What the seal has to say
A professional engineer seal is the impression itself: the arrangement of words, numbers and devices a board requires to appear on sealed work. The tool that makes it — a self-inking stamp, a hand embosser, a file on a computer — is a separate question, and boards generally care far more about the impression than about the instrument.
Texas is a useful example, because its rule has been read at the board’s own source. The authorised design is round: “STATE OF TEXAS” across the top, a five-pointed star in the centre, the engineer’s name and licence number, and “LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER” across the bottom. It may be no larger than two inches, and whatever the size, the name and number must stay clearly legible. Preprinting blank forms with a seal, or using a decal or other replica of one, is prohibited.
Embossed, inked or electronic
An embosser presses a raised impression into the paper and leaves no ink. It is difficult to copy convincingly, which is why it is still asked for on documents that will be recorded or held as originals. An inked stamp prints the design instead, and photocopies and scans far better — which matters when work is transmitted rather than filed.
Texas accepts rubber stamps, impression seals and electronic seals alike, so long as a physical seal leaves a permanent ink image or impression on the work. Boards word this differently, and some are more specific about which is acceptable for which kind of document, so the state page is where the answer for your state lives.
Sealing is an act, not a mark
The board’s rule on procedure is worth reading alongside the one on design. Under the Texas rule the seal, an original signature and the date go on the final version of engineering work before it leaves the engineer’s control, and a plan, specification, plat or report issued for a project in the state must carry it. The purpose is stated plainly: to assure whoever uses the work that a named professional engineer performed or directly supervised it, and to mark out the scope of that work.
That is why the details are worth getting right. A seal engineer clients can actually read, on a document that is dated and signed, is the whole point of the exercise.
Ordering a seal
Choose your state, then the mount. Every professional engineer seal here is made to order: we cut the die that carries your board-approved design, in self-inking form today, and the impression it makes is the same design an embosser would press. A digital file of the same seal can be added to any order for work that is issued electronically.
Every state page carries that state’s rules with the source we read and the date we read it, so you can check the design against the board yourself before ordering. The professional engineer stamps page covers the mounts and how ordering works in more detail.
Professional engineer seal questions
- What is the difference between a PE seal and a PE stamp?
- In practice, none. The seal is the impression the board specifies; the stamp is one of the tools that makes it. People use both words for the same object.
- Do I need an embosser as well as a stamp?
- Texas does not require one: rubber stamps, impression seals and electronic seals are all acceptable there. Some clients and recording offices prefer a raised impression on originals, which is a practical question rather than a board requirement.
- Can an engineer seal be used electronically?
- In Texas, yes. An engineer may create an electronic seal and signature for electronically transmitted work, or scan sealed and signed hard copy. Keeping the seal secure is the engineer’s responsibility.
- May I preprint forms with my seal to save time?
- No. The Texas rule prohibits preprinting blank forms with an engineer’s seal, and prohibits decals or other replicas of one.