An Ohio surveyor seal must show your name as registered and the legend Registered Professional Surveyor, in a design the board authorizes. No design or size has been published by the board. You either stamp the seal and sign and date beside it, or apply a computer generated seal with an electronic signature and date. This page covers both routes and what to order.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Ohio Admin. Code 4733-23-01(A) and the State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| When the seal is used | On every plan, specification, plat and report a registrant issues, and on any other surveying work product that leaves the office. | Ohio Rev. Code §§ 4733.14, 4733.18 |
| Name | In the form it is registered. | Ohio Admin. Code 4733-23-01(A) |
| Legend | Registered Professional Surveyor. | Ohio Admin. Code 4733-23-01(A) |
| Design | Whatever the board authorizes. No design has been published. | Ohio Rev. Code § 4733.14 |
| Registration number | Not among the listed elements. | Ohio Admin. Code 4733-23-01(A) |
| Dimensions | The board has published no dimension, and shape is not stated. | Ohio Rev. Code § 4733.14 |
| Sealing routes | Two are lawful: a stamped seal, or a computer generated seal. | Ohio Rev. Code § 4733.14 |
| Signing a stamped seal | Sign and date beside the impression. | Ohio Admin. Code 4733-23-01(A), (C) |
| Electronic route | Computer generated seal, electronic signature and date, plus an authentication process bound to or logically linked with the file. | Ohio Admin. Code 4733-23-01(D) |
| Registration cycle | Every two years, ending at the close of December after first registration or the latest renewal. | Ohio Rev. Code § 4733.15(A) |
For the same rule in the other 53 jurisdictions, read land surveyor seal requirements by state. The seal follows the license; the education routes and exams that lead to a Ohio license are compared in how to become a licensed land surveyor.
What work product needs the seal?
Everything you issue as a registrant: plans, specifications, plats, reports and any other surveying work product. The duty rests on Ohio Rev. Code §§ 4733.14 and 4733.18 and attaches when the work is issued.
The phrase other surveying work product keeps the list open. If a document leaves your office as surveying work, plan on it carrying the seal, with the signature and date that complete it. The Ohio professional land surveyor stamp in daily practice has more on the sealing routine.
What does an Ohio surveyor seal have to show?
Your name in its registered form and the legend Registered Professional Surveyor, arranged in a design the board authorizes. Rule 4733-23-01(A) lists those items, and § 4733.14 ties the seal to a board-authorized design.
Copy the legend word for word. A template lettered with another title, or with an extra word in the middle, is not the Ohio legend, and the mistake would repeat on every sheet you stamp. A checklist for making sure your Ohio stamp meets the requirements is a useful companion here.
Where does the seal design come from?
From the board, in principle. Section 4733.14 speaks of a seal in the design the board authorizes, yet the board has not put out a design of its own, and a check of Administrative Code chapter 4733-23 turns up none.
In practice, the two listed elements define the face. Build the artwork around your registered name and the exact legend, and treat everything else as layout rather than law. Our explainer on Ohio land surveyor stamp regulations has more background.
What are the two lawful sealing routes?
A stamped seal with your signature and date beside it, or a computer generated seal paired with an electronic signature and a date. Section 4733.14 makes both routes lawful, and rule 4733-23-01 explains how each one is completed.
Each route is a matched set. The stamped impression goes with a signature and date on the page, while the computer generated seal goes with an electronic signature, a date and an authentication process attached to the file. A deeper read of Ohio surveyor seal guidelines has more on each route.
How do you sign and date a stamped document?
Next to the seal. Under rule 4733-23-01(A) and (C), once the seal is stamped you sign and date the document beside the impression. The date lives on the document, not on the face of the seal.
Plan the title block so the impression, your signature and the date sit together. Stamping where there is no room to sign alongside leaves you with a cramped signature or a second impression.
What does the electronic route require?
Work sealed electronically, with a computer generated seal plus an electronic signature and date, needs an authentication process bound to the file or logically linked with it. That requirement sits in rule 4733-23-01(D).
The signature has to pass four tests. It must belong to you alone, be open to verification, stay under your exclusive control, and be tied to the document so that changing any of the document's data voids it.
What size and shape must the seal be?
Ohio sets neither for surveyors. No dimension appears in anything the board has published for this seal, and the shape is not stated. A diameter presented as Ohio's required size is a supplier's convention rather than a board specification.
Pick a size that keeps your registered name and the full legend readable once plats and reports are copied. Keeping the stamp and any electronic image at matching proportions helps the seal read as one mark across paper and files. For face layout ideas, see seal design for Ohio land surveyors.
How does registration renewal affect the seal?
Registration lapses every two years, at the end of December after your first registration or your latest renewal, under § 4733.15(A). The seal rule itself does not address using a seal after a registration lapses.
No listed element on the face is a date, so renewing does not change what the seal must show. Keep the registration current and the same seal stays in service.
What should you send with your order?
Your name exactly as registered, confirmation that the legend reads Registered Professional Surveyor, the route or routes you use, and a preferred size. Those four details are enough to build a proof that matches the rule.
Registered name means the form on your registration, with initials or suffixes as they appear there. If you also seal electronically, keep the electronic image consistent with the physical stamp so both carry identical wording.
How do you check an impression before first use?
Stamp a test sheet, then sign and date beside it as you would on a real plat. Confirm the name and legend letter by letter, and make sure the signature and date fit next to the impression without crowding it.
Copy or scan the sheet as well. If the legend or your name loses detail on the copy, adjust the device before any work product is issued.
Frequently asked questions
Does the registration number have to be on the seal?
The rule does not list it. Rule 4733-23-01(A) names your registered name and the legend, and the design is left to the board, so the number is not a listed element.
Can I combine a stamped seal with an electronic signature?
The rule describes two matched pairs: a stamped seal with a signature and date beside it, and a computer generated seal with an electronic signature and date. A mixed version is not one of the two routes it sets out.
Does the electronic rule name a software product?
No product appears in the rule text. Rule 4733-23-01(D) sets four tests for the signature and requires an authentication process, and any method meeting them fits the wording.
What happens if I edit a file after sealing it electronically?
The signature has to be linked so that a change to any data in the document invalidates it. An edit after sealing therefore breaks the signature, and the revised file needs a fresh electronic signature and date.
Does the electronic route need a date too?
Yes. The computer generated seal is paired with an electronic signature and a date, just as a stamped seal on paper is paired with a signature and date beside it.
With your registered name and legend confirmed, choose a stamp from our Ohio surveyor seals and stamps and review the proof against rule 4733-23-01(A) before it goes into use.
