An Idaho geologist seal follows the Appendix A drawing in the Board's rules: a 1 1/2 inch outer ring, a 1 inch inner ring, and no further wording required. It may be a crimp, a rubber stamp or an electronically generated image. Your signature and the date go with it. This page covers the design, devices, signing, sealed documents and drafts.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against IDAPA 24.04.01.200.02 and Appendix A and the Idaho Board of Registration for Professional Geologists. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Duty to seal | Seal, signature and date go on every final specification, report, set of information and calculation, and on original documents. | IDAPA 24.04.01.200.02.a, 200.02.b, 200.02.c |
| Seal design | The drawing in Appendix A, titled Seal of Registered Professional Geologist. | IDAPA 24.04.01, Appendix A |
| Outer ring | Measures 1 1/2 inches in diameter. | IDAPA 24.04.01, Appendix A |
| Inner ring | Measures 1 inch in diameter. | IDAPA 24.04.01, Appendix A |
| Added wording | The rule states that no further words are required beyond the design. | IDAPA 24.04.01.200.02 and Appendix A |
| Devices | Rubber stamp, crimp or electronically generated image. | IDAPA 24.04.01.200.02 |
| Signature type | Handwritten or digital. | IDAPA 24.04.01.200.02, 200.02.b |
| Handwritten placement | Next to the seal or across it. | IDAPA 24.04.01.200.02, 200.02.b |
| Documents that are not final | If unsealed, they are labeled Preliminary, Draft or Not for Construction. | IDAPA 24.04.01.200.02.a, 200.02.b, 200.02.c |
| Registration, renewal and discipline | Set by statute rather than by the seal rule. | Idaho Code §§ 54-2815, 54-2816, 54-2819 |
What does Appendix A require on an Idaho geologist seal?
Appendix A to IDAPA 24.04.01, titled Seal of Registered Professional Geologist, is the design. It fixes the ring geometry, and the seal paragraph in rule 200.02 closes by stating that "No further words or wording are required."
Nothing beyond the Appendix A artwork is called for, so there is no reason to add a firm name, discipline, expiration date or a legend taken from another state. To see how other boards word the device, visit our summary of geologist seal rules in all 54 jurisdictions.
What size are the rings on an Idaho geologist seal?
The outer ring is 1 1/2 inches in diameter and the inner ring is 1 inch, both given in Appendix A. These are stated dimensions rather than minimums, so the device should reproduce them instead of scaling the design up or down.
Idaho's other design professions follow their own seal rules. See our pages on the Idaho PE seal design and allowed devices and on Idaho land surveyor seal law.
Which devices does Idaho allow for the geologist seal?
Rule 200.02 names three: a crimp, a rubber stamp, or an electronically generated image. Any one of them may serve as the seal, and each should follow the Appendix A geometry.
Pick by how your documents leave the office. A rubber stamp prints the rings in ink on paper, and an electronic image goes into files. If you use more than one, build them all from the same Appendix A drawing.
Where do the signature and date go?
With the seal. Rule 200.02 includes your signature and the date alongside the seal, and a handwritten signature goes adjacent to or across the seal. The rule attaches that placement only to signatures made by hand.
A signature may also be digital. Because the placement sentence speaks only of handwritten signatures, the position of a digital signature is left open.
Putting all three on a document is your certification that you did the work yourself or supervised it.
Does Idaho accept an electronic seal and a digital signature?
Yes. The rule treats an electronically generated image as a valid form of the seal and allows a digital signature. It sets no technical standard for either: no named technology, certificate authority or verification method.
Build the image from Appendix A so it matches any physical device you own. Use the same ring sizes and the same content in both.
Which Idaho documents need the seal, signature and date?
Final work: specifications, reports, information and calculations under rule 200.02.a, and every original document as well. Finality is the trigger, so once a document is final it carries all three marks.
Drawings are sealed sheet by sheet: each plan or drawing sheet carries the seal and signature of the registrant or registrants responsible for it. For reports, specifications and similar documents, only the title page needs the seal, signature and date.
How does a business entity seal Idaho drawings?
Through its registrants, not through a firm seal. When a business entity issues drawings, the registrants who worked on each sheet seal and sign it, and the supervising professional geologist seals and signs the title or first sheet.
Chapter 54-28 of the Idaho Code provides no certificate of authorization for geology firms, and sealed sheets carry no firm number. Architects and landscape architects in Idaho have their own element lists, covered in Idaho architect stamp requirements and what Idaho law requires each time a landscape architect seals.
How should drafts and successor work be handled?
A document that is not final and lacks the seal, signature and date must be marked Preliminary, Draft or Not for Construction. That label is how an unsealed Idaho document shows the reader it is not final work.
When the registrant in responsible charge becomes unavailable, rule 200.02.c lets a successor take over by becoming familiar with the project documents, reviewing them in detail and keeping them. Later work must show the successor's responsible charge, and the successor seals, signs and dates all of it.
What does Idaho law say about renewal and misuse of the seal?
Registration, renewal and discipline sit in statute: Idaho Code §§ 54-2815 and 54-2816 cover the certificate and its renewal, and § 54-2819 covers discipline. The heading of § 54-2815 includes the words Invalid Affixations Unlawful.
IDAPA 24.04.01 does not say whether your registration number changes on reinstatement, or whether a seal must be surrendered or destroyed. Those points are not addressed in the rules.
What should you confirm before ordering an Idaho geologist seal?
Confirm the Appendix A drawing, the two ring diameters of 1 1/2 and 1 inch, and your chosen device. Then decide where a handwritten signature will sit: next to the seal, or across it.
When the first impression arrives, measure both rings and compare the layout with Appendix A before you seal anything. Notarial stamps follow separate law; see what an Idaho notary stamp must show under the 2018 uniform act.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Idaho geologist seal need my name or license number?
The rule text does not list them. The content comes from the Appendix A artwork, and rule 200.02 says no further wording is required beyond it, so follow what the Appendix shows.
Is a crimp enough on its own?
A crimp is one of the three permitted forms of the seal. Your signature and the date still have to accompany it on every final document, whichever device you choose.
Should an Idaho geologist seal show an expiration date?
Nothing in rule 200.02 calls for one, and the rule states that no further wording is required beyond the Appendix A design.
Does the Board approve electronic seals before use?
IDAPA 24.04.01 contains no approval process for electronic seals, and no language about stripping seals from uncertified electronic copies. The rule allows the image without a submission step.
Do I need a physical stamp if I issue everything electronically?
The rule lists the rubber stamp, crimp and electronic image as alternatives and does not require more than one. Whatever you use must follow Appendix A.
Where is the statutory basis for the Idaho geologist seal?
Idaho Code § 54-2815, whose heading covers the certificate of registration, the certificate fee, signing of work, the seal and invalid affixations. The Board's rule at IDAPA 24.04.01.200.02 carries out that section.
With Appendix A in hand, browse our Idaho stamps and seals and specify the 1 1/2 inch outer ring and 1 inch inner ring on your order.
