An issued for construction, preliminary, as built or submittal review stamp records a document's status, not a professional certification: the seal, signature and date carry the certification, and rules such as NCEES Model Rules § 240.20 and Texas 22 TAC § 137.33 require them on final work. Status legends matter legally mainly on preliminary sets, because several boards let a preliminary sheet go out without a seal only under a specific warning. This page explains each stamp, who applies it, and what to order.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against the NCEES Model Rules, engineering and architecture board rules in Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Washington, a Texas board opinion on record drawings, AIA Document A201-2017 and two state transportation review standards. Sources read September 2026. Updated 8 November 2026.
| Stamp, legend or rule | What it means | Who applies it | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Issued for construction | Marks the set released for building; the final version still needs the seal, signature and date before it leaves the engineer's control. | The design firm issuing the set | 22 TAC § 137.33(f) |
| Preliminary, not for construction, recording purposes or implementation | Working and preliminary documents need no seal or signature if this statement appears in large bold letters. | The licensee releasing the document | NCEES Model Rules (August 2025) § 240.20 A |
| Texas release statement | Replaces the seal on preliminary engineering documents: purpose of release, engineer of record and license number, release date and barred uses. | The engineer releasing the document | 22 TAC § 137.33(e) |
| Preliminary or Progress Drawings: do not use for construction (North Carolina) | Puts the public on notice that the document is not final, and certification becomes optional. | The engineer or land surveyor | 21 NCAC 56 .1103(c) |
| Not for construction (North Carolina architects) | Interim review documents may go out unsealed if dated, carrying the designer's name and conspicuously marked. | The architect or registered interior designer | 21 NCAC 02 .0206, per the NC boards' Seal Brochure (March 2026) |
| Preliminary, For Review Only, Not for Construction (Florida) | A document that is not final may be sealed only if its face states limits like these on its use. | The professional engineer | Fla. Admin. Code R. 61G15-23.001(2)(b) |
| Preliminary (Washington) | Released documents that are not final must be identified as preliminary and stamped with the seal; signature and date are optional. | The licensee releasing the document | WAC 196-23-020(2) |
| Unsealed draft notice (New Jersey) | Drafts may be signed but not sealed, and the title block must state conspicuously that they are unsealed. | The engineer or land surveyor | N.J.A.C. 13:40-8.1(f) |
| Preliminary legend on unfinished work (District of Columbia surveyors) | Sealing unfinished work is optional; the preliminary statement is not. | The land surveyor | § 17-1516.5 |
| Record (as-built) drawing (Texas) | No seal required, since the board does not treat documenting what was built as engineering. An engineer who seals notes only what the engineer could confirm. | The engineer, if sealing | Texas Board of Professional Engineers policy advisory opinion on record (as-built) drawings (2006) |
| Record drawings (North Carolina) | Architects need not seal them but add their name and a disclaimer; engineers who prepare them certify them with a source disclaimer. | Whoever prepares them | Seal Brochure (March 2026), citing 21 NCAC 02 .0206(c) and 21 NCAC 56 .1103 |
| As-built documents (Washington) | Counted as final documents, so they carry the seal, signature and signing date. | The licensee who prepared them | WAC 196-23-020(1) |
| Contractor's submittal approval | The contractor checks each submittal against the contract documents, approves it and submits it, representing that it verified field measurements. | The contractor | AIA Document A201-2017 §§ 3.12.5, 3.12.6 |
| Architect's review action | Checks conformance with the information given and the design concept only; not the accuracy of dimensions, safety precautions or means and methods. | The architect | AIA Document A201-2017 § 4.2.7 |
| No exceptions taken, make correction noted, rejected: revise and resubmit | Four review actions on a state bridge office stamp, with a note that comments do not relieve the contractor of compliance. | The reviewer who signs and dates the stamp | Minnesota Department of Transportation, Bridge Office Submittal Review stamp |
What does an issued for construction stamp mean?
An issued for construction stamp tells everyone using the drawings that a sheet belongs to the set meant for building. It marks status only. That final set still needs the responsible professional's seal, signature and date, which is where the certification lives.
The rules put the duty on the final version. Texas 22 TAC § 137.33(f) requires the engineer to apply, with the date, either the seal plus an original signature or an electronic seal with signature, before final work leaves the engineer's control, on every original sheet of plans. NCEES Model Rules § 240.20 A calls for seal, signature and signing date on any final document going to a client or public agency, and Fla. Admin. Code R. 61G15-23.001(1) covers final documents filed for public record or given to the owner.
No rule read for this page defines "issued for construction" as a legend; it is a project convention. Colorado State University's facilities standard, for one, records the purpose of each issue on the drawing as an "ISSUED FOR" revision note. North Carolina also wants the firm's name, address and license number on each engineering sheet, covered in our guide to firm seal and certificate of authorization rules by state. For what the seal itself must show, see our professional engineer seal requirements overview.
Which boards let a preliminary set go out without a seal?
The NCEES Model Rules, Texas and North Carolina all let preliminary engineering documents leave the office unsealed, provided each carries a warning against final use. North Carolina architects and District of Columbia land surveyors have similar provisions. The wording each rule expects differs.
- NCEES model rule. Under § 240.20 A, working drawings and preliminary documents need no seal or signature when they are marked in large bold letters as preliminary work that is not meant for construction, recording or implementation.
- Texas engineers. 22 TAC § 137.33(e) replaces the seal with a statement naming the purpose of the release (the rule's examples are interim review, markup and drafting), the engineer of record and license number, the release date, and the barred uses, such as construction, bidding or permit. It goes on each sheet of plans and on the title sheet of bound reports.
- North Carolina engineers and surveyors. 21 NCAC 56 .1103(c) makes certification optional on a document "stamped or marked" substantially like one of its legends. They pair "Preliminary" or "Progress Drawings" with "Do not use for construction," pair "Final Drawing" with "Not released for construction" or "For Review Purposes Only," and add a preliminary plat legend barring recordation, conveyances and sales.
- North Carolina architects. Under 21 NCAC 02 .0206, per the joint Seal Brochure (March 2026), architects and registered interior designers may release interim review documents unsealed if they are dated, show the designer's name and are conspicuously marked "not for construction."
- District of Columbia land surveyors. Sealing unfinished work is optional, but § 17-1516.5 requires a statement marking it as preliminary work not meant for construction, recording or implementation; see our DC land surveyor seal guide.
Without the warning, a preliminary sheet loses the exception in each of these rules.
Which states handle preliminary work differently?
Washington requires the seal on preliminary documents, New Jersey forbids it on drafts, and Florida allows a seal on work that is not final only with a limitation printed on its face. Alaska and Utah tie the sealing duty to final documents.
- Washington. WAC 196-23-020(2) covers documents released before they are final. They must be identified as preliminary, or carry similar wording, and be stamped with the seal, though they need not be signed or dated.
- New Jersey. N.J.A.C. 13:40-8.1(f) permits a signature on a draft or incomplete document but not the seal, and the title block must state conspicuously that it is unsealed. See our New Jersey PE seal guide and New Jersey land surveyor seal guide.
- Florida. Fla. Admin. Code R. 61G15-23.001(2)(b) lets an engineer seal a document that is not final only if its face states the limits on its use, with terms such as "Preliminary," "For Review Only" or "Not for Construction."
- Alaska. 12 AAC 36.185(a)(3) reserves the seal for final drawings, surveys and reports plus required construction documents; preliminary drawings are not listed, as our Alaska engineer seal guide notes.
- Utah landscape architects. Utah Admin. Code R156-53-601 builds the sealing duty around final site plans; see our Utah landscape architect stamp rules.
Some rules say nothing either way. Our Montana PE stamp guide reads the statute as broad, with no stated exception for drafts or preliminary sets; our Delaware PE seal guide found no preliminary carve-out in the sections it cites.
Will a stock preliminary or not for construction stamp satisfy the rule?
It can where the rule names a short term. Florida lists "Preliminary" and "Not for Construction," and Washington asks for "preliminary" or similar wording. Texas asks for the purpose, the engineer, the license number and the release date, which no single word supplies.
Read the stamp's exact wording against your board's list before you rely on it. North Carolina's rule speaks of a document "stamped or marked" substantially as its examples read, and every example built on the word preliminary or progress adds a use restriction.
For Texas, a stock stamp lacks the engineer's name, license number and release date. Build the § 137.33(e) statement into the title block template, or order a custom self-inking stamp with a blank for each item. In Washington, a preliminary mark goes beside the seal, never in place of it.
What is the difference between an as built stamp and a record drawing?
Both terms describe drawings that show what was actually built, and the Texas engineering board treats them as one, writing of record (as-built) drawings. What changes from project to project is who compiles the information and whether a licensed professional certifies it.
