A Virginia land surveyor seal is two inches in diameter and has to match the design published in the board's rule. On the face: your name, a Lic. No. line showing your license number's final six digits, and the arcs COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA and LAND SURVEYOR. Signature and date sit beside the impression. Each rule below is listed with its source.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Verified against 18VAC10-20-760 B and F and with the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers & Landscape Architects. Sources read September 2026. Updated 7 November 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes. Final documents are sealed, signed and dated by the professional. | 18VAC10-20-760 B, D and E |
| Name | Your name appears on the seal. | 18VAC10-20-760 B and F |
| License number | Appears as Lic. No. plus the license number's final six digits. | 18VAC10-20-760 B and F |
| Jurisdiction arc | The arc legend reads COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA. | 18VAC10-20-760 B and F |
| Designation arc | The arc designation reads LAND SURVEYOR. | 18VAC10-20-760 B and F |
| Signature and date | Both sit adjacent to the seal, and the rule treats seal, signature and date as one set. | 18VAC10-20-760 A, B and C |
| Size | Two inches in diameter, stated as a fixed figure. | 18VAC10-20-760 F |
| Design conformity | The original seal conforms in detail and size to the illustration in the subsection, and the published designs are not shown to scale. | 18VAC10-20-760 F |
| Device type | No device type is prescribed, and none is prohibited. | 18VAC10-20-760 C and F |
| Electronic seal | Permitted in place of the original set when it uniquely identifies the professional, is verifiable, and stays under that professional's direct control. | 18VAC10-20-760 C |
To compare Virginia with every other jurisdiction, see our table of land surveyor seal requirements by state. Not yet licensed? The land surveyor licensing path by state lays out the steps Virginia requires first.
Does Virginia require a land surveyor seal?
Yes. Final documents prepared by the professional are sealed, signed and dated, and 18VAC10-20-760 B, D and E carry that duty. Plats are named expressly in the rule, so this is not written with plan sets alone in mind.
The duty and the design both live in 18VAC10-20-760. Our page on Virginia land surveyor seal regulations takes the subsections one at a time.
What has to appear on the seal?
The seal prints four elements: your name, a number line with Lic. No. and your license number's final six digits, and two arcs, one reading COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA as the legend and one reading LAND SURVEYOR as the designation. Your signature and the date are two more elements, placed beside the impression instead of within it.
The number line is abbreviated on purpose. The rule asks for Lic. No. and the last six digits, not the full number as it is printed on your licensing paperwork. More detail sits in our summary of Virginia professional stamp requirements for surveyors.
What size and shape does the seal have to be?
Two inches in diameter, in a circle. Subsection F states that figure directly, and it also requires the original seal to match the published illustration in detail and size, which makes both the dimension and the arrangement part of the rule.
Subsection F adds that the published designs are not shown to scale. Layout comes from the illustration and size comes from the two inch figure: build the artwork to the drawing, then scale it to the stated diameter.
Which device types may a Virginia surveyor use?
Any of them. Subsection C and subsection F prescribe no device type and prohibit none, so an inked hand stamp, a self-inking model, an embosser or an image applied electronically all remain open as long as what lands on the sheet conforms.
Reproduction is the deciding factor for survey work. Plats get copied, scanned and filmed, and an uninked embossed impression can disappear in that process, which is why an inked impression is the usual working choice. Our notes on Virginia land surveyor seal design guidelines cover artwork setup.
Does Virginia allow an electronic seal?
Yes, if three conditions are met. Subsection C lets electronic versions stand in for the seal, signature and date of the original set, provided the electronic version uniquely identifies the professional, can be verified, and stays under that professional's direct control.
Those three conditions are written as functions rather than as a named format. The design rules do not relax for electronic work, so the electronic version still shows the same four printed elements at the same two inch diameter.
Where do the signature and the date belong?
Adjacent to the seal. Subsections A, B and C treat the seal, the signature and the date as one set and never separate them, so a sealed sheet without the signature beside it, or without the date, is short of what the rule asks.
Which documents have to be sealed?
Final documents; the rule names plats specifically. Sealing applies to a set's cover sheet, to the specifications, technical reports, drawings, documents, plats and plans it contains, and also to each separate sheet of drawings, plats or plans.
Read that as two duties rather than one. The cover sheet carries a seal, and so does every sheet inside a plan or plat set, which is why surveyors in Virginia work through a lot of impressions on a single job.
How long does a Virginia license run?
Two years, counted from the final day of the month of issuance. Because of that, expiration dates are staggered among licensees rather than landing on one statewide renewal day.
That matters for ordering because the seal design carries no expiration date. A renewal changes your license status, not the artwork on the device.
What should I have ready when ordering?
Two inputs drive your order: your name exactly as shown on the license, and the final six digits of your license number. The rule already fixes the two arcs and the two inch diameter.
Check the six digits on the license itself, not from memory or an old drawing title block. Once a transposed digit is engraved into the die, it cannot be fixed afterward.
How do I check the impression before it goes on a plat?
Pull one impression on plain paper, measure the circle with a ruler, and read the four printed elements against 18VAC10-20-760 B and F. Then set the impression next to the published design and compare the arrangement.
Finish by copying the test sheet the way a clerk's office would, then check that every character survives. Our walkthrough on how to check a Virginia land surveyor stamp for compliance runs the same sequence in more detail.
Frequently asked questions
Is two inches a minimum, or an exact size?
It is stated as the size. Subsection F gives one figure for the original seal and pairs it with a requirement to conform in detail and size to the published illustration, so a smaller or larger die does not match the rule.
The published designs are not to scale, so what does a maker work from?
Both things at once. The illustration supplies the arrangement of the arcs, the name and the number line, and the stated two inch figure supplies the measurement the finished device has to hit.
Does the seal show the whole license number?
No. The face shows Lic. No. with only the final six digits of your license number, a shorter string than the number printed on many licensing documents.
Does a renewal change anything on the face of the seal?
No. Nothing required on the seal (your name, the number line, the two arcs) changes at renewal. Each license lasts two years, counted from the final day of the month it was issued, and that cycle is separate from the seal design.
Can the electronic seal stand in for the signature and date as well?
Yes. Under Subsection C you may use an electronic seal, signature and date together in lieu of the original set, as long as the electronic version uniquely identifies you, can be verified and stays under your direct control.
Do the rules say what to do with the seal if a license lapses?
Not addressed. The cited subsections set no rule for holding, destroying or returning a Virginia land surveyor seal once a license is no longer current.
With your name and the last six digits confirmed, order a two inch device from our Virginia stamps and seals collection.
