A Montana professional engineer's seal must show the word Montana, your professional title, your first and last name, and a short-form license number such as 99999PE. Montana law requires every licensee to sign, date and seal professional documents. The sources read for this page do not settle size, devices or electronic seals. This page covers wording, signing duties, sealed documents, expiration and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors, published FAQ, What makes for a valid Seal or Stamp in Montana and the Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Face contents | The word Montana, your first and last name, one of three titles, and a short-form number with a letter suffix, as in 99999PE. | Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors, published FAQ, What makes for a valid Seal or Stamp in Montana |
| Duty to seal | Each professional or technical document is signed, dated and sealed. | Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(2), (4) |
| Placement on the sheet | The statute says nothing about where the three marks go. | Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(2), (4) |
| Signature form and date | Silent on crossing the seal, wet signatures and which date to use. | Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(2), (4) |
| Covered documents | Professional or technical documents produced in engineering or land surveying practice. | Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(2) |
| Drafts and industrial work | No exception appears on the face of the statute. | Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(2) |
| Dimensions and outline | No size or shape is stated. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Devices | No device rule was found in the sources available. | ARM 24.183.511 (not published in readable form) |
| Electronic or digital seal | The sources read are silent on it. | ARM 24.183.511 (not published in readable form) |
| Expired license | Sealing stops at expiration. | Mont. Code Ann. §§ 37-67-314(4), 37-67-329 |
For the same rule in the other 53 jurisdictions, read professional engineer seal requirements by state.
What goes on the face of a Montana PE seal?
Four items, according to the board's published FAQ on valid seals and stamps: the word Montana, your first and last name, your title, and a short-form license number.
The title is one of three. An engineer uses Professional Engineer, a surveyor uses Professional Land Surveyor, and someone licensed in both uses Professional Engineer and Professional Land Surveyor. For related guidance, see our Montana PE stamp guidelines.
How should the license number appear on the seal?
In short form: the digits of your number followed by a letter suffix. The board's examples are 99999PE, 99999PLS and 99999ES, and the suffix on your seal should match your own credential.
Send the number in that short form when you order, and check it on the proof. A suffix is easy to drop when a number is retyped, and a number without one no longer follows the board's examples.
What size is a Montana engineer seal?
No size or shape appears in the statute or the board FAQ read for this page. Montana engineer seals are manufactured at 2 inches, and that figure is a production standard, not a legal requirement you could point a plan reviewer to.
Treat the 2-inch figure as the size you will receive, not as a Montana rule. If a published dimension surfaces later, it would govern over any manufacturing default.
Which devices can apply a Montana seal?
The sources read do not address devices. Device questions are cited to ARM 24.183.511 (not published in readable form), so this page cannot confirm whether Montana accepts an embosser, a rubber stamp or both.
Our articles on the Montana engineering seal embosser and the Montana engineering license stamp describe each device. Neither fills the gap in the rule text, and this page does not claim a device rule that the sources do not state.
Does Montana address electronic seals?
Not in the sources read. The electronic seal question is also cited to ARM 24.183.511 (not published in readable form), and neither the statute nor the board FAQ read for this page speaks to digital or electronic sealing.
So this page states no Montana rule on electronic seals, image files or digital signatures. The gap is named here rather than filled with another state's standard.
What does the statute require each time you seal?
Three acts. Under Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(2), (4), a licensee has to sign, date and seal every professional or technical document. The statute states the duty and says nothing about how the three are laid out on the sheet.
In practice, that means every sealed document carries all three marks. A seal with no signature, or a signature with no date, falls short of the statutory duty.
Which signing questions does the statute leave open?
Three. The statute does not say whether your signature crosses the seal or sits beside it, whether the signature has to be an original in wet ink, or whether the date means the day you signed or a separate seal date.
Those answers would be found in ARM 24.183.511 (not published in readable form). Until that text can be read, this page states no rule on any of the three.
Which documents must a Montana engineer seal?
The statute reaches professional or technical documents produced while practicing engineering or land surveying. The wording is broad, and on its face it offers no exception for drafts, preliminary sets or industrial work.
If a document came out of your engineering practice, treat it as covered unless you can cite a rule that says otherwise. Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(2) is the provision to read.
Can you seal after your Montana license expires?
No. Expiration is the hard line: once your license lapses, using the seal is prohibited under Mont. Code Ann. §§ 37-67-314(4), 37-67-329. The cutoff falls on the expiration date itself.
Keep your renewal ahead of that date so the seal never sits in limbo. Our piece on what a Montana PE stamp means for your engineering career covers the credential side.
What should you include with a Montana seal order?
Your first and last name, your title from the board's three options, and your short-form number with its suffix. The word Montana is fixed, and the seal is produced at 2 inches.
Write the number exactly as it should print, so the proof matches the pattern in the board's examples.
How do you check a Montana seal before first use?
Make a test impression and confirm four things: the word Montana, your first and last name spelled correctly, the right title, and the short-form number with its suffix. Read each against your license record.
Give the number the closest look. The short form includes letters as well as digits, and a proof that shows only digits needs correcting before you use the seal.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need my middle name on a Montana seal?
The board's list calls for your first and last name. It does not mention a middle name or initial.
Does the short-form number include a space?
The board's examples run the digits and the suffix together with no space, as in 99999PE.
Does a Montana seal show an expiration date?
The board's list of four items does not include one.
Does a Montana seal need an engineering discipline?
No discipline appears in the board's list of four items.
Which board sets the Montana seal contents?
The Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors. Its published FAQ on valid seals and stamps is the source for the four required items.
Have your short-form number ready and order your Montana engineer seal with the four items the board lists.
