North Carolina Interior Designer seal requirements: proper sizing, signing and sealing of documents

North Carolina Interior Designer seal

Board

North Carolina Board of Architecture and Registered Interior Designers

Seal requirements

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 83A-10(b); 21 NCAC 02 .0206

Legend

“North Carolina, Registered Interior Designer”

Diameter

Two inches tall by 2.75 inches wide. The rule prescribes an oval, not a circle, so there is no single diameter: "The dimensions shall be two inches tall by 2.75 inches wide."

Expiration date

No expiration or renewal date appears on the seal. 21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(5)(B) lists only "North Carolina", the registrant's name, the registration number and "Registered Interior Designer"; the date required is the hand-written date of affixation next to the signature.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(5)(B), (a)(5)(C))

Signature date

The date of affixation must be hand written across the face of the seal imprint alongside the original handwritten signature; stamped or computer-generated dates and signatures are not permitted on paper.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(5)(C); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 83A-10(b))

City on seal

No city, address or place of business is required on the seal. The four elements named in 21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(5)(B) do not include one.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(5)(B))

• Each registered interior designer shall obtain a seal as prescribed by the Board. A document issued by the registered interior designer and being filed for public record shall bear the signature and seal of the interior designer who prepared or approved the document and the date on which it was sealed.(N.C. Gen. Stat. § 83A-10(b))
• The standard design of the seal shall be two concentric ovals in which "North Carolina" and the name of the registrant are placed within the outermost oval and in which the registration number of the registrant and "Registered Interior Designer" be placed within the innermost oval. The dimensions shall be two inches tall by 2.75 inches wide.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(5)(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. "For use in this State" means drawings and sets of specifications prepared for bidding, procurement, permitting, or for construction.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(5)(A))
• The original, handwritten signature of the individual named on the seal shall be considered part of the individual seal and shall appear across the face of each original seal imprint along with the date of affixation. The use of signature reproductions such as rubber stamps, computer generated, or other facsimiles on paper are not permitted in lieu of actual handwritten and hand dated signatures.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(5)(C))
• A registered interior designer may seal those portions of the professional work that were prepared by or under the responsible control of persons who are registered interior designers in this State if the registered interior designer has reviewed in whole or in part such portions and has either coordinated their preparation or integrated them into their work.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(2))
• Registered interior designers shall affix their seal on one original of all their drawings and sets of specifications prepared by them for use in this State: on the cover sheet of each design and on each drawing prepared for the design; 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))
• Presentation documents, such as renderings used to communicate conceptual information, shall not be sealed or signed.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(8))
• Documents considered incomplete may be released for interim review without the seal or signature affixed, but shall be dated, bear the registered interior designer's name, and be marked "Incomplete - for interim review only and not intended for bidding, procurement, permit, or construction purposes."(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(9))
• Sheets or pages prepared by licensed professional consultants, such as structural, mechanical or electrical engineers retained by the registered interior designer, shall bear the seal and license number of the consultant responsible and shall not be sealed by the registered interior designer.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(10))
• The use of the prescribed seal on paper is an individual act whereby the registered interior designer must personally sign over the imprint of the seal. By sealing documents for use in this State the registrant represents that he or she is in responsible control over the content of such documents and has applied the required professional standard of care; the registrant is responsible for security of the seal when not in use.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(11))
• Documents electronically transmitted beyond the direct control of the registrant that are signed using a digital signature shall contain the authentication procedure in a secure mode and a list of the hardware, software, and parameters used to prepare the documents; the digital signature shall be unique to the person using it, capable of verification, under that person's sole control, and linked to the document so that it is invalidated if any data in the document is changed.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(d))
• Documents for use in this State transmitted electronically beyond the registrant's direct control shall have the computer-generated image of the seal removed from the original file unless signed with a digital signature, and after removal must carry: "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))
• A registered interior design firm's seal is two concentric ovals with the firm's approved name between the inner and outer ovals and the firm's registration number in the innermost oval, sized 2 to 2.75 inches; the firm seal is affixed in addition to, and does not replace, the individual seal on the cover sheet.(21 NCAC 02 .0206(a)(6), (a)(12))

North Carolina interior designer seal questions