New York's land surveyor seal is round, roughly 1 3/4 inches in diameter; the Great Seal of New York sits in the middle, your licensed name goes over it and your license number under it. Around the edge, STATE OF NEW YORK runs across the top and LICENSED LAND SURVEYOR across the bottom. Holders of a dual license use a combined legend. Also covered here: devices, signing, filing, electronic seals and registration.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against 8 NYCRR § 68.13 and the Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology. Sources read September 2026. Updated 8 November 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Outer band | STATE OF NEW YORK across the top, LICENSED LAND SURVEYOR across the bottom. | 8 NYCRR § 68.13 |
| Dual license legend | A holder of both the engineering and the surveying license uses LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER AND LAND SURVEYOR at the bottom. | 8 NYCRR § 68.13 |
| Center | The Great Seal of New York, set inside the inner ring. | 8 NYCRR § 68.13 |
| Name and number | Your licensed name sits over the Great Seal; your license number sits under it. | 8 NYCRR § 68.13 |
| Size and shape | Round, roughly 1 3/4 inches across. | 8 NYCRR § 68.13 |
| Devices | Embosser, rubber stamp or electronic version of the seal. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209(1) |
| Signature | The seal by itself does not finish the document. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209(1), (2) |
| Documents sealed | Plans, specifications, plats and reports that are filed with public officials. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209(1), (2) |
| Electronic standard | No cryptographic standard is named. | 8 NYCRR § 68.13 (silent) |
| Registration | The license never expires. Registration renews every three years, counted from the license issue date. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209 |
To compare New York with every other jurisdiction, see our table of land surveyor seal requirements by state. Not yet licensed? The land surveyor licensing path by state lays out the steps New York requires first.
What goes on a New York land surveyor seal?
8 NYCRR § 68.13 sets five elements. Along the outer band, STATE OF NEW YORK reads across the top, and LICENSED LAND SURVEYOR fills the lower arc. At the center is the Great Seal of New York, with your licensed name on top of it and your license number underneath.
The center is reserved for the Great Seal, and the two personal lines are arranged around it. Your name goes in exactly as licensed, so take it from your license rather than from a business card. Our summary of New York land surveyor seal requirements and stamp regulations covers the same elements in brief.
Which legend do you use if you hold both licenses?
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER AND LAND SURVEYOR. When you hold the engineering license and the land surveying license together, 8 NYCRR § 68.13 swaps the bottom legend for that combined wording, so the band names both credentials.
If you hold the surveying license alone, the bottom reads LICENSED LAND SURVEYOR. Tell us which licenses you hold when you order, because the bottom legend is the one line on the seal that depends on it.
What size and shape is the seal?
A circle about 1 3/4 inches across, per 8 NYCRR § 68.13. The rule names one target size, softened by the word approximately, rather than setting a minimum and a maximum.
At that size the layout has a lot to hold: two band legends, a name, a number and the Great Seal. Proofs deserve a close look at the center, where the fine detail has to stay readable. Our note on choosing the right New York land surveyor seal size goes further.
Which devices can apply a New York seal?
Three forms qualify under N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209(1): an embosser, a rubber stamp, or the seal in electronic form. The design from 8 NYCRR § 68.13 stays the same across all three; only the way it reaches the page changes.
You can combine them, for example an inked stamp for paper filings and an electronic version for digital sets. If a raised impression suits your practice, see our look at choosing a New York land surveyor seal embosser.
Is the seal enough on its own?
No. Under N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209(1), (2), a seal impression alone does not complete a sealed document. Treat the seal and your signature as a pair on anything you file with a public official.
Build space for the signature into your title block next to the seal area, so nothing has to be squeezed in after the stamp goes down. Set it once in your template and every sheet inherits it.
Which documents must be sealed?
Plans, specifications, plats and reports, each time one is filed with public officials. For land surveyors, N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209(1), (2) attaches the duty to seal to that act of filing, and all four document types fall within it.
Because the list is broad, check each item in a filing package rather than assuming one sealed document covers the rest. A plat and the report that goes with it are two documents, and each needs the seal.
Can you seal electronically in New York?
Yes. The seal in electronic form is one of the permitted devices under N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209(1). New York does not name a cryptographic standard for it, and 8 NYCRR § 68.13 is silent on the technical method.
With no standard written into the rule, the electronic version should reproduce the approved design faithfully: the same band legends, Great Seal, name and number as your physical stamp. Build it from the stamp artwork so the two versions cannot drift apart.
Does your seal change when registration renews?
No. In New York the license itself never expires; registration is what lapses, and it runs in three-year cycles measured from the date your license was issued, under N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209. None of the required seal elements is a date.
So a registration renewal leaves the content of the seal untouched. The cited rules do not address sealing while registration has lapsed, so keep registration current rather than test the question.
What should you supply when ordering?
Four details. You need your name exactly as licensed, your license number, which license or licenses you hold (for the bottom legend), and the device: embosser, rubber stamp, electronic version or a combination.
The top legend, the Great Seal and the roughly 1 3/4 inch circle are fixed by the rule, so they need nothing from you. For style choices that stay within the layout, see New York land surveyor seal design trends.
How do you proof a New York seal before using it?
Compare a test impression with your license line by line. Check STATE OF NEW YORK along the top, the correct bottom legend, your name over the Great Seal and your number under it, then measure for roughly 1 3/4 inches.
Look closely at the Great Seal in the center. It is the most detailed part of the impression, and over-inking shows there first. For more on why a quality device pays off, read about investing in a New York professional land surveyor stamp.
If you also hold a New York geologist license, the New York geologist seal rules set out what that seal must carry.
Frequently asked questions
Can the center show a state outline or another emblem?
No. 8 NYCRR § 68.13 reserves the center, inside the inner ring, for the Great Seal of New York, so any other emblem departs from the required design.
Would a 1 7/8 inch seal pass?
The rule says approximately 1 3/4 inches and gives no separate tolerance alongside that figure. Ordering at 1 3/4 inches takes the guesswork out.
Should the seal show my registration expiration date?
No date is among the five required elements. Registration is the part that renews every three years, while the seal carries your license number, and the license does not expire.
Can I shorten my name on the seal?
The rule calls for your licensed name, set over the Great Seal. A shortened or informal version does not match that record, so use the licensed form.
Who oversees New York land surveyor seals?
The Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology. The seal design itself is set out in 8 NYCRR § 68.13.
Once your license details are confirmed, order a New York land surveyor seal laid out around the Great Seal at roughly 1 3/4 inches.
