Ohio Administrative Code › Title 4703 - State Board of Examiners of Architects › Chapter 4703-3 - Certification › Section 4703-3-01 - Seal requirements

Current through all regulations passed and filed through July 1, 2024
(A) Each architect shall be authorized to use
			 a seal as hereinafter directed in paragraphs (B) and (C) of this rule on all
			 documents prepared by the architect or under the architect's direct supervision
			 for use in this state for the purpose of properly imprinting the drawings,
			 specifications, and other contract documents as required by section
			 4703.12 of the
			 Revised Code. The seal shall be circular in shape and two inches in diameter.
			 Concentric with the outside of the seal there shall be a circle one and three
			 eighths inches in diameter. In the annular space between the circle and the
			 outside of the seal shall be the words "state of Ohio" at the top and
			 "registered architect" at the bottom. The name of the architect and the
			 architect's registration number shall be placed
			 horizontally within the inner circle. The seal shall be either an individual
			 embossing seal, rubber stamp seal, electronically generated seal or other
			 reproducible facsimile.
(B) The
			 application of the architect's seal, above the architect's printed name,
			 license number, and expiration date of the architect's license, and an ink or
			 electronic signature, to the title or first sheet of bound sets of drawings, to
			 the title page of bound specifications and to other drawings and contract
			 documents required for official filing with building permit agencies shall
			 constitute the imprinting required by section
			 4703.12 of the
			 Revised Code.
The term signature as used herein shall mean a handwritten
				identification containing the name of the person who applied it; or for
				electronic or digital documents shall mean an electronic authentication process
				attached to or logically associated with the document. The digital signature
				must be unique to, and under the sole control of the person using it; it must
				also be capable of verification and linked to a document in such a manner that
				the digital signature is invalidated if any data on the document is
				altered.
(C) The architect
			 shall imprint documents only if the architect was the author of such drawings,
			 specifications and other contract documents or was in responsible charge of
			 their preparation.
(D) An
			 electronic seal and signature are permitted to be used in lieu of an original
			 seal and signature when the following criteria, and all other requirements of
			 this paragraph are met:
(1) It is a unique
			 identification of the professional;
(2) It is verifiable;
(3) It is under the professional's direct and
			 sole control;
(4) It is linked to
			 the document in such a manner that changes are readily determined and visually
			 displayed if any data contained in the document file was changed subsequent to
			 the electronic seal and signature having been affixed to the document, and
(5) The graphic image
			 of the electronic seal and signature shall be readily available and produced in
			 a manner acceptable to the board. It shall contain the same wording as and
			 shall have substantially the same graphic appearance and size as required by
			 paragraph (A) of this rule when the image of the electronically transmitted
			 document is viewed at the same size as the document in the its original
			 form.