The North Dakota engineer seal is round and made of two circles with a common center, measuring 1-3/4 inches on the outside and 1-1/4 inches on the inside. In the ring between them, the registration phrase sits on top and North Dakota on the bottom. The inner circle holds the word Date, your registration number and your name. Covered here: wording, devices, electronic seals, signing and sealed documents.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02(1) and the State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Sources read September 2026. Updated 8 November 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Phrase at the top of the ring | Whichever of three registration phrases fits you: engineer, land surveyor, or the combined engineer and land surveyor wording. | N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02(1) |
| Words at the bottom of the ring | North Dakota. | N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02(1) |
| Inner circle contents | Your name, the word Date, and your registration number placed in the center. | N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02(1) |
| Circle diameters | 1-3/4 inches for the outer circle and 1-1/4 inches for the inner one. | N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02(1) |
| Devices | A rubber stamp, a metal impression seal, or a seal that is computer-generated or electronically generated. | N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02(1), (2) |
| Electronic seal | The rule's own term for computer-made and electronically made seals. Lawful on equal footing with a rubber stamp or metal crimp when it reproduces the full design. | N.D. Admin. Code §§ 28-02.1-08-02(2), (3), 28-02.1-08-03(1)(c) |
| Signing | Handwritten and electronic signatures are kept as separate methods, and anything that falls between the two is barred. | N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02(3) |
| Work that takes the seal | Originals of engineering and surveying work product: plans and plan sheets, drawings, maps, plats, specifications, reports, studies and similar items. | N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-03(1), (6) |
| Named exclusion | Earthwork cross sections do not take the seal. | N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-03(1), (6) |
| Sealing after a lapse | Not addressed. Nothing read for this page covers using a seal once registration lapses. | N.D. Cent. Code §§ 43-19.1-21, 43-19.1-22 |
Licensed in more than one place? Check each jurisdiction in professional engineer seal requirements by state.
What does a North Dakota engineer seal have to say?
N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02(1) fixes five things: the word Date, your registration number, your name, the words North Dakota, and a registration phrase. Drop any of them and the face departs from the design the rule sets out.
The registration phrase depends on what you hold. The rule offers three, and you use the one that applies:
- Registered Professional Engineer when your registration is in engineering
- Registered Professional Land Surveyor when it is in land surveying
- Registered Professional Engineer & Land Surveyor when you hold both
The other four elements apply whatever your registration. See also our overview of North Dakota PE stamp requirements.
Where does each element sit on the seal face?
In the ring between the circles, the registration phrase arcs over the top and North Dakota arcs along the bottom. The inner circle contains the word Date, your name and your registration number, which is centered.
That placement is part of the design, not a style preference. A layout that moves the state name into the center, or pushes the number off center to make room for something else, departs from the rule. The word Date is itself one of the required elements, printed on the face as a word.
Which documents need the seal, and what is left out?
Originals of engineering and surveying work product take the seal: drawings, plan sheets, maps, plats, specifications, reports, studies and other work of that kind. Earthwork cross sections are expressly excluded under § 28-02.1-08-03(1) and (6).
The rule is written around original copies, so the seal belongs on the originals of each item on that list. If your deliverable mixes plan sheets with earthwork cross sections, the cross sections are the part the rule carves out.
How must sealed work be signed?
North Dakota treats a handwritten signature and an electronic signature as two distinct methods, and it bars any approach that falls between them. The governing text is N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02(3).
Decide which method a document will carry before you seal it, and follow that subsection for the method you choose. A method that is neither a true handwritten signature nor a true electronic one is outside what the rule accepts.
What are the exact diameters?
The outer circle measures 1-3/4 inches and the inner circle 1-1/4 inches, and the two share a center. Both figures come from N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02(1), which also makes the seal circular.
Give the maker both numbers. A seal cut to the right outer size with a different inner circle changes the width of the ring that holds the registration phrase and North Dakota, and that ring is where the longest wording sits. The difference between the two diameters leaves a band 1/4 inch wide on each side.
Before you buy, read our article on investing in a North Dakota engineer seal.
Which devices can apply the seal?
Four kinds: a rubber stamp, a metal impression seal, a computer-generated seal and an electronically generated seal. The rule sorts the last two into a single group, which it calls an electronic seal, under § 28-02.1-08-02(1) and (2).
For paper originals, the physical options are the rubber stamp and the metal impression seal, often called an embosser or crimp. Both have to carry the same five elements at the same two diameters.
What counts as an electronic seal in North Dakota?
An electronic seal is the rule's name for any seal made by computer or generated electronically. It qualifies only when it reproduces the full design set out in § 28-02.1-08-02(1), with the same wording in the same places.
The rule defines the term itself, in §§ 28-02.1-08-02(2), (3) and 28-02.1-08-03(1)(c), rather than leaving it to office practice. The practical test is simple: the image on the screen has to be the seal described above, not a stripped-down logo or a line of text with your number.
Do land surveyors and dual registrants use the same design?
Yes. The same rule sets one design for all three registrations, and only the phrase at the top of the ring changes. The circles, North Dakota, your name, your number and the word Date stay the same.
For someone registered in both fields, the rule supplies the combined phrase, Registered Professional Engineer & Land Surveyor, so one face can state both registrations.
What happens to the seal if your registration lapses?
Not addressed. The rules read for this page, including the renewal and lapse sections at N.D. Cent. Code §§ 43-19.1-21 and 43-19.1-22, do not say whether a seal may be used once registration lapses.
Licensing itself sits outside the seal rules. For that side, see our articles on getting an engineering license in North Dakota and how North Dakota engineering licensure works.
What should you provide when ordering?
Your name, your registration number and the registration phrase that fits your license. The rest of the face is fixed by the rule: North Dakota, the word Date, and circles of 1-3/4 and 1-1/4 inches.
- Your name as it should read inside the inner circle
- Your registration number
- Engineer, land surveyor, or the combined phrase
- Device: rubber stamp, metal impression seal, or an electronic image
More background on the device itself is in our piece on the North Dakota professional engineer stamp.
How do you test an impression before sealing work?
Stamp a scrap sheet and measure it. The outer circle should read 1-3/4 inches and the inner circle 1-1/4 inches, and every element should sit where the rule puts it, with nothing extra added.
- The phrase at the top matches your registration
- North Dakota runs along the bottom of the ring
- Your name, the word Date and your number sit inside the inner circle
- The number is centered
- For an electronic seal, print it at full size and measure the printout
Frequently asked questions
Does the registration phrase have to include the word Registered?
Yes. All three phrases the rule offers begin with Registered, so a seal reading only Professional Engineer does not match any of them.
Should the seal show an expiration date?
No expiration date is among the five elements in § 28-02.1-08-02(1). The only date-related item on the face is the word Date itself.
Can I add my firm name to the seal?
A firm name is not one of the five elements the rule lists, and the inner circle is already assigned to your name, your number and the word Date.
What changes if I add a second registration?
The phrase at the top of the ring has to fit your registration, so holding both engineering and land surveying moves you to the combined phrase. The rest of the face stays as it was.
Does an electronic seal carry less weight than a rubber stamp?
No. Once it reproduces the required design, it stands level with a rubber stamp or a metal crimp under the rule.
With your registration phrase and number ready, order your seal from our North Dakota engineer stamps and seals collection.
