A Kentucky land surveyor's original seal is a rubber stamp or embossing seal carrying the legend Licensed Professional Land Surveyor with your name and license number. An image made by computer does not count as an original, though a digital signature meeting six conditions can stand in for seal, signature and date. This page covers devices, wording, size, signing, digital rules and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Ky. Rev. Stat. § 322.340(1) and the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Your name | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 322.340(1) |
| License number | Your license number | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 322.340(1) |
| Legend | Licensed Professional Land Surveyor | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 322.340(1) |
| Original seal | A rubber stamp or an embossing seal built to the Section 5 design rules | 201 Ky. Admin. Regs. 18:104 Sections 1(6), 2 |
| Computer image | Does not qualify as an original seal | 201 Ky. Admin. Regs. 18:104 Sections 1(6), 2 |
| Size and shape | A surveyor size range applies that differs from the engineer range; no shape is stated | 201 Ky. Admin. Regs. 18:104 Sections 5, 6 |
| Signing | Seal or stamp, signature and date are used as a set; a reproduced original signature is enough | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 322.340(3), (4) |
| Documents | Reports, specifications, drawings and plans given to a client or submitted to a public or government agency | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 322.340(3), (5) |
| Digital signature | Can replace the original seal, signature and date when six conditions are all met | 201 Ky. Admin. Regs. 18:104 Sections 3, 4 |
| After expiration | Unlawful to apply the seal, stamp or signature, or to let anyone else apply it | Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 322.160, 322.340(6) |
Kentucky is one row in our land surveyor seal requirements by state table, which sets each jurisdiction's rule side by side. Before any of this applies you need the Kentucky license itself; how to become a licensed land surveyor covers the routes, the FS and PS exams and any state exam.
What counts as an original seal for a Kentucky land surveyor?
A rubber stamp or an embossing seal that meets the design requirements in Section 5 of the seal regulation. That is how 201 Ky. Admin. Regs. 18:104 Sections 1(6), 2 treat an original seal or stamp, and the distinction runs through the whole regulation.
The board's Approved Stamps and Seals page describes the same duty from the statute's side: every licensee needs either a metal embossing seal or a rubber stamp. A seal image produced by a computer falls outside the definition, so it cannot serve as your original. Our post on obtaining a professional surveyor seal in Kentucky covers getting the device in hand.
What wording goes on the Kentucky seal?
Three items under Ky. Rev. Stat. § 322.340(1): the legend Licensed Professional Land Surveyor, your license number and your name. The word Licensed opens the legend and is part of the required wording, not an optional extra.
Enter the legend in full, since the statute gives it in full. No expiration date or other item is listed for the face. Our post on Kentucky land surveyor seal specifications goes further into the layout.
What size does Kentucky set for a surveyor seal?
201 Ky. Admin. Regs. 18:104 Sections 5, 6 treat the land surveyor size range as separate from the engineer range. This page does not restate the surveyor figures, and no shape is stated in the sources behind it.
The practical point is for dual licensees and anyone reusing an engineer die: a device built to the engineer range is not automatically right for the surveyor seal. Say the seal is for the surveyor license when you order, and check the proof against the surveyor range, not the engineer one.
How do signature and date work with a Kentucky seal?
Under Ky. Rev. Stat. § 322.340(3), (4), the seal or stamp, your signature and the date are used as a set. The statute adds that a reproduction of an original signature is enough to satisfy that requirement.
201 KAR 18:104 Section 1(7) says an original signature means a person's name, written by hand, put on a document. Read together, a handwritten signature, or a faithful reproduction of one, goes with the seal and the date each time you certify.
Which Kentucky documents need the seal?
Every report, specification, drawing and plan that goes to a client or to a public or government agency, under Ky. Rev. Stat. § 322.340(3), (5). The trigger is who receives the document as well as what kind of document it is.
If a plan or report leaves your office for a client or an agency, it carries the seal, your signature and the date together. Build that into your issue checklist so nothing goes out bare.
When can a digital signature replace the seal in Kentucky?
201 KAR 18:104 Section 3 lets a digital signature take the place of the original seal, signature and date, but only when every listed condition holds. There are six, and the full citation is 201 Ky. Admin. Regs. 18:104 Sections 3, 4.
- It identifies you and no one else.
- It can be verified.
- It stays under your direct and exclusive control.
- It is tied to the electronic file in a way that makes any change easy to detect and visible on screen.
- An attempt to edit the file after signing removes or alters the signature enough to invalidate it.
- If the file will be sent electronically, it gets converted into a read only format.
Miss one and the digital route is not available for that document. Our post on Kentucky land surveyor stamp design has more on current stamp styles.
What happens to a Kentucky seal after the license expires?
It cannot be used. Ky. Rev. Stat. §§ 322.160, 322.340(6) make it unlawful to put your seal, stamp or signature on a covered document once your license has expired, and equally unlawful to let someone else affix it.
The same subsection also bars using the seal to help anyone evade chapter 322. Keep the device secured so no one in the office can apply it while your license is out of date.
What do you need to order a Kentucky surveyor seal?
Your name and license number as they should appear, and a choice between a rubber stamp and an embossing seal. The legend Licensed Professional Land Surveyor is fixed by statute, so there is nothing to choose there.
Tell us the seal is for your land surveyor license so the size follows the surveyor range. Our post on acquiring a Kentucky land surveyor seal walks through the purchase.
How should you check a Kentucky impression before use?
Stamp a test sheet and confirm the three statutory items: the full legend Licensed Professional Land Surveyor with the word Licensed present, your license number and your name. Then check the size against the surveyor range, not the engineer range.
Sign and date alongside the test impression to see that all three read clearly as a set. Our post on the Kentucky professional land surveyor stamp and seal has more on the finished device.
Kentucky geologists seal under a separate rule; see the Kentucky geologist seal and stamp requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Can one seal cover both my engineer and surveyor licenses?
The surveyor legend and the surveyor size range belong to that license, and the regulation keeps the surveyor range apart from the engineer range. A seal made for the engineer license is not built to either, so plan on one device per license.
Is a scanned copy of my handwritten signature acceptable?
The statute says a reproduction of an original signature meets the signing requirement, and an original signature is your handwritten name. A faithful reproduction of that handwriting fits the text.
Can I paste an image of my seal into a PDF?
An image generated by computer falls outside the regulation's definition of an original seal. For electronic documents, the route the regulation offers is a digital signature that meets all six Section 3 conditions.
Does the file have to be locked before I email it?
If you rely on a digital signature and the document will be transmitted electronically, the regulation requires it to be converted to a read only format.
Can staff apply my seal while my renewal is pending?
Not once your license has expired. The statute bars both applying the seal yourself and permitting someone else to apply it after expiration.
Once you have chosen a rubber stamp or an embossing seal, order it from our Kentucky stamps and seals collection and confirm the surveyor legend and size range on the proof.