AIA Document A201-2017 § 3.11 has the contractor keep the contract documents, change orders and approved submittals at the site, marked up as field changes and selections are made, and hand them to the architect at completion as a record of the work as constructed. Colorado State University's standard then has record drawings fold in every change and deviation, with "Project Record" and the final acceptance date entered in the title block.
An as built stamp is the quick way to flag a marked-up print along the way. ESS stocks a preliminary as built stamp in a standard and a large self-inking size, which suits a marked-up set that has not yet become the final record.
Does an engineer or architect have to seal as-built or record drawings?
That depends on the state. The Texas engineering board does not require engineers to seal record drawings, Washington lists as-built documents among the final documents that carry a seal, and North Carolina treats architects and engineers differently.
- Texas. In a 2006 policy advisory opinion, the board said documenting what was actually built is not engineering, so engineers need not seal record drawings. An engineer who seals can attest only to what the engineer confirmed or observed, noted on the drawing, and should not seal changes the engineer did not see during construction. The board's sample note warns that information from the contractor or others unconnected to the design engineer cannot be verified for accuracy or completeness.
- Washington. WAC 196-23-020(1) counts as-built documents prepared by the licensee as final documents, and those carry the seal, signature and signing date of whichever licensee prepared the work or directly supervised it. Our Washington PE stamp guide covers the full list.
- North Carolina. The joint Seal Brochure says architects and registered interior designers need not seal post construction record drawings but must add their name and a disclaimer under 21 NCAC 02 .0206(c). Engineers who prepare them certify them under 21 NCAC 56 .1103, disclosing the source of the information, such as contractor markups.
Either way, an as built stamp certifies nothing; only a licensee's seal, signature and date do that.
What is a shop drawing or submittal review stamp?
It is the block a contractor or design professional stamps on a shop drawing or other submittal to record a review decision. Under AIA A201, a submittal passes two reviews: the contractor's approval first, then the architect's action.
A201-2017 § 3.12.1 defines shop drawings as drawings, diagrams, schedules and other data prepared specially for the work by the contractor or a subcontractor to illustrate part of the work. Under § 3.12.4, these submittals are not contract documents; they show how the contractor proposes to conform to the information given and the design concept.
Before anything reaches the architect, § 3.12.5 has the contractor review each submittal for compliance with the contract documents, approve it and submit it. Under § 3.12.6, submitting represents that the contractor has reviewed and approved it, checked materials, field measurements and field construction criteria, and coordinated its information.
What does the architect's review action actually approve?
Less than the word approved suggests. A201 § 4.2.7 limits the architect's review to checking conformance with the information given and the design concept. It does not cover the accuracy of dimensions or quantities, safety precautions, or construction means and methods.
The architect reviews and approves, or takes other appropriate action on, the contractor's submittals. Approving a single item does not approve the assembly it belongs to. Under § 3.12.8, the architect's approval also leaves the contractor responsible for deviations from the contract documents unless the architect was told of the deviation in writing and approved that specific deviation as a minor change or through a change order, and it leaves the contractor answerable for errors or omissions in the submittals.
Some public owners print a limit on the stamp itself, as the next section shows. For what an architect's seal certifies, see our architect seal requirements guide.
Which review actions go on a submittal stamp?
Your contract, specifications or owner standard decides. A201 speaks only of approval or other appropriate action, and public owners write their own lists: Minnesota's transportation department puts four actions on its bridge office stamp, and MassHighway used three.
- MnDOT bridge office submittal review stamp. "No exceptions taken," "Make correction noted: do not resubmit," "Make correction noted: resubmit" and "Rejected, see remarks: revise and resubmit," with lines for the reviewer and the date. Its printed note says corrections, comments or the lack of them do not relieve the contractor of complying with the drawings and specifications.
- MassHighway engineering directive on shop drawings (2008). "Approved," "Approved as Noted" and "Rejected." Approved as noted fits drawings that fundamentally meet the contract and need limited corrections; rejected covers nonconformance, poor quality or other problems that could lead to shop errors.
ESS does not sell a stock shop drawing or submittal stamp. Since the actions and any note should match your contract, order a custom self-inking stamp cut to your firm's own review block.
How should revisions and resubmittals be marked?
The rules put the duty on the revision note, not on a stamp. A resubmittal must point out any change the reviewer did not request, and a revised sealed sheet must describe and date the change, with a separate seal where another licensee made it.
