A Delaware geologist seal must carry your name, your license number and the state legend that pairs STATE OF DELAWARE with LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST, measure at least 1 1/2 inches in diameter, and match the specimen printed in the Board's rules. A rubber stamp, embosser or electronic seal may be used. The electronic version replaces an impression only on documents sent electronically. This page explains each rule.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.1 and the Delaware State Board of Geologists. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Holding a seal | Each licensed geologist had to procure one by September 30, 2018, under 24 Del.C. §3619. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.1 |
| Name | Your name appears on the seal. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.1 |
| License number | Your Delaware license number appears on the seal. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.1 |
| Legend | STATE OF DELAWARE joined with LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST, printed in the rule as one hyphenated phrase. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.1 |
| Layout | The seal has to conform in every respect to the specimen printed in the chapter. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.1 |
| Diameter | At least 1 1/2 inches. No maximum is given. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.2 |
| Devices | Rubber stamp, embossed seal or electronic seal. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.2 |
| Electronic seal | Stands in for the impression and original signature only on documents sent electronically, and its image must look exactly like the specimen. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.2, 3.6 |
| What gets sealed | Technical submissions you prepare or directly supervise that become public record or that anyone in Delaware will rely on. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.3, 3.6, 4.0 |
| Suspended, revoked or expired license | No one may seal documents with the seal of a geologist whose license is in any of those states. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.5, 5.1, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 |
What wording goes on a Delaware geologist seal?
Section 3.1 lists three items: the geologist's name, the license number, and a legend pairing STATE OF DELAWARE with LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST, shown in the rule as a single hyphenated phrase. Nothing else is listed for the face.
The legend says Licensed, not Registered. A seal worded for a state that issues the Registered Professional Geologist title does not fit this rule. Our overview of geologist seal rules in all 54 jurisdictions compares the legends used elsewhere.
Why does the printed specimen control the layout?
Section 3.1 ends by requiring the seal to comply in all respects with a specimen printed in the chapter. The arrangement of the three items is therefore set by that drawing, not left to you or to the company that makes your seal.
Bring the specimen to the order. A proof should follow it in arrangement and content, with only your own name and number filled in.
How large must a Delaware geologist seal be?
No smaller than 1 1/2 inches in diameter, under section 3.2. The rule sets a minimum only. It gives no maximum and no fixed figure, so any diameter from 1 1/2 inches upward meets the size rule.
The rule states size as a diameter and leaves the rest of the geometry to the specimen. Delaware surveyors and landscape architects are sized under their own rules; see our pages on the Delaware land surveyor seal layout and the Delaware landscape architect seal at 1 13/16 inches.
Which devices may Delaware geologists use?
Three, all named in section 3.2: an embossed seal, a rubber stamp or an electronic seal. The first two can go on any document. The third carries a limit on when it can take the place of an impression.
A physical device covers paper deliverables. If you also send files electronically, build the electronic image from the same specimen so the two versions agree.
When can an electronic seal replace a stamped impression?
Only on documents transmitted electronically. Section 3.2 lets an electronic seal and signature stand in for a stamped or embossed impression and an original signature in that one case, and not as a general substitute on paper.
The image must have the same graphic appearance in every respect as the section 3.1 specimen. A report you seal electronically and then print for hand delivery is outside what the rule describes, so keep a stamp or embosser for paper.
The rule controls how the image looks, not how it is secured. Section 3.2 is silent on certificate authorities, encryption and verification services.
What statement must Delaware computer files include?
Section 3.6 covers electronic files of technical work, such as reports and drawings, that will enter the public record or be relied on. Each such file needs a compliance statement citing 24 Del.C. Ch. 36 and giving your name as P.G., your Delaware license number and the date.
The wording is prescribed, so copy it exactly from section 3.6 rather than composing your own version. The statement is also where Delaware puts a date on electronic work, a point the paper rules leave open.
How do signature and date work on paper?
The paper baseline is the seal impression plus your original signature; section 3.2 describes the electronic option as replacing exactly those two. The rule does not say whether a date must sit beside a paper seal, or whether your signature must cross it.
For electronic files, the section 3.6 statement supplies the date. On paper, the rule leaves date and placement to you.
Which Delaware submissions need the seal?
Every technical submission you prepare or directly supervise that will become public record, or that anyone in Delaware will rely on, as a result of practicing geology. Section 3.3 sets that trigger and treats the seal as your acceptance of responsibility for the work.
Section 3.3 also forbids placing your seal on anything not prepared under your direct supervision. The seal speaks only for work you prepared or directly supervised.
When must you stop using a Delaware geologist seal?
As soon as the license is suspended, revoked or expired. Section 3.5 bars anyone from sealing plans, specifications, plats, reports or similar documents with a geologist's seal while that license is in any of those conditions.
Licenses renew every two years and expire September 30 of even-numbered years under section 5.1. Section 5.3 permits renewal of a lapsed license within three months, with a notarized letter certifying you did not practice in Delaware while lapsed, the renewal fee plus a late fee of half that fee, and a continuing education audit.
Miss that window and section 5.4 ends the license; you must apply again from scratch, supplying a notarized letter and facing an automatic audit of 24 continuing education units. Section 5.5 caps inactive status at five years, after which the license is terminated. The rules do not say whether your number changes or whether the device must be surrendered.
Can a firm or an unlicensed person use a geologist seal?
No. Section 3.4 bars anyone not licensed under 24 Del.C. Ch. 36 from sealing technical submissions with a geologist's seal or using the title geologist at all. Delaware registers no geology firms and prescribes no firm seal.
Engineers and architects in Delaware work under their own rules; see Delaware PE seal requirements and the six-month proof rule and what to look for in Delaware architecture stamp seals.
What should you check before ordering and before first use?
Have the section 3.1 specimen, your exact name, your license number and a planned diameter of 1 1/2 inches or more. Then decide whether you need a paper device only, or an electronic image as well for files you transmit.
On the first impression, compare layout and legend with the specimen, confirm the license number digit by digit, and measure the diameter. For notarial work in the same office, see our page on Delaware notary stamp wording, ink and commission term.
Frequently asked questions
Is a seal larger than 1 1/2 inches acceptable in Delaware?
Section 3.2 sets only a floor, so a larger diameter does not break the size rule. The seal must still follow the printed specimen in every respect, so any enlargement has to keep the specimen's layout intact.
Should the seal show an expiration date or a firm name?
No. Section 3.1 lists your name, your license number and the state legend, and it authorizes no expiration date, firm name or discipline line on the face.
I was licensed after September 30, 2018. When do I need a seal?
Section 3.1 states a single procurement deadline, September 30, 2018, and gives no separate timetable for later licensees. Section 3.3 is the ongoing trigger: once you issue a technical submission that will become public record or be relied on, it has to carry your seal.
Does P.G. belong on the Delaware seal?
It is not one of the section 3.1 seal items. The P.G. designation appears in the section 3.6 compliance statement for computer files, right after your name.
Does teaching geology in Delaware require a seal?
Section 4.0 contains a teaching exemption. It requires a conspicuous disclaimer at the end of any report or study that carries the exempt person's name.
With the specimen and your license details ready, browse our Delaware stamps and seals to order a device built to section 3.1.
