A Minnesota land surveyor is not required to use a seal, but each covered document needs a signed certification block. The block contains the prescribed land surveyor certification sentence followed by your license number, the date, your signature and your typed or printed name. An optional seal shows the legend licensed land surveyor with your name. Both are covered here, along with devices, electronic signing and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Verified against Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subds. 2 and 3 and with the Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience, and Interior Design. Sources read September 2026. Updated 7 November 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal | Optional; when used, it shows the legend licensed land surveyor and your name | Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subds. 2 and 3 |
| Certification sentence | The wording prescribed for land surveyors, placed in the block | Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subds. 2 and 3 |
| Other block entries | License number, date, signature, and typed or printed name | Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subds. 2 and 3 |
| License number on the seal | Not listed for the seal; it belongs in the block | Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subds. 2 and 3 |
| What travels with the signature | The certification sentence, the day you signed and your license number | Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subd. 3 |
| Documents | Any survey, plan, plat or report, and other work prepared under Minn. Stat. §§ 326.02 to 326.15 | Minn. Stat. §§ 326.12, subd. 3 and 326.03, subd. 3 |
| Size and shape | No dimension or shape is set for the seal | Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subd. 2 |
| Seal device | The regular seal; a rubber stamp version is allowed on tracings used to make prints or on paper the regular seal would harm | Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subds. 2 and 3 |
| Certification format | Facsimile, digital, or electronic as defined in section 325L.02, paragraph (h) | Minn. R. 1800.4200, subp. 1 |
| Expired, revoked or suspended license | Stamping is unlawful until the license is renewed or reissued | Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subd. 2 |
For the same rule in the other 53 jurisdictions, read land surveyor seal requirements by state. The seal follows the license; the education routes and exams that lead to a Minnesota license are compared in how to become a licensed land surveyor.
Does a Minnesota land surveyor have to own a seal?
No. The seal is optional in Minnesota. What you cannot skip is the certification block, the signed and dated statement that goes on every covered document whether or not a seal sits beside it.
So the main purchase can be a stamp that prints the block's fixed text and leaves lines for you to complete, with a seal added only if you want one. Our post on Minnesota land surveyor seal rules gives more background.
What goes in the Minnesota certification block?
Five entries under Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subds. 2 and 3: the certification sentence prescribed for land surveyors, your signature, your name typed or printed, the date and your license number.
Prescribed means the wording is set for you rather than written by you. This page does not reproduce the sentence, so copy it exactly from the prescribed text when you set up your block. Our post on checking a Minnesota land surveyor stamp against the rules covers the block in practice.
What does the optional Minnesota seal show?
Two items: the legend licensed land surveyor and your name. Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subds. 2 and 3 list no other seal elements; the license number belongs in the certification block, not on the seal.
Because the seal carries so little, it cannot stand in for the block. Our post on Minnesota land surveyor stamp and seal specifications covers layout options for both.
Which devices can a Minnesota surveyor use?
Two forms are open for the optional seal under the statute: the regular seal, and a facsimile made as a rubber stamp. The rubber stamp version is meant for tracings that prints will be made from and for papers the regular seal would damage.
The certification is handled separately. Minn. R. 1800.4200, subp. 1 lets it take electronic, facsimile or digital form, so the mandatory block is not tied to one kind of device. The citation for the seal device rule is Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subds. 2 and 3.
Does Minnesota set a required size or shape for the seal?
No. Neither Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subd. 2 nor Minn. R. 1800.4300 gives a dimension, and the board has not published one. Minn. R. 1800.4200 was read in full as well, with the same result.
Size the seal, if you use one, to fit your title block, and size the certification block so the prescribed sentence stays legible. Our post on choosing Minnesota land surveyor stamp and seal sizes covers the sizing decision.
What must accompany a Minnesota surveyor's signature?
Three things under Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subd. 3: the certification, the date of signing and your license number. A signature standing alone does not satisfy the rule.
The date is the day you sign, not the day the fieldwork ended or the drawing was started. Lay out the block so the signature line, the date and the number sit together under the sentence.
Which Minnesota documents need certification?
Any survey, plan, plat or report, plus any other document produced under Minn. Stat. §§ 326.02 to 326.15. The source for that list is Minn. Stat. §§ 326.12, subd. 3 and 326.03, subd. 3.
Plats appear by name, so plat work is plainly covered. If a document falls in these categories, the certification block goes on it, and the seal may join it if you use one.
Can a Minnesota surveyor certify and sign electronically?
Yes. Under Minn. R. 1800.4200, subp. 1, the certification and signature may be electronic, facsimile or digital. For the electronic option, the definition comes from Minnesota Statutes, section 325L.02, paragraph (h).
That definition comes from the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. The rule points to that general definition instead of a standard written for surveying, so look to it when you judge whether an electronic signing method qualifies.
What happens to seal use when a Minnesota license lapses?
It stops. Under Minn. Stat. § 326.12, subd. 2, a seal may be used only while the license is unexpired, unrevoked and unsuspended. Stamping once the license has expired, been revoked or been suspended is unlawful.
The bar lifts once the license is renewed or reissued. Until then, keep the seal out of use on every project.
What should a Minnesota surveyor order?
Begin with the certification block: the prescribed sentence and lines for license number, date, signature, and typed or printed name. A seal showing your name and licensed land surveyor is optional; add one only if you want it.
Supply your name and license number exactly as you want them printed, and the certification sentence exactly as prescribed. Our full guide to Minnesota land surveyor stamp and seal requirements lists the details to confirm.
How do you check a Minnesota block or seal before use?
Check the certification sentence word for word against the prescribed wording. Next, make sure the block leaves space for your license number, the date, your signature and your name typed or printed, and that any seal you order reads licensed land surveyor and your name.
Stamp a test page and sign it, so you can see the date and number sit clearly beside the signature.
For the geologist side of practice in Minnesota, read what a Minnesota geologist seal requires.
Frequently asked questions
Can I print my name by hand in the block instead of typing it?
Yes. The block calls for your name typed or printed, so either form meets that entry.
Can the certification and signature be in facsimile form?
Yes. Minn. R. 1800.4200, subp. 1 lists facsimile as one of the permitted forms for the certification and signature, next to electronic and digital.
Are electronic and digital the same thing under the rule?
The rule lists them as separate options. Electronic is tied to the definition in section 325L.02, paragraph (h), while digital is named as its own form.
Can I use the rubber stamp facsimile of my seal on ordinary paper?
The statute ties the facsimile to two situations: tracings that prints will be made from, and papers the regular seal would damage. Outside those, the regular seal is the form it describes.
Which board oversees these Minnesota rules?
It is the Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience, and Interior Design; land surveyors fall under it together with the other design professions in its name.
Order your certification block stamp, and a seal if you want one, from our Minnesota stamps and seals collection, with the prescribed sentence and your license number ready for the proof.