- Resubmittals. A201 § 3.12.9 has the contractor call out, in writing or on the resubmitted drawings, any revisions beyond those the architect requested. Otherwise the architect's approval of the resubmission does not reach those revisions.
- North Carolina. 21 NCAC 56 .1103(a)(7) requires any revision made after certification to be described and dated, and separately certified if it was not done under the same licensee's responsible charge.
- Washington. Under WAC 196-23-020(3)(d), each design revision to a final plan or plat sheet is identified on that sheet and carries the licensee's name, seal and signature with the date the sheet was sealed.
- Texas. Under 22 TAC § 137.33(i), an engineer hired to alter or complete another engineer's work must notify the first engineer in writing and seal the changed work, taking responsibility for it.
Office stamps keep that trail readable. A received stamp dates when a submittal arrived, a revised stamp flags a reissued sheet, an approved stamp logs a decision, and a void stamp marks a superseded print so nobody builds from it. No rule read for this page gives those marks a legal meaning of their own.
Can a review stamp stand in for a professional seal?
No. A review or status stamp records a decision or a document's stage; it is not a seal, and no rule read here treats it as one. Where a submittal contains design work, A201 and state rules call for the responsible design professional's own seal.
A201 § 3.12.10 covers design services the contract requires the contractor to provide. The contractor's licensed design professional signs and seals the drawings, calculations, specifications, certifications and shop drawings that professional prepares. The owner and architect may rely on those services, provided they have given the contractor the performance and design criteria the services must meet.
State rules draw the same line. Arizona's sealing rule, A.A.C. R4-30-304, lists shop drawings that call for professional services among the documents to seal, as our Arizona architect seal guide explains, and our Arizona PE stamp guide lists the same item for engineers. In Washington, a licensee required to review another engineer's or surveyor's work must review it fully and, where a report is required, seal, sign and date that report (WAC 196-23-020(5)).
What should a custom review or status stamp say?
Use the words your contract, specifications or owner standard name, and nothing broader. Add lines for the reviewer and the date, and send ESS the finished text to cut into the stamp.
Build the layout from the review actions you actually use, with a line for the reviewer's name or initials and a date line, as MnDOT's stamp does. If your contract limits the review as A201 § 4.2.7 does, consider printing that limit under the actions, the way MnDOT prints its note on contractor responsibility.
ESS offers custom self-inking stamps in 1-9/16 by 2-3/8 inch and 1-5/16 by 2-3/8 inch sizes, so count your lines before choosing. For status marks, ESS also stocks a large preliminary as built stamp for bigger sheets and a final stamp for closing out a set. Before a new stamp goes on project documents, stamp a piece of scrap paper and confirm every word, checkbox and blank prints clearly.
Frequently asked questions
Does a preliminary label protect a set that a client uses for construction?
Not in Washington. WAC 196-23-020(1) defines final documents by the purpose they serve: filing with public officials, building from them, final agency approval, or a client putting them to use. The test is purpose, not the label in the title block; our Washington land surveyor stamp guide works through the edge cases.
Can work start before the architect acts on a submittal?
Not under A201 § 3.12.7. The contractor performs no part of the work that needs a submittal and review until the architect has approved that submittal.
May two or more engineers seal a single sheet?
Yes. Texas 22 TAC § 137.33(g) has each license holder who worked on a plan add a seal and signature with a note describing the work under that person's responsible charge. NCEES Model Rules § 240.20 C likewise lets two or more licensees seal a document, each with a note naming the subject matter they answer for.
Do public plan reviewers seal their review comments?
Not in Texas. Under 22 TAC § 137.33(h), licensed public employees who review engineering work submitted by others for compliance with law or regulation need not seal their review reports, planning documents, proposals for decision or position statements. They still seal their own original engineering work.
What goes on an editable CAD file sent to a contractor?
In North Carolina, 21 NCAC 56 .1103(d) has the computer-generated seal removed from an editable file sent beyond the licensee's direct control unless the file is digitally signed. In its place goes a statement naming the original sealer, license number and sealing date and saying the medium is not a certified document. Scans of sealed hard copies are exempt.
Can an issued for construction set carry an electronic seal?
In Texas, yes. 22 TAC § 137.33(f) lets a dated electronic seal and signature go on final engineering work. Our guide to electronic engineering seals covers how other states treat them.
For the marks your office applies every week, from issued for construction and preliminary to approved, received and void, see the stock office self-inking stamps at Engineer Seal Stamps.
