Nebraska Landscape Architect seal requirements: proper sizing, signing and sealing of documents

Nebraska Landscape Architect seal

Board

Nebraska State Board of Landscape Architects

Seal requirements

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-8,198; 231 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4

Legend

“State of Nebraska, Professional Landscape Architect”

Diameter

No diameter is prescribed. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-8,198 requires a "suitable seal with a uniform inscription thereon formulated by the board" and lists only the wording, and the board's rule on the seal, 231 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, requires only that the seal be legible, whatever its type.

Expiration date

The inscription is fixed by statute and consists of four elements only — State of Nebraska, the licensee's name, the license number, and Professional Landscape Architect. No renewal or expiration date is part of it; the statute instead makes it unlawful to affix the seal once the licensure has expired.(Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-8,198)

Signature date

The signature must be across the seal, and the seal and the date of its placement must appear on all technical submissions and calculations presented to a client or any public or governmental agency. The board's rule repeats that no seal is valid unless signed across its face with the licensee's name and the date on which the material was sealed.(Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-8,198; 231 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 4.1.2)

City on seal

The statutory inscription carries "State of Nebraska" only; no city or place of business is required.(Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-8,198)

• Each licensee shall provide himself or herself with a suitable seal with a uniform inscription thereon formulated by the board, containing State of Nebraska, the licensee's name, the license number, and Professional Landscape Architect.(Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-8,198)
• The licensee's signature shall be across the seal, and the seal and the date of its placement shall be on all technical submissions and calculations whenever presented to a client or any public or governmental agency.(Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-8,198)
• Placement of the seal constitutes certification that the work was done in accordance with the Professional Landscape Architects Act; it is unlawful to affix the seal after the licensure has expired.(Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-8,198)
• The purpose of the seal is to assist in identification of the professional landscape architect responsible for the work performed under the requirements of the PLA Act and PLA Rules.(231 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 4.1)
• The seal used by a professional landscape architect must be legible, whether an embossing, computer generated, or other type of seal. In the absence of legibility, the seal is invalid.(231 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 4.1.1)
• No seal is valid unless signed across the face of the seal with the professional landscape architect's name and the date on which the material was sealed.(231 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 4.1.2)
• The responsible professional landscape architect will identify all work that they have prepared, as well as all work prepared under their direct supervision, by applying their seal to each sheet of the original drawings.(231 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 4.1.3)
• The responsible professional landscape architect will seal all technical submissions as follows: on each design and each drawing; on the cover and index pages identifying each set of specifications; and on the cover page. Two or more professional landscape architects may affix their signatures and seals to a sheet provided it is designated by a note under the seal the specific subject matter for which each is responsible.(231 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 4.1.4)
• The seal appearing on any technical submission is prima facie evidence that said submission was prepared by or under the direct supervision of the professional landscape architect sealing the submission.(231 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 4.1.5)
• Documents clearly marked as "Draft" prepared for preliminary submission and review do not require the professional's seal, signature, and date, including documents prepared for a client or governmental agency, unless otherwise required by the entity.(231 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 4.1.6)
• Professional landscape architects are responsible for providing adequate security over their seal and signature wherever it appears, regardless of whether the seal and signature is produced electronically or by other means.(231 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 4.1.7)
• A Coordinating Professional must use the following language in conjunction with their individual seal for identification as the Coordinating Professional: "I, (name of licensee), am the Coordinating Professional on the (name of project) project."(231 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 4.2.3)

Nebraska landscape architect seal questions