Hawaii specifies a 1-1/8 inch circle inside a 1-1/2 inch circle for the land surveyor seal: your license number with Licensed Professional Land Surveyor in the middle, Hawaii, U.S.A. on the outer ring, and your name as licensed. Under the seal goes an authentication block that you sign, with your license expiration date below the signature. Below: the face, devices, the block, sealing duty and renewal.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Sources read September 2026: Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) and material from Hawaii's Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, and Landscape Architects. Updated 8 November 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Outline | Two circles, one inside the other. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Circle sizes | 1-1/8 inches for the smaller circle, 1-1/2 inches for the larger one. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a)(1) |
| Outer ring | The words Hawaii, U.S.A. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Center | Licensed Professional Land Surveyor, plus your license number. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Name | Your name in the form under which you are licensed. Its position is not stated. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Devices | A seal or a rubber stamp built to the board's authorized design. | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 464-11 |
| Authentication block | Below the seal: a prepared-by statement, your signature, and a caption for the license expiration date under it. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-9(a), (b), (c), (e) |
| Documents | Plans, specifications, maps, reports, surveys and descriptions you prepared or supervised that go to public officials, and each sheet of a design drawing set. | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 464-11, 464-13 |
| Electronic | Permitted. A digital signature is an encrypted code that confirms the document's content and who sent it. | Haw. Admin. R. §§ 16-115-2, 16-115-9(e) |
| License expiry | April 30 of every even-numbered year; the license is invalid after that unless renewed. | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 464-9(c), 464-11 |
Hawaii is one row in our land surveyor seal requirements by state table, which sets each jurisdiction's rule side by side. The seal follows the license; the education routes and exams that lead to a Hawaii license are compared in how to become a licensed land surveyor.
What goes on a Hawaii land surveyor seal?
Under Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a): two concentric circles; at the center, the title Licensed Professional Land Surveyor with your license number; around the outer ring, Hawaii, U.S.A.; and your name as licensed.
Your name must match your license exactly, since the rule calls for it as licensed. Your proof shows the full layout for approval. For more on each element, see our summary of Hawaii land surveyor stamp and seal requirements.
What size are the circles?
The smaller, inner circle is 1-1/8 inches in diameter and the larger, outer circle is 1-1/2 inches. Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a)(1) gives both figures, and the outer circle sets the overall size of the impression.
The ring between the circles is narrow, about 3/16 inch deep, and it carries Hawaii, U.S.A. Our page on Hawaii land surveyor seal design guidelines shows how the text fits these two circles.
Can you use an embosser or a rubber stamp?
Both are allowed. Haw. Rev. Stat. § 464-11 permits a seal or a rubber stamp built to the board-authorized design, so an embosser or an inked rubber stamp is lawful.
Whichever you pick, it has to follow the board's design, including the two circle sizes above. Our guide to the requirements for the Hawaii land surveyor stamp compares the two devices.
What is the authentication block under the seal?
A short signed block placed below the seal. Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-9(a) calls for a prepared-by statement, your signature, and beneath the signature a caption for the Expiration Date of the License.
The statement is: This work was prepared by me or under my supervision. You sign below that sentence, followed by the expiration date caption. Wherever you apply the seal, leave space under the impression for the block.
Which date goes in the block?
Your license expiration date. The caption that § 16-115-9(a) places under your signature is Expiration Date of the License, so that is the date the line asks for.
Hawaii licenses expire on April 30 of even-numbered years, so the date in this line is always an April 30. Check it against your current license each time you complete a block.
Which documents need the seal?
Plans, specifications, maps, reports, surveys and descriptions that you prepared or supervised and that are filed with public officials. Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 464-11 and 464-13 set that duty.
These provisions also set a sheet rule: a set of design drawings needs the seal on every sheet, and sealing only the cover sheet does not cover the set.
How does electronic sealing work in Hawaii?
It is permitted, and the rules tie it to a digital signature. Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-2 defines that signature as a code created and authenticated through public encryption and attached to a document sent electronically.
The code does two jobs: it verifies what the document contains and who sent it, and it carries encryption protections that use a set of algorithms to test authenticity. Before relying on an electronic signing tool, confirm it produces this kind of encrypted code rather than a picture of a signature.
What happens when a Hawaii license expires?
Under Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 464-9(c) and 464-11, a license expires on April 30 of every even-numbered year and is invalid after that date without renewal.
The cited provisions do not separately address using the seal after a lapse. Since the authentication block asks for your license expiration date, renew before April 30 so the date you write is one that still applies.
What should you send with an order?
Your name exactly as licensed, your license number, and whether you want an embosser, an inked rubber stamp or both. The state wording, the title and the circle sizes come from the rule, so you do not need to supply them.
The authentication block is separate from the seal face. Its prepared-by statement and expiration date caption are set by § 16-115-9(a), so keep that wording exact wherever you place the block.
How do you check a new seal?
Stamp a test sheet and measure the two circles at 1-1/8 and 1-1/2 inches. Then confirm the center holds the title and your number, the outer ring reads Hawaii, U.S.A., and your name is spelled as licensed.
Add a trial authentication block below the impression, sign it and fill in your expiration date. That shows whether the seal and block fit together in the space you normally leave on a sheet.
Frequently asked questions
Where on the seal does my name go?
The element list in § 16-115-8(a) includes your name as licensed but does not assign it to the outer ring or the center. Your proof shows the placement for you to approve.
Do I also write the date I signed?
The block described in § 16-115-9(a) asks for your license expiration date under the signature. The provision as summarized here does not add a signing date line.
Is a scanned image of my signature a digital signature?
Not under the definition in § 16-115-2, which describes an encrypted code that verifies content and sender. A scanned picture of a signature is not that kind of code.
Do documents I keep in house need the seal?
The duty cited here attaches to documents filed with public officials, plus every sheet of a design drawing set. For other documents the cited provisions are silent.
Does the expiration date in the block change when I renew?
Yes. Because the caption calls for your license expiration date, update the block after every renewal to show the new date.
With your license details ready, order your seal or stamp from our Hawaii stamps and seals collection.
