A Vermont land surveyor seal must read State of Vermont and Licensed Land Surveyor and show your name and license number. The size cap in rule 6.1(b) is 1.5 inches in diameter, phrased with should rather than shall. Your signature and a certification statement about the survey work go on with the seal. This page covers wording, size, signing, documents, electronic files and lapse.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Vermont Board of Land Surveyors Administrative Rules, rule 6.1(b) and the Board of Land Surveyors. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Face wording | Your license number, your name, and the legend State of Vermont, Licensed Land Surveyor. | Vermont Board of Land Surveyors Administrative Rules, rule 6.1(b) |
| Size | No wider than 1.5 inches in diameter, worded as should; no shape is stated. | Vermont Board of Land Surveyors Administrative Rules, rule 6.1(b) |
| Lettering | A lettering height is prescribed; the figure is not restated here. | Vermont Board of Land Surveyors Administrative Rules, rule 6.1(b) |
| Device | No device type is named; the seal is in a form the Board approves. | Vermont Board of Land Surveyors Administrative Rules, rule 6.1(b) (device type not prescribed) |
| Signature | Affixed together with the seal. | 26 V.S.A. § 2596(a) |
| Certification statement | Goes on with the seal; names the information the survey rests on and says the work agrees with it. | 26 V.S.A. § 2596(a) |
| Date and placement | No date is required, and the signature's position relative to the impression is not prescribed. | 26 V.S.A. § 2596(a) |
| Documents and timing | Every completed map, plat, survey or other document, sealed ahead of client delivery and ahead of filing. | 26 V.S.A. § 2596(a) |
| Electronic seal | Not addressed; no electronic seal, digital signature or authentication provision. | Vermont Board of Land Surveyors Administrative Rules (no electronic seal provision) |
| Expired, suspended or revoked license | Sealing is unlawful until the license is renewed or reissued. | 26 V.S.A. § 2596(b) |
To compare Vermont with every other jurisdiction, see our table of land surveyor seal requirements by state. The seal follows the license; the education routes and exams that lead to a Vermont license are compared in how to become a licensed land surveyor.
What wording goes on a Vermont land surveyor seal?
Four items under Vermont Board of Land Surveyors Administrative Rules, rule 6.1(b): the words State of Vermont, the title Licensed Land Surveyor, your license number and your name. Nothing else is listed as required on the face.
The title is Licensed Land Surveyor, so a die carrying Professional or Registered in its place does not use the rule's wording. Our checklist of Vermont land surveyor stamp guidelines is a quick way to confirm each line before ordering.
How large can the seal be?
No more than 1.5 inches in diameter, and the wording is soft: rule 6.1(b) says the seal should not exceed that size rather than that it shall not. It sets a ceiling only and does not state a shape.
Rule 6.1(b) also prescribes a lettering height for the seal. This page does not restate that figure, so confirm it against the rule before approving a proof, especially for a die well under 1.5 inches. Our guide to Vermont land surveyor stamp design covers layout choices.
Which device does Vermont require?
No particular one. The statute only says the seal takes a form the Board approves. Rule 6.1(b) then fixes the wording, a lettering height and a maximum diameter, but it names no device type at all.
That leaves the format open under the rules as written. What the rules do fix is the face of the seal, so any device you pick has to carry the required wording within the size limit. Our overview of the Vermont land surveyor seal has more on the seal itself.
What goes on the document with the seal?
Your signature and a certification statement. 26 V.S.A. § 2596(a) has the surveyor affix both alongside the seal, the statement describing the nature of the survey work, so a Vermont seal never goes onto a document by itself.
Plan the title block for three parts rather than two: the seal impression, your signature, and room for the statement text. A block sized only for a stamp and a signature will run short.
What must the certification statement say?
Two things. It has to state clearly what information the survey was based on, and it has to show that the survey work presented is consistent with that information, under 26 V.S.A. § 2596(a).
Because the basis information changes from job to job, write the statement for each survey rather than reusing one block of text unchanged. Keep it next to the seal and signature so the three read as one package.
Is a date required?
Not by the rules. Vermont's rules ask for no date, and they do not say where your signature should sit in relation to the seal impression, per 26 V.S.A. § 2596(a). A date is therefore optional under the rules as written.
Since the signature's position is open, place it where it suits your title block, and keep the seal, signature and certification statement together on the sheet.
Which documents need the seal, and when?
Every completed map, plat, survey or other document, sealed ahead of two events: handing it to a client, and offering it for filing with the town clerk or another proper authority, per 26 V.S.A. § 2596(a).
Either event triggers the requirement on its own. A survey delivered to a client that never reaches the town clerk still needs the seal, signature and certification statement. Our full guide to Vermont land surveyor seal regulations goes deeper on these triggers.
Are electronic seals addressed in Vermont?
No. Neither the Board's administrative rules nor 26 V.S.A. § 2596 contains a provision on electronic or digital seals. There is also no standard for digital signatures and no authentication step to follow.
With no electronic route written into the rules, the sequence of seal, signature and certification statement on the document is the only one the text describes.
Can you use the seal after your license lapses?
No. 26 V.S.A. § 2596(b) makes it unlawful to stamp or seal documents once the certificate of licensure has expired, been suspended or been revoked, unless it has been renewed or reissued.
Expiry is listed next to suspension and revocation, so simply missing a renewal date puts the seal out of use until the license is current again. Our piece on authenticity and the Vermont land surveyor stamp ties into this.
What should you have ready when you order?
Your name and license number, plus a diameter no larger than 1.5 inches. State of Vermont and Licensed Land Surveyor are fixed wording, and the lettering must meet the height rule 6.1(b) prescribes.
Draft your certification statement separately. It is not one of the listed elements on the seal face, but it goes on every sealed document, so it belongs in your title block template.
How do you check the first impression?
Measure the test impression: it should be 1.5 inches across or less. Then read each line against your license, confirming that your name, your number, State of Vermont and Licensed Land Surveyor all appear and are legible.
Finally, mock up a full title block with the impression, your signature and the certification statement, and make sure all three fit before the stamp goes into use.
Frequently asked questions
Can my seal be smaller than 1.5 inches?
The rule states a maximum only. A smaller die still has to meet the lettering height rule 6.1(b) prescribes, so check that figure before going much below 1.5 inches.
Is a 1.6 inch seal a violation?
The cap is written with should rather than shall, but it is still the stated limit. Ordering at or under 1.5 inches keeps you within it and avoids the question.
Does the certification statement have to follow set wording?
26 V.S.A. § 2596(a) specifies what the statement must do rather than a fixed script. It has to state what information the survey rests on and show the work is consistent with it.
Is an embosser acceptable in Vermont?
The rules name no device type, so they neither approve nor rule out an embosser by name. Whatever you use has to carry the rule 6.1(b) wording within the size limit.
Once my license is renewed, can I use my old seal again?
Yes. The bar in 26 V.S.A. § 2596(b) lifts once the certificate is renewed or reissued, so from then on the seal can go back into use.
With your name, license number and diameter settled, order your seal from our Vermont stamps and seals collection.
