A Texas professional engineer seal can measure no more than two inches across, and it must use the seal design the Board has authorized. That design holds your name as the Board lists it, your Texas license number, and the legend Licensed or Registered Professional Engineer. Rubber stamps, embossers and electronic seals are all lawful. This page covers the seal face, size, devices, signing, sealed work and lapse.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Tex. Occ. Code § 1001.401(a) and the Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name and number | Your name in the form the Board has on file today, plus your Texas license number. | Tex. Occ. Code § 1001.401(a) |
| Legend | One of two phrases: Licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Professional Engineer. | Tex. Occ. Code § 1001.401(a) |
| Seal design | Board-authorized artwork frames the name, number and legend. | Tex. Occ. Code § 1001.401(a) |
| Size | Two inches in diameter at most. The figure is a ceiling, and no minimum is published. | 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 137.31, as published in the Board's Seal Instructions for P.E. Seal Vendors and the Board's enforcement FAQ |
| Devices | Rubber stamp, embosser or computer-generated seal. Each one is acceptable. | 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 137.31, as published in the Board's Seal Instructions for P.E. Seal Vendors |
| Physical seals | The device has to be able to leave a lasting ink image or a lasting impression on the engineering work. | 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 137.31, as published in the Board's Seal Instructions for P.E. Seal Vendors |
| Signature and date | Applied with the seal as one set. The same provision also fixes where the signature goes. | 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 137.33(f) |
| Work that is sealed | Final engineering work when it is released from your control, and any plan, specification, plat or report you issue for a project that will be built or used in Texas. | Tex. Occ. Code § 1001.401(b), (d), (e) |
| Electronic seals | Permitted, under a rule written specifically for electronic seals and signatures. | 22 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 137.33(l), 137.35 |
| Lapsed license | The seal cannot be used once the license has lapsed. | Tex. Occ. Code §§ 1001.401(c), 1001.405(d) |
Licensed in more than one place? Check each jurisdiction in professional engineer seal requirements by state.
What does a Texas PE seal have to show?
Four components, all drawn from Tex. Occ. Code § 1001.401(a): your name as the Board currently lists it, your Texas license number, a legend reading Licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Professional Engineer, and the Board-authorized artwork that surrounds those three fields.
- Name: taken from your current Board listing rather than from any other record.
- License number: your Texas license number.
- Legend: Licensed Professional Engineer, or Registered Professional Engineer.
- Artwork: the design the Board has authorized, which holds the other three fields.
Only the name, the number and the legend change from one engineer to the next. The surrounding design comes from the Board, so there is no layout for you to invent. For more background, see our overview of the Texas engineer seal.
How large can a Texas PE seal be?
Two inches in diameter is the most Texas allows. The Board's published instructions for seal vendors, citing 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 137.31, set that figure as an upper limit, and the rule does not add a minimum size.
That makes Texas a ceiling state. The risk runs in one direction: a die cut wider than two inches falls outside the rule, while a die at or under the limit passes on size. The rule expresses the limit as a diameter and does not separately describe a shape.
A smaller seal leaves less room for a long name, so proof the layout at your chosen size before production.
Which seal devices does Texas accept?
All three common types. The Board's vendor instructions under 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 137.31 accept inked rubber stamps, embossing seals that press an impression, and electronic seals, and the Board has separately confirmed that a computer-generated seal is acceptable.
Physical devices carry one condition. A rubber stamp or embosser has to be capable of leaving an ink image or an impression that stays permanent once it is applied to the engineering work.
Choose by how your documents leave the office. Paper sets take a rubber stamp or an embosser, and electronic files take an electronic seal.
How do the signature and date work with a Texas seal?
They go on as a set with the seal. Under 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 137.33(f), the seal, your signature and the date are applied together, and the same provision tells license holders where on the document the signature belongs.
This page does not restate that placement wording, so read § 137.33(f) itself before you fix the seal's position in a title block. Leaving clear space around the seal location makes the placement easy to follow on every sheet.
For a practical checklist on stamping sheets, see our Texas PE stamp compliance guidelines.
Which work has to carry a Texas PE seal?
Two categories under Tex. Occ. Code § 1001.401(b), (d), (e): the final version of engineering work once it leaves your control, and any plan, specification, plat or report you issue for a project that will be built or put to use in Texas.
The first trigger is about timing, because the seal attaches when the final version is released. The second is about place, because the project's construction or use in Texas brings the document within the rule. A plain-language walk through both is in our guide to Texas PE stamp regulations.
Can a Texas PE use an electronic seal?
Yes. Texas permits electronic seals and devotes a separate rule to them, 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 137.35, titled Electronic Seals and Electronic Signatures. The Board's vendor instructions also list electronic seals among the acceptable forms.
Because § 137.35 is a dedicated rule, its text is what governs how an electronic seal and signature are applied. This page confirms that the route exists; for the mechanics, work from § 137.35 directly rather than from a summary.
What happens to a Texas seal when the license lapses?
The seal goes with it. Under Tex. Occ. Code §§ 1001.401(c), 1001.405(d), your authority to use the seal ends when your license does, so no work can be sealed while the license is lapsed.
Treat the renewal date as a sealing deadline. Our Texas PE stamp renewal guide covers the renewal side, and our explainer on Texas PE stamp expiration covers what an expired license means for your stamp.
What should you send when ordering a Texas PE seal?
Four details: your name exactly as the Board lists it today, your Texas license number, the legend you want, and the device. Size needs one decision too, because any diameter you pick has to stay at or under two inches.
- Name: copied from your current Board listing.
- License number: your Texas number, checked digit by digit.
- Legend: Licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Professional Engineer.
- Device: rubber stamp or embosser for paper, electronic seal for digital files.
- Size: two inches or smaller.
The Board-authorized artwork is the frame for these details, so your part of the order is the content, not the design.
How do you check a Texas seal impression before use?
Measure first: the impression should be two inches across or less. Then read each field against your Board listing, confirm the license number digit by digit, and check that the legend is one of the two permitted phrases.
Next, test permanence. Stamp or emboss a sample on the paper you actually issue and confirm the image or impression holds. Finally, run a trial of the seal with your signature and date placed as § 137.33(f) directs.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an electronic seal in Texas?
Not under the device rule. Rubber stamps, impression seals and electronic seals are each acceptable, so an electronic seal is one option among three.
Does the legend have to say Licensed or Registered?
Either phrase is acceptable. Tex. Occ. Code § 1001.401(a) lists Licensed Professional Engineer and Registered Professional Engineer as the two legend options.
Does an embossed seal count in Texas?
Yes. Impression seals are on the Board's list of acceptable forms. Like an inked stamp, an embosser has to be able to leave a permanent result on the engineering work.
Who controls the design of a Texas PE seal?
The Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors authorizes the seal artwork and publishes seal instructions addressed to vendors. A seal made to that authorized design is what the rule calls for.
Does the electronic seal rule also cover signatures?
Yes. The title of 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 137.35 names both electronic seals and electronic signatures, so the rule addresses both.
When your Board-listed name and license number are in hand, order from our Texas seals and stamps collection.
