A California land surveyor seal must measure at least 1.5 inches in diameter and show a surveyor title in the top border, State of California in the bottom border, your name as on your certificate and your certificate number. The title reads Professional Land Surveyor or Licensed Land Surveyor. Final maps, plats, reports and descriptions carry the seal, your signature and the signing date. Covered below: face, devices, signing, lapse.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 411(b) and the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Top border | One of two titles: Professional Land Surveyor or Licensed Land Surveyor. | Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 411(b) |
| Bottom border | State of California. | Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 411(b) |
| Name | Matches the name printed on your certificate. | Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 411(b) |
| Number | Your certificate number. | Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 411(b) |
| Diameter | 1.5 inches or larger. No upper limit is stated. | Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 411(b) |
| Device families | Three families of device are lawful. They are not named on this page. | Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 411(b), (e) |
| Electronic seal and signature | Both permitted. No particular technology is required. | Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 411(e) |
| Signing | The seal, your signature and the date you signed, together. | Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 8761(d) |
| Documents | Final maps, plats, reports and descriptions, plus other land surveying documents. | Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 8761(b), (c), (d), (e), 8763 |
| Certificate no longer in force | Your authority to seal ends with it. | Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 8751, 8761(f) |
Licensed in more than one place? Check each jurisdiction in land surveyor seal requirements by state. The seal follows the license; the education routes and exams that lead to a California license are compared in how to become a licensed land surveyor.
What goes on a California land surveyor seal?
Four elements under Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 411(b): a surveyor title in the top border, State of California in the bottom border, your name as it reads on your certificate, and your certificate number.
The rule assigns set wording to each border, with a choice of two titles at the top, and lists your name and number as the two personal details. Our overview of California surveyor stamp and seal guidelines goes through the face line by line.
Which title should go in the top border?
Either Professional Land Surveyor or Licensed Land Surveyor. Section 411(b) lists both for the top border, and it does not rank one above the other, so the choice between them is yours.
Pick one wording and keep it on every device you own, so your sealed documents read consistently. The bottom border has no such option: it carries State of California. For layout examples, see our notes on California land surveyor seal design.
How large must the seal be?
At least 1.5 inches in diameter. Section 411(b) sets that floor and states no ceiling, so any diameter from 1.5 inches upward meets the size rule as written.
Because the figure is a minimum, a device made right at 1.5 inches leaves no margin. If you want room for a longer name or a cleaner signature area, moving above the floor is always within the rule. The rule does not state a shape.
Which sealing devices does California accept?
Three families of device are lawful under Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 411(b) and (e). The provisions treat all three as legal, but this page does not list them by name, so read those subsections for their wording before you choose.
What the rule does say outright is that an electronic seal is permitted, covered in the next section. If you are weighing an embossing device in particular, our notes on the California surveyor seal embosser explain how that tool works.
Can you seal and sign electronically?
Yes. Under Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 411(e), the Board permits both an electronic seal and an electronic signature, and it names no technology you must use to produce either one.
That leaves the method to you. Whatever you use, build the electronic seal with the four elements listed in section 411(b), and the seal, signature and date rule below still applies.
How do you sign and date a sealed survey document?
Apply all three: the seal, your signature, and the date of signing. Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 8761(d) names each one, so a document missing any of the three is not complete.
The date is the day you sign, not the day the survey was performed or drafted. Our guide to using your California land surveyor seal covers everyday placement.
Which documents need the seal?
Final maps, plats, reports and descriptions, along with other land surveying documents. Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 8761(b), (c), (d), (e) and 8763 set the list, and each of these documents takes the seal, your signature and the signing date.
The list runs well beyond maps. A written description or a survey report falls inside it just as a plat does, so plan to seal those documents too, not only the drawings.
When does your authority to seal end?
When your certificate does. Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 8751 and 8761(f) tie sealing to a certificate in force, so once your certificate is no longer valid, you stop applying the seal to any document.
Sections 8751 and 8761(f) are the two provisions to know here. Build a certificate status check into your routine before you stamp, and pay particular attention near your renewal date.
What should you have ready when ordering?
Your name exactly as it appears on your certificate, your certificate number, your choice of top border title, and a diameter of 1.5 inches or more. Tell us whether you need a physical device, an electronic seal, or both.
State of California is fixed wording, so you do not need to supply it. If you are budgeting for the purchase, our article on buying a California professional land surveyor stamp sets out what to expect.
How do you check the finished seal?
Stamp a test sheet and measure the diameter first: it must be 1.5 inches or more. Then read the top border title, the State of California line, your name against your certificate, and your certificate number digit by digit.
Finish by signing and dating the test impression. If your signature crowds the name or number, a larger diameter is a simple fix that stays inside the rule.
Frequently asked questions
My name on the certificate differs from the name I use day to day. Which goes on the seal?
The certificate version. Section 411(b) calls for your name as it appears on your certificate, so that record controls the face.
Does the seal show an expiration date?
No. The four listed elements are the title, State of California, your name and your certificate number. An expiration date is not among them.
Can I keep sealing while my renewal is pending?
Sections 8751 and 8761(f) tie sealing to a certificate in force. The provisions cited here describe no allowance for a renewal that is still being processed.
Which of the three device families should I buy?
All three are lawful under section 411(b) and (e), so choose by how your documents travel. If you deliver files electronically, the electronic seal that section 411(e) permits is the fit for that work.
Does the rule say where the signing date goes?
Section 8761(d) requires the date of signing along with the seal and signature. The provision as summarized here does not fix where on the sheet the date sits.
With your certificate details in hand, choose your device from our California stamps and seals collection.
