SECTION 1.103. Required Use of Seal and Retention of Sealed Documents

(a) Construction documents:

(1) On every Construction Document prepared by an Architect or under an Architect's Supervision and Control, the Architect shall affix or cause the affixation of:

(A) the Architect's seal;

(B) the Architect's signature (across the face of the seal's image or directly under or adjacent to the seal's image); and

(C) the date of signing (including the month, day, and year) before the Construction Document is issued by or under the authority of the Architect.

(2) The Architect's seal and signature and the date must be affixed in a manner that will be clearly visible and legible on each copy of a Construction Document issued by or under the authority of the Architect. The Architect's signature and the date may not conceal or obscure the name or registration number on the seal.

(3) Construction Documents requiring a seal, signature, and date include the following:

(A) each sheet of drawings or electronic equivalent of a sheet of drawings;

(B) each specification: if a specification is included in a bound grouping of specifications that includes a table of contents or index listing each individual specification, the seal must be placed in at least one conspicuous location on the bound document; any individual specification sheet or electronic equivalent of a specification sheet that is issued separately must be sealed individually;

(C) each sheet or electronic equivalent of a sheet that identifies the project and provides a list of sealed Construction Documents, such as a title sheet, table of contents, or index; and

(D) each architectural drawing and specification that is part of an addenda, change order, construction change directive, or other Supplemental Document.

(b) Documents issued for purposes other than regulatory approval, permitting, and construction:

(1) An architectural drawing or specification issued by or under the authority of an Architect for a purpose other than regulatory approval, permitting, or construction shall include:

(A) the Architect's name;

(B) the date the document is issued (including the month, day, and year); and

(C) the following statement placed in a conspicuous location on the document: "Not for regulatory approval, permitting, or construction."

(2) Each architectural drawing and specification included in a Feasibility Study issued by or under the authority of an Architect must be sealed, signed, and dated in the manner described in Subsection 1.103(a) or labeled with the Architect's name and the date and clearly marked to indicate that it may not be used for regulatory approval, permitting, or construction in the manner described in Subsection 1.103(b).

(c) For a minimum of ten (10) years from the date of signature on each Construction Document and Prototypical Construction Document sealed by or under the authority of an Architect, the sealing Architect shall be responsible for the maintenance of the sealed, signed, and dated original document or a copy of the document bearing the clearly visible and legible seal, signature, and date.

Source Note: The provisions of this §1.103 adopted to be effective August 2, 2000, 25 TexReg 7158; amended to be effective September 29, 2003, 28 TexReg 8326