A Kansas professional engineer seal is two concentric circles, 1 5/8 inches across the outer ring and 1 1/16 inches across the inner ring, bearing your name, your profession, LICENSED, KANSAS and your license certificate number. After stamping, you sign and date across the impression itself. Rubber stamps, embossed seals and digital seals are all lawful. This page covers the face, devices, signing, sealed documents and expiration.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Kan. Admin. Regs. 66-6-1(a) and the State Board of Technical Professions. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ring layout | Two circles, one set inside the other. | Kan. Admin. Regs. 66-6-1(a) |
| Diameters | 1 5/8 inches across the outer ring and 1 1/16 inches across the inner ring. | Kan. Admin. Regs. 66-6-1(a) |
| Name | Exactly as your license shows it. | Kan. Admin. Regs. 66-6-1(a) |
| Wording | Your profession, plus the words LICENSED and KANSAS. | Kan. Admin. Regs. 66-6-1(a) |
| Number | The number on your license certificate. | Kan. Admin. Regs. 66-6-1(a) |
| Devices | Rubber stamp, embossed seal or digital seal. Each one is lawful. | Kan. Admin. Regs. 66-6-1(a) |
| Signing | Once the seal is on, your signature (handwritten or authenticated digital) and the date go across it. | Kan. Admin. Regs. 66-6-1(b)(1) |
| Digital signature tests | Unique to you, verifiable, under your sole control, and tied to the document so any data change invalidates it. | Kan. Admin. Regs. 66-6-1(b)(3), (4) |
| Documents covered | Setting aside the exemptions at K.S.A. 74-7031 through 74-7034 and 74-7042a, every document you issue: drawings, technical reports, records, papers, and original land descriptions used to convey an interest in real property. | Kan. Admin. Regs. 66-6-1(c), (d), (e) |
| Expired or revoked license | Stamping any document is unlawful until the license is renewed or reissued. | Kan. Stat. Ann. § 74-7023(d) |
To compare Kansas with every other jurisdiction, see our table of professional engineer seal requirements by state.
What must the face of a Kansas PE seal show?
Six items, all from K.A.R. 66-6-1(a). The seal is built from two circles, one inside the other, and it carries your name as licensed, your profession, the words LICENSED and KANSAS, and the number printed on your license certificate.
- Name: in the form your license shows. A version the license does not show is a mismatch.
- Profession: the profession your license covers.
- LICENSED and KANSAS: fixed words that appear on every seal.
- Certificate number: taken from your license certificate.
- Two concentric circles: the frame that holds the text.
Only the name, profession and number vary from one engineer to the next. For a longer walk through each element, see our detailed breakdown of Kansas PE stamp requirements.
How big is a Kansas PE seal?
The outer circle measures 1 5/8 inches in diameter and the inner circle 1 1/16 inches. Kansas states both as exact figures rather than a range, so a seal cut to a different size, even a close one, does not match the rule.
The two measurements fix the band between the rings as well as the overall diameter, which limits how much text fits. A long name or a long certificate number is worth proofing before production so every character stays readable inside the fixed rings.
Which devices can apply a Kansas PE seal?
Three: rubber stamp, embossed seal or digital seal. K.A.R. 66-6-1(a) names all three, so each is a lawful way to apply the same design. The choice depends on how you deliver documents, not on any preference in the rule.
Paper sets can take an inked or embossed impression, while electronic files call for the digital seal together with a digital signature that meets the four tests below. Because the signature and date have to cross the seal, pick a device whose impression you can sign over and still read. More on day-to-day use is in sealing work with a Kansas professional engineer seal.
Where do the signature and date go on a Kansas PE seal?
Across the seal. Under K.A.R. 66-6-1(b)(1), once the seal is applied you add your signature, handwritten or authenticated digital, plus the date, and both must cross the impression instead of sitting next to it.
Sequence matters as well: seal first, then signature and date. A signature placed beside the seal, or a seal stamped over a signature that was already there, does not follow that order.
On title blocks, leave clear space around the seal location so the signature and date can cross it and stay legible. That is a layout habit, not a rule, but it keeps the required elements readable once they overlap.
What makes a digital signature acceptable in Kansas?
Four tests appear in K.A.R. 66-6-1(b)(3). The signature must be unique to you, capable of verification, under your sole control, and linked to the document in a way that makes any change to its data invalidate the signature.
- Unique: it belongs to you and no one else.
- Verifiable: it can be checked.
- Sole control: only you can apply it.
- Linked: editing the file breaks it.
The rule states the tests as properties of the signature. Whatever signing method you use for sealed electronic files has to satisfy all four, and the fourth test means an altered file should show an invalid signature rather than a valid one.
Which documents must carry a Kansas PE seal?
Each document you issue, which K.A.R. 66-6-1(c)(1) spells out to include drawings, technical reports, records and papers, plus original land descriptions used to convey an interest in real property. Statutory practice exemptions are the carve-outs.
The exemptions are found at K.S.A. 74-7031 through 74-7034 and 74-7042a. Outside them, reports, records and papers are covered as fully as drawings, so a technical report you issue needs the same seal, signature and date treatment as a plan sheet.
Can you use the seal after a Kansas license expires?
No. Under K.S.A. 74-7023(d), stamping any document with your seal is unlawful once the license has expired or been revoked, and it becomes lawful again only after renewal or reissue. The renewal cycle is two years, set by K.A.R. 66-6-10(a).
Renewal is what restores the right to stamp. Put the two-year renewal date on the same calendar as your project deadlines so a sealed set never leaves the office during a lapse. For the steps involved, see the Kansas PE stamp renewal guide.
What should you send when ordering a Kansas PE seal?
Your name exactly as your license shows it, your profession, your license certificate number, and your device choice. LICENSED, KANSAS, the two circles and both diameters are fixed by rule, so none of those needs input from you.
- Name: copied from your license.
- Profession: as licensed.
- Certificate number: copied from your license certificate.
- Device: rubber stamp, embossed seal or digital seal.
If your license is new, our notes on the Kansas PE stamp application process cover getting the stamp in hand.
How do you check a Kansas PE seal impression before use?
Measure it. The outer circle should come to 1 5/8 inches and the inner circle to 1 1/16 inches, and every word should match: your licensed name, your profession, LICENSED, KANSAS and your certificate number.
Then do a trial signature. Sign and date across a test impression to confirm the signature stays legible over the text and the seal stays readable under it. More practical pointers are in stamp tips for Kansas engineers.
For the geologist side of practice in Kansas, read what a Kansas geologist seal requires.
Frequently asked questions
Does a digital signature still have to cross the seal?
Yes. K.A.R. 66-6-1(b)(1) treats a handwritten signature and an authenticated digital signature the same way: either one goes across the seal together with the date.
Can I stamp documents while a late renewal is pending?
No. The statute bars stamping after expiration until the license is renewed or reissued, so the seal stays off documents until renewal is complete.
Does revocation work the same way as expiration?
Yes. K.S.A. 74-7023(d) treats a revoked license like an expired one. Stamping is unlawful until the license is reissued.
Are land descriptions covered by the sealing rule?
Original land descriptions used to convey an interest in real property are on the rule's list, subject to the statutory practice exemptions.
Is a slightly larger seal acceptable if the wording is right?
The rule gives exact diameters for both circles, not a range, so the seal should be cut to 1 5/8 and 1 1/16 inches.
Which board oversees the Kansas seal rules?
The State Board of Technical Professions is the regulator named for Kansas professional engineers.
To order a seal cut to the Kansas ring sizes, visit our Kansas stamps and seals collection with your licensed name, profession and certificate number ready.
