When most people think about becoming a land surveyor, the furthest thing from their minds is some tiny stamp. Instead, they think about how they need to get a certain customer base and market themselves, look into an office and sharpen their skills if they don’t already have a background in this industry.

However, without a South Dakota land surveyor seal, none of those preparations will mean a thing. Worse yet, they could obtain their South Dakota land surveyor seal and still not be ready to practice because something about it is off.

This is why you should review the following against your South Dakota land surveyor seal. Even if it isn’t your fault, if you use a seal that’s out of compliance, you could face no shortage of problems later.

The Dimensions of the South Dakota Land Surveyor Seal

First and foremost, check the dimensions of your South Dakota land surveyor seal. To an experienced eye, the wrong dimensions on a seal will stick out like a sore thumb. If you use a rubber stamp or embossing seal, yours should be 2" in diameter. The inside circle should be 1-1/4". We’ll cover this more in a moment.

The Appearance of the South Dakota Land Surveyor Seal

Now, let’s talk about how the South Dakota land surveyor seal actually looks. As we just touched on, there are actually two circles involved with the seal .The first one is the actual perimeter that looks like it’s a braid. Then, on the inside, is a circle outlined by a collection of circles, almost like a necklace.

Between these two circles, at the top, your seal should read, “Registered Land Surveyor.” Inside the circle, at the top, the seal will say, “Reg. No.” Across the bottom, it will read, “South Dakota.” Between the two, in the middle, you’ll find your license number and then your full name. Your name on your seal must be the same as you included on your application for the seal.

Receiving your South Dakota land surveyor seal is a big step in the right direction, but you’re still a long way off if you don’t go through the above to make sure yours looks like it’s supposed to.