•  All original drawings, copies, tracings, or other reproducible drawings, the seal must appear on all pages.
• For specifications, reports, and studies, the seal must appear on the first and last pages.

By sealing technical documents, the licensee certifies that the work was prepared in accordance with Neb. Rev. Stat. §§81-3437.01.

However, the Board recently added Policy 24.03 regarding sealing specifications involving several licensees. The Policy states:

“When sealing large specifications involving the work of multiple licensees where it may be cumbersome to coordinate sealing the first and last page of each specification section, the licensee may affix their seal on separate sheets placed at both the front and back of the specifications, listing each section that the licensee prepared in accordance with the E&A Act.”

This new Policy allows licensees to affix their seal and indicate the page number(s) they are responsible for on a separate sheet of paper. This sheet must then be placed on both the front and back of the specification book.

Documents clearly marked as “Draft” prepared for preliminary submission and review do not require a seal and signature, unless otherwise required by the client or governmental agency.

Review Neb. Rev. Stat. §§81-3437.01 and Chapter 6 for more information. 

Yes. Electronic seals and signatures are allowed in Nebraska. The seal, signature, and date must be legible. Refer to Neb. Rev. Stat. §§81-3437 and Chapter 6 of the Board's Rules for correct usage.

A temporary permit holder will use their seal from the state of verified licensure when sealing documents pertaining to the Nebraska project and must accompany this seal with the template issued by the Board. This information includes the temporary permit holder’s name, temporary permit number, expiration date, state of licensure and license number, and project name. Please see the example below:

Architects and Professional Engineers licensed in Nebraska receive a seal letter from the Board when initially licensed that shows the approved design of the seal, along with the statutory requirements pertaining to the correct use of the seal.

Architect's seals will bear their name, license number, have 'STATE OF NEBRASKA' at the bottom, and 'ARCHITECT' at the top.

Seals that identify an architect as 'REGISTERED ARCHITECT' or 'REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECT' are not compliant with the Act.

Professional Engineer's seals will bear their name, license number, have 'STATE OF NEBRASKA' at the bottom, and 'PROFESSIONAL [DISCIPLINE] ENGINEER' at the top. The word '[DISCIPLINE]' should be replaced with the professional engineer’s specific engineering discipline such as ‘Mechanical’, 'Civil', 'Structural', etc. Seals that do not specify a professional engineer’s discipline are not compliant with the Act.

The seal must include other design elements as shown on the seal letter provided by the Board. The Board does not require a certain size or diameter; however, whether applied via embossing, ink, or electronically-rendered, the seal should be legible.

You may substitute your middle initial(s) in lieu of your full middle name on your seal.

Seal examples are below:

Ex: "Our office is responsible for a non-exempt project that requires design materials to be submitted by an architect licensed in the state of Nebraska. After reviewing an applicant submittal, it was found that the architect who did the initial drawings for the project has since left the company. Another individual is in the process of obtaining reciprocity from Nebraska. Can the "new" architect seal drawings and revisions completed by the architect who left the company? In general, how should one handle changes or revisions to plans when an architect leaves a company or retires?"

The new architect must review, revise as appropriate, and seal. If the original architect did not provide written consent for the adaptation or such permission cannot be reasonably obtained, the new architect must provide a written explanation of the circumstances preventing permission from being obtained.

Refer to Board Rule 6.2.

Yes. Your seal can be affixed to plans in any color, as long as it is legible.

Use your regular signature. However, the signature must be legible.

The signature and date should be across the face of the seal. If this results in an illegible seal, signature, or date, licensees should exercise their professional judgment to ensure that all three components appear as one unit and are legible. See the examples below: