture board under the same rule, but their seal is two concentric ovals two inches tall by 2.75 inches wide bearing "Registered Interior Designer" (21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(5)(B)) — a different credential from an architect and not a circular seal. The North Carolina Administrative Code is published by the Office of Administrative Hearings on a server that answers over HTTP only, which is why the rule links here are http:// rather than https://.
North Carolina Architect seal
- Legend
- “Licensed Architect”
- Diameter
- Two concentric circles, 1½ to 1¾ inches in diameter. The firm seal is the same size.
- Expiration date
- Two concentric circles carrying "North Carolina" and the licensee's name outside, and the license number with "Licensed Architect" inside. No date.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(3)(B))
- Signature date
- The handwritten signature is part of the individual seal and "shall appear across the face of each original seal imprint along with the date of affixation"; on paper the date must be hand dated, not a facsimile.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(3)(C))
- City on seal
- The rule does not require a city on the seal.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(3)(B))
- The standard design of the seal is two concentric circles in which "North Carolina" and the name of the licensee are placed within the outermost circle and in which the license number of the licensee and "Licensed Architect" are placed within the innermost circle.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(3)(B))
- The seal may be a rubber stamp, embossed seal, computer-generated seal, or other facsimile that becomes a permanent addition to original paper drawings or sets of specifications for use in this State.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(3)(A))
- The original, handwritten signature of the individual named on the seal is part of the individual seal and shall appear across the face of each original seal imprint along with the date of affixation. Signature reproductions such as rubber stamps, computer generated or other facsimiles are not permitted on paper copies.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(3)(C))
- The seal goes on the cover sheet of each design and on each drawing the architect prepared for it, on the index page identifying each set of specifications, and on the index page of all other technical submissions.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(7))
- A licensed architectural firm must use a firm seal in addition to, and not in substitution for, the individual seal, affixed on the cover sheet. The firm seal is two concentric circles 1½ to 1¾ inches in diameter with the firm's approved name between the circles and the firm license number in the innermost circle; a professional corporation adds "Architectural Corporation, North Carolina" and a professional limited liability company adds "Architectural Company" along the inside perimeter of the inner circle.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(4)(B), (a)(12); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 83A-10(a))
- Presentation documents such as renderings used to communicate conceptual information shall not be sealed or signed, and post-construction record drawings shall not be sealed but must bear the architect's name and the prescribed disclaimer.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(8), (c))
- Sheets prepared by licensed professional consultants such as structural, mechanical or electrical engineers shall bear that consultant's own seal and license number and shall not be sealed by the architect.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(10))
- Documents for use in this State that are transmitted electronically beyond the direct control of the licensee shall have the computer-generated image of the seal removed from the original file unless signed with a conforming digital signature, with this inserted in lieu of the signature and date: "This document was originally issued and sealed by (name of sealer), (license or registration number), on (date of sealing). This medium shall not be considered a certified document."(21 NCAC 02 .0206(e))
- Unlocked copies of sealed construction documents may be provided to entities to allow for electronic usage where document content is not effectively being altered, such as when presented for plan review approval stamps or contractor material takeoffs; an effective alteration means a change that may impact health, safety, or welfare, such as a change to egress or a change to window placement.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(d))
North Carolina architect seal questions
Is the North Carolina architect legend "Registered Architect" or "Licensed Architect"?▾
The architect legend is "Licensed Architect". "Registered Architect" is not a North Carolina credential — "Registered Interior Designer" is the separate registration issued by the same board, on an oval seal. (21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(3)(B), (a)(5)(B))
Does a North Carolina architect seal work on an exempt project?▾
Yes. 21 NCAC 02 .0206(a) opens by providing that an architect shall seal his or her work whether or not the work is for an exempt project as defined in G.S. 83A-13. The rule does not carve exempt projects out of the sealing requirement; it names them and requires the seal anyway. The same sentence adds the limit that does apply — an architect shall not sign or seal drawings, specifications, reports or other professional work that was not prepared by the architect or under his or her responsible control. (21 NCAC 02 .0206(a); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 83A-13)
Where does a North Carolina architect sign in relation to the seal?▾
Across its face, not beside it. 21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(3)(C) makes the original, handwritten signature of the individual named on the seal part of the individual seal, and requires it to appear across the face of each original seal imprint along with the date of affixation; (a)(11) puts it plainly, that the architect must personally sign over the imprint of the seal. Signature reproductions — rubber stamps, computer generated, or other facsimiles — are not permitted on paper copies in lieu of actual handwritten and hand dated signatures. The engineering board's rule is looser on placement: there the written signature may be placed over, or adjacent to, the seal. (21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(3)(C) and (a)(11); cf. 21 NCAC 56 .1103(a)(3))
What must a North Carolina architecture firm's seal say?▾
It depends on how the firm is organized, and it never replaces the individual seal. 21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(4)(B) puts the firm's approved name between the two circles and the firm license number in the innermost circle, at the same 1½ to 1¾ inch size as the individual seal, and then adds words along the inside perimeter of the inner circle that differ by entity type: "Architectural Corporation, North Carolina" for a professional corporation, and "Architectural Company" for a professional limited liability company. The firm seal must be affixed on the cover sheet in addition to the individual seal, and the firm must designate a principal or other authorized individual to be responsible for its security. (21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(4)(B) and (a)(12); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 83A-10(a))
Which documents may a North Carolina architect not seal?▾
Four kinds, and two of them carry wording the rule dictates. Presentation documents such as renderings used to communicate conceptual information shall not be sealed or signed. Sheets or pages prepared by licensed professional consultants, such as structural, mechanical or electrical engineers, bear that consultant's own seal and license number and shall not be sealed by the architect. Incomplete documents may be released for interim review without the seal or signature, but must be dated, bear the architect's name and be marked "Incomplete - for interim review only and not intended for bidding, procurement, permit, or construction purposes." Post-construction record drawings shall not be sealed and must state that "these drawings are post construction record drawings and are based in part upon the representations of others and are not for bidding, procurement, permit, or construction purposes." (21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(8), (a)(9), (a)(10) and (c))
Can a North Carolina architect seal another architect's prototype plans?▾
Yes, on conditions, and the first architect's seal stays on the sheets rather than coming off. 21 NCAC 02 .0206(b) lets prototypical building design documents prepared by an architect licensed in this State or in the state of origin be sealed by a succeeding North Carolina architect provided the original architect's seal appears on the documents to authenticate authorship; the words "Prototypical Design Documents/Not for Construction" appear on each sheet by the original architect; the successor identifies all modifications and assumes responsibility for the adequacy of the design for the specific application in North Carolina; and the successor's seal is accompanied by the statement "These documents have been examined by the undersigned. I have determined that they comply with existing local North Carolina codes, and I assume responsibility for the adequacy of the design for the specific application in North Carolina." (21 NCAC 02 .0206(b))
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