A South Carolina professional engineer seal must carry the name on your license, your license number, the title Licensed Professional Engineer and evidence of your license category, inside a circle at least 1-1/2 inches across. The regulation expressly permits three devices. Sealing after your certificate expires, or is revoked or suspended, is unlawful until it is restored. This page covers the face, size, devices, signing, documents, electronic files and lapse.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1) and the Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Shown as it appears on your license. | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1) |
| License number | Your South Carolina license number. | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1) |
| Title | The words "Licensed Professional Engineer". | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1) |
| License category | The seal has to evidence which category of license you hold. | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1) |
| Size and shape | A circle whose diameter is 1-1/2 inches or more. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 49-207.A(1), B(1) |
| Devices | Three devices are permitted by name. This page does not list them. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 49-207.A(2), B(2) |
| Where you sign and date | The position is prescribed, and the prescription appears twice in the same terms. | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(6) |
| Documents covered | Filings with public authorities (plans, specifications, plats, reports), job site record sets (plans, specifications) and, by regulation 49-207.C(2), every sheet. | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(3), (4), (7), (8), and § 40-22-280 |
| Expired, revoked or suspended | No sealing after the licensee's certificate, or the certificate of authorization of a firm named on the seal, lapses or is revoked or suspended, until it is renewed, reissued or reinstated. | S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(5) |
| Electronic seals | Terms not confirmed in the material reviewed for this page; read this regulation before sealing a file. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 49-207.C(5), as last amended by SCSR 46-5 Doc. No. 5076, eff. May 27, 2022 |
For the same rule in the other 53 jurisdictions, read professional engineer seal requirements by state.
What must a South Carolina engineer seal show?
Four elements, under S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1): the name your license is issued in, your license number, the title Licensed Professional Engineer, and evidence of the category of license you hold. All four go inside the circular seal.
- Name: copied from your license.
- License number: exactly as issued.
- Title: Licensed Professional Engineer.
- License category: the seal must evidence it.
Only the title is fixed wording; the name, number and category are personal to you and come from your license. For the professional side of the seal, see our article on what the South Carolina PE seal says about your credentials.
What does evidence of the license category mean for your seal?
It means the seal itself has to show which category of license you hold, as S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1) requires. The material reviewed for this page does not describe the form that evidence takes on the face.
Treat the category as the one element to confirm against the statute when you approve your proof, since it is the only item here whose exact form this page cannot supply. Name, number and title are straightforward by comparison.
How big is a South Carolina engineer seal?
A circle measuring 1-1/2 inches across or more, under S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 49-207.A(1), B(1). The figure is a floor rather than a fixed size: a circle of 1-1/2 inches or larger meets the rule, and anything smaller falls short.
Four elements have to fit inside that circle, including the full title and your category, so a long name is a reason to size up rather than squeeze the text. Our page on the South Carolina engineering stamp covers the product in more detail.
Which devices does the South Carolina regulation allow?
S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 49-207.A(2), B(2) expressly permit three devices. This page does not list them, so read those subsections before you choose a device rather than assuming a particular one is covered.
The regulation names its devices outright, which means the list there is the answer; nothing on this page should stand in for it. If you are considering an embosser, our article on the South Carolina engineer's seal embosser covers that product, and S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 49-207.A(2), B(2) is the text to confirm it against.
Where do the signature and date go on a South Carolina sealed sheet?
S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(6) prescribes where your signature and date sit, and the placement is stated twice in identical terms. This page does not restate that placement, so read subsection (6) before signing your first sealed sheet.
Because the position is fixed by law rather than left to habit, design your title block around it. A layout carried over from another state may not match what subsection (6) requires.
Which South Carolina documents must be sealed?
Two groups, under § 40-22-270(3) and (4): work filed with public authorities, meaning plans, specifications, plats and reports, and plans and specifications that go out as job site record documents. Regulation 49-207.C(2) then extends the duty to each sheet.
- Public authority filings: plans, specifications, plats and reports.
- Job site records: plans and specifications released for that use.
- Sheets: each one, under 49-207.C(2).
The full set of provisions behind this list is S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(3), (4), (7), (8), and § 40-22-280. Our guide to South Carolina PE seal guidelines looks at how these duties play out on real sets.
Does South Carolina allow electronic engineer seals?
The sources reviewed for this page did not confirm the terms. The provision to read is S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 49-207.C(5), as last amended by SCSR 46-5 Doc. No. 5076, eff. May 27, 2022.
South Carolina's approach in that regulation differs from the usual pattern and is easy to overlook. Do not assume an electronic workflow that works in another state carries over; read that regulation in full before sending any sealed electronic file.
When is sealing unlawful in South Carolina?
Once your certificate has expired or been revoked or suspended, unless it has since been renewed, reissued or reinstated. Under S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(5), sealing documents with the seal is unlawful in each of those situations.
The same subsection reaches firms. Where a firm is named on the seal, an expired, revoked or suspended certificate of authorization bars sealing just as squarely as a lapsed individual certificate does. More on the weight the seal carries is in our article on what the South Carolina engineering seal signifies.
What should you supply when ordering a South Carolina engineer seal?
Your name as licensed, your license number and your license category, plus a diameter of 1-1/2 inches or more. The title Licensed Professional Engineer is fixed wording, and the circular shape is set by regulation.
- Name: exactly as licensed.
- License number: checked digit by digit.
- License category: confirmed before the proof is approved.
- Diameter: no smaller than 1-1/2 inches.
- Device: one of the three the regulation names.
How do you check a South Carolina seal impression before use?
Measure the impression first: the circle must be at least 1-1/2 inches across. Then read every element, confirming your licensed name, license number, the title Licensed Professional Engineer and the evidence of your license category.
Finally, sign and date a test sheet following the placement in S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(6), and make sure the signature and date sit where that subsection puts them without making the seal hard to read.
Frequently asked questions
Can a South Carolina engineer seal be square?
No. S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 49-207.A(1), B(1) describe a circular seal with a diameter of at least 1-1/2 inches.
Can I resume sealing after my certificate is renewed?
Yes. The bar in S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(5) lifts once the certificate is renewed, reissued or reinstated.
My license is current but my firm's certificate lapsed. Can I still use a seal that names the firm?
No. Where a firm is named on the seal, S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(5) bars sealing with it once the firm's certificate of authorization has expired or been revoked or suspended, until it is renewed, reissued or reinstated.
Do job site copies of plans need the seal?
Yes. Plans and specifications released for use as job site records fall within the statute's sealing duty, not only sets filed with public authorities.
Do reports need the seal as well as drawings?
Reports filed with public authorities are on the statute's list alongside plans, specifications and plats, so they take the seal too.
When your licensed name, number and category are confirmed, order from our South Carolina engineer seals and stamps collection.
