Tennessee requires a land surveyor seal showing your registered name and the legend Registered Land Surveyor, laid out in the board-authorized design. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119 gives no size, shape or device and is silent on electronic seals. It does bar anyone