In the District of Columbia, a professional engineer seal carries the words Professional Engineer and District of Columbia, along with your name, your license number and any further item the Board requests. Size, border and shape are not prescribed, but copies must reproduce the seal. This page covers wording, devices, signing and dating, sealed documents, digital signatures and renewal.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against DCMR 17-1516.4 and the Board of Professional Engineering. Sources read September 2026. Updated 8 November 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction wording | District of Columbia. | DCMR 17-1516.4 |
| Name and number | The licensee's name and license number. | DCMR 17-1516.4 |
| Profession wording | The words Professional Engineer. | DCMR 17-1516.4 |
| Added items | Anything else the Board asks to have on the seal. | DCMR 17-1516.4 |
| Size, border and shape | None of the three is prescribed in section 1516. | DCMR 17-1516, full section |
| Device | No device is prescribed. The seal has to show up on copies, and the rule expressly permits a computer generated seal. | DCMR 17-1516.6 and 17-1516.9 |
| Signing and dating | Signature by hand, beside or across the seal. Date written underneath the stamp. | DCMR 17-1516.9 |
| Documents sealed | Final drawings, plans, specifications, calculations, reports and design information. Multi-sheet sets are sealed on the title page and on each sheet. | DCMR 17-1516.3 and 17-1516.7 |
| Digital signature | Unique, verifiable as to source, under sole control and voided by any change, with a record listing what hardware, software and parameters produced it. | DCMR 17-1516.10 |
| Renewal | Licenses run out on August 31 of each even-numbered year. Per DLCP, engineers need 20 hours of continuing education, with one ethics course among them. | DLCP Board of Professional Engineers page; DCMR 17-1513 and 17-1526 |
The District of Columbia is one row in our professional engineer seal requirements by state table, which sets each jurisdiction's rule side by side.
What must a District of Columbia engineer seal contain?
DCMR 17-1516.4 sets four fixed items: the words Professional Engineer, District of Columbia, your name and your license number, along with anything else the Board requests. Nothing else is on the fixed list.
Everything else about the face, from layout to lettering size, is left to you. That freedom comes with one condition, covered below: the finished seal has to reproduce cleanly on copies.
Spell your name as your license shows it and copy the license number exactly. With only four fixed items, each one is easy to read and easy to check, so an error stands out.
What other information can the Board ask to see on the seal?
The rule does not say. DCMR 17-1516.4 closes its element list by reserving room for whatever else the Board requests, but it names no specific items, and the sources behind this page identify none.
If the Board asks you to add something, it goes on the seal alongside the four fixed items. Tell us about any such request when you order so the layout leaves space for it.
Does the District set a size or shape for the seal?
No. Section 1516 prescribes no diameter, no border and no shape anywhere in its text. Size and outline are your choice, limited in practice by the requirement that the seal reproduce on copies.
That reproduction requirement is the real constraint. Lettering that is very small or very fine can fill in or drop out when a set is photocopied or scanned, so size the seal so that every item stays readable on the copy, not just on the original.
A round seal, a square seal or another outline all sit within the rule, because section 1516 names none. Choose the outline that fits your title block and leaves space to sign and date.
Which seal devices work in the District?
The rules do not prescribe a device. What they require is a seal that reproduces when copies are made, and DCMR 17-1516.6 and 17-1516.9 expressly allow computer generated seals as well.
Choose by the copy test. Whatever device you use, seal a test sheet, copy it, and confirm every item on the seal carries through. An impression that looks fine on the original but vanishes on a photocopy or scan fails that test.
Inked stamps and computer generated seals both place the design on the page in a way a copier picks up. Every other device must meet that same standard.
How do you sign and date a sealed DC document?
Sign by hand, placing the signature next to the seal or across it, and write the date underneath the stamp. DCMR 17-1516.9 sets that arrangement, so leave room for both when you lay out a sheet.
Plan your title block around it: space beside or over the seal for the signature, and a clear strip below it for the date. A seal lettered edge to edge, with nothing left open, gives you little room for either.
What documents need a seal in the District?
Final drawings, plans, specifications, calculations, reports and design information take the seal under DCMR 17-1516.3 and 17-1516.7. On a set with several sheets, the title page and each individual sheet are sealed.
The list reaches well past drawings. Calculations and design information are named, so a calculation package is sealed just as a drawing set is. On a multi-sheet set, count on one seal for the title page and one for every sheet after it.
What does the District require of a digital signature?
DCMR 17-1516.10 sets five conditions: the signature is unique, its source can be verified, it stays under sole control, any change to the document invalidates it, and the hardware, software and parameters used are listed.
The first four concern how the signature behaves. The fifth is a record, listing the hardware, software and parameters behind the signature. That listing is part of the requirement, not an optional note.
When do DC professional engineer licenses expire?
Licenses expire on August 31 in even-numbered years. DLCP sets engineer continuing education at 20 hours, including one ethics course. Sources: DLCP Board of Professional Engineers page; DCMR 17-1513 and 17-1526.
Because the cycle is fixed to even years, plan continuing education across the two years rather than leaving it to the summer before August 31.
Can you use your seal after a DC license lapses?
The provisions cited here do not address it. Section 1516 and the renewal sources give the expiration date, but none of them speaks to applying the seal once a license has expired.
That silence is not permission. Line up renewal ahead of August 31 so the question never comes up on a live project.
What should you send when ordering a DC engineer seal?
Send your name, your license number and any added item the Board has asked you to include. District of Columbia and Professional Engineer are fixed wording on every DC engineer seal.
Because the District leaves size and outline open, choose a size that keeps your lettering clear on copies and leaves room to sign beside or across the seal and to date below it.
How do you test a DC seal before first use?
Seal a test sheet, sign by hand beside or across the seal, write the date below it, and then photocopy or scan the sheet. Every item on the seal, and your signature and date, should read clearly on the copy.
If anything drops out, the seal does not yet meet the reproduction requirement in DCMR 17-1516.6 and 17-1516.9. Fix the impression before you seal real work.
District of Columbia land surveyors seal under a separate rule; see the District of Columbia land surveyor seal and stamp requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Does a DC seal need my discipline or an expiration date?
DCMR 17-1516.4 lists neither one. The fixed items are the words Professional Engineer, District of Columbia, your name and your license number, along with anything the Board requests.
Can the seal say Registered Professional Engineer instead?
The rule calls for the words Professional Engineer. Set those words on the seal as the rule gives them.
Can I use an embosser in the District?
No device is prescribed, but the seal has to carry through onto copies. Test any embossed impression on a photocopy or scan before relying on it for a set.
Does a computer generated seal still need a handwritten signature?
Yes. The signing rule in DCMR 17-1516.9 calls for a handwritten signature next to or over the seal and a date written under it. Digital signatures are covered separately by DCMR 17-1516.10.
Which board regulates DC engineer seals?
The Board of Professional Engineering. The seal rules cited on this page are in section 1516, and the DLCP Board of Professional Engineers page states the continuing education hours.
Order your seal from our District of Columbia stamps and seals collection, with your name, license number and any Board-requested item ready to enter.
