SECTION 55:10-11-9. Authorized use of seal

(a)   Seal declares authorship. The seal appearing on any technical submission shall be a prima facie evidence in 55:10-15-1 that said technical submission was prepared by or under the individual named on said seal. Changes made to a signed, sealed and dated end of point product or service that are not designed by the original Licensee and that are not authorized or indicated by the seal of another Licensee on the changes, exempts the original Licensee from any authorship or liability concerning any changes made, including making site changes without the knowledge of the Licensee.

(b)   Location of seal, signature and date. The seal impression or image shall be across the signature that may be generated electronically of the Licensee responsible to this Board for authorship of the documents thus identified. The handwritten or electronically generated date the signature is affixed shall accompany the signature.

(c)   Use of seal is individual act. Authorized use of the prescribed seal is an individual act. The Licensee is responsible for its security when not in use.

(d)   Use or attempted use of seal by unauthorized individuals. No individual, other than the Licensee represented, shall use or attempt to use the prescribed seal, and no unregistered individual or Entity shall be authorized to use the prescribed seal, except as described in (c) above. Use, reproduction distribution or attempted use of the seal shall include using a set of construction documents to construct a structure on another site without the permission of the original Licensee or making unauthorized copies, modifications or incorporating any portion of the specifications into another work without the use of a Licensee's seal, signature and date authorizing such modifications. Prototype building plans are not required to carry the seal, signature and date of the original Licensee, but must prior to their issue in Oklahoma be marked and qualified by a written statement to the effect of: "Prototypical design submissions not for regulatory approval or construction." These submissions do not comprise a final, comprehensive set of design and construction documents and are not intended for use on any specific project without the appropriate review, modifications and integration into the work of a licensed architect engaged to provide professional architectural services for the specific project.

(e)   Entire Contract. Any licensed Architect or Landscape Architect preparing documents that would be considered to fulfill an entire contract with a client being the end point of service, whether or not the plans are complete, shall sign, seal and date those documents. The Licensee may add any words on the documents that he/she/it chooses to indicate an incomplete document and not for construction notice.

(f)   Technical submissions. Architects and Landscape Architects are permitted to review and adapt portions of technical submissions if:

(1)   the seal of the original Architect or Landscape Architect appears on the submissions to authenticate authorship.

(2)   the succeeding Architect or Landscape Architect clearly identifies all modifications to the submissions.

(3)   the succeeding Architect or Landscape Architect assumes responsibility and liability for the adequacy of the design on the modifications.

(4)   the documents are prototypical technical submissions. An architect may sign and seal technical submissions prepared by another person if the signing and sealing architect has reviewed the work and has integrated the work into his/her own technical submissions and the other technical submissions are prototypical building documents. Any licensed architect signing or sealing technical submissions integrating the work of another into the licensed architect's own work as permitted above shall maintain that such review and integration met the required professional standard of care. In applying his or her seal, the Oklahoma licensed architect assumes full responsibility in its entirety for the documents as if fully prepared by or under the Oklahoma licensed architect's responsible control.

[Source: Amended at 16 Ok Reg 1333, eff 5-27-99; Amended at 19 Ok Reg 2555, eff 7-15-02; Amended at 24 Ok Reg 815, eff 5-11-07; Amended at 26 Ok Reg 771, eff 4-27-09; Amended at 29 Ok Reg 921, eff 7-1-12; Added at 31 Ok Reg 788, eff 9-13-14; Amended at 37 Ok Reg 1006, eff 9-11-20]