Louisiana authorizes a 1-5/8 inch face and a 2 inch face, and nothing in between or beyond. LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.2 fixes those diameters along with the wording, and it accepts rubber and computer generated versions only where they match the authorized design and size. Engineers admitted by endorsement carry an extra line. This page covers the face, the sizes, the signature rule and electronic transmission.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.2 and the Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction legend | The words State of Louisiana appear on the face. | LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.2 |
| Name and number | Your name, and your license number. | LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.2 |
| Endorsement line | Licensed by Endorsement, R.S. 37:51 et seq., where the license came by endorsement. | LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.2 |
| Professional title | Professional Engineer, or that title with your named discipline, or Professional Land Surveyor. | LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.2 |
| Diameters | Two authorized sizes: a 1-5/8 inch face and a 2 inch face. | LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.2 |
| Rubber and computer generated versions | Acceptable where they carry the same design and size as the authorized design. | LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.2 |
| Signature | In Louisiana a seal on its own is never sufficient. | LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.2 |
| Structure of the rule | Section 2701 runs in five parts, from possession through to electronic transmission. | LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.4 |
| Electronic transmission | Governed by section 2701.A.5, which prescribes replacement wording word for word. | LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.5 |
| Renewal and lapse | Renewal sits in the statute. Use of the seal after a lapse is not addressed in the cited rules. | La. R.S. 37:697 |
To compare Louisiana with every other jurisdiction, see our table of professional engineer seal requirements by state.
What must a Louisiana engineer seal show?
Five things, and the fifth applies only to some licensees. Section 2701.A.2 sets the design, so the face is a regulatory specification rather than a house style you can adjust.
- The words State of Louisiana
- Your name
- Your license number
- Professional Engineer, or that same title with your named discipline, or else Professional Land Surveyor, whichever fits the license you hold
- Licensed by Endorsement, R.S. 37:51 et seq., if your license came by endorsement
The endorsement line is the one that gets missed. An engineer licensed in another state first, then admitted here by endorsement, cannot reuse the artwork from that first state, because that artwork has no reason to carry the line. The Louisiana PE stamp regulations explained at length works through the face item by item.
Which diameters are authorized?
A 1-5/8 inch face and a 2 inch face. Those are the two the rule names, so this is a pair of authorized diameters rather than a range you can land anywhere inside.
That distinction decides what you can order. A blank cut for a neighboring state, at a diameter the rule does not name, is not a Louisiana size regardless of how correct the wording on it is. Check the diameter before the artwork, because the artwork can be redrawn and the die cannot be resized.
Can you use a rubber or computer generated seal?
Yes, on one condition. Section 2701.A.2 accepts rubber seals and permits computer generated seals where each carries the same design and size as the authorized design. The constraint is that phrase, matched against the authorized artwork.
So the format is open and the geometry is not. A computer generated image placed in a drawing file has to reproduce at one of the two authorized diameters, which is worth confirming at the plot scale you actually issue at rather than on screen. A closer look at the Louisiana PE stamp guidelines covers that check.
Is the seal enough on its own?
No. In Louisiana a seal on its own is never sufficient. Section 2701.A.2 ties the impression to the licensee's signature and date, which is why the rule part covering the design is titled for both together.
Treat the impression and the signature as a single act rather than two steps that can drift apart. A sheet that carries a clean seal and no signature has not met what section 2701.A.2 describes. How a Louisiana engineer seal is used in practice is a useful companion read on that point.
How is section 2701 organized?
In five parts, and knowing the order helps when you are looking something up. Section 2701.A.4 is the provision cited for that structure, and the parts run as follows.
- Seal Possession
- Seal Design and Signature Requirements, which is where the face and the signature rule sit
- Seal Responsibility
- Seal Use
- Electronic Transmission
The sources read for this page identify that structure without enumerating the documents under the seal use heading. Anything you need on that point should be read off the current rule text rather than inferred from the headings.
How does Louisiana handle documents sent electronically?
Section 2701.A.5 covers electronic transmission, and it prescribes the replacement wording word for word. The prescribed text opens with the phrase This document was originally issued and sealed by, followed by the licensee's name and license number, and then the date of sealing.
Because the wording is prescribed rather than suggested, it is not a place to paraphrase. Set it out as the rule states it and fill in only the bracketed values, and read the conditions attaching to electronic transmission off the current text of section 2701.A.5 before you rely on them.
What happens when a license lapses?
Renewal and expiration are matters for the statute, at La. R.S. 37:697. Use of the seal after a lapse is not addressed in the rules cited for this page, so there is no provision here that either permits or forbids it.
What is stated is that the seal is tied to a licensee and a license number, both of which appear on the face. Anyone approaching a renewal date should confirm the statutory position directly. What renewal means for your Louisiana PE stamp covers the timing side of that question.
What should you confirm before ordering?
Three things: which of the two diameters you want, the exact form of your professional title, and whether the endorsement line applies to you. The third is the one to settle first, because it changes the layout rather than just adding text.
Your professional title is the second decision. The rule allows Professional Engineer on its own or the same title carrying your named discipline, so choose deliberately rather than letting a template choose for you. Background on the Louisiana professional engineer stamp is worth a read before you finalize the artwork.
How do you check an impression before it goes out?
Measure it first. Put a rule across the test impression and confirm it lands at the authorized diameter you ordered, because size is the one element in Louisiana that cannot be corrected with a reprint of the artwork.
Then read the face: the state line, your name, your number, the title, and the endorsement line if it applies. Copy the test sheet and check again, since a face that reads cleanly on the original can lose the smallest line once it has been reproduced.
For the geologist side of practice in Louisiana, read what a Louisiana geologist seal requires.
Frequently asked questions
Can I order a 1-3/4 inch seal for Louisiana?
The rule names a 1-5/8 inch face and a 2 inch face. A diameter that is not one of those two is not among the sizes section 2701.A.2 authorizes.
Does the discipline have to appear in my title?
The rule lists Professional Engineer, that title with a named discipline, and Professional Land Surveyor as the forms the face may carry. Which one you use is a choice made within that list.
I was licensed by endorsement years ago. Does the extra line still apply?
The requirement attaches to how the license was obtained, and the rule states it as Licensed by Endorsement, R.S. 37:51 et seq. Nothing in the cited rules limits it to recently admitted licensees.
Does a computer generated seal need to match the physical one exactly?
It has to carry the same design and size as the authorized design. That is the test the rule sets, and it applies to rubber versions on the same terms.
Where do the signature and date go relative to the impression?
Section 2701.A.2 is the provision that ties them to the seal, and the part of the rule covering the face is titled for design and signature together. Read the current text of that subsection for the placement wording before setting a house standard.
Can a firm hold a Louisiana seal?
The rules cited for this page address the licensee's seal, naming the licensee, the license number and the professional title. They do not describe a seal issued to a firm.
Settle the endorsement question and your title wording first, pick the diameter you want, then order from the Louisiana engineer stamps and seals collection.
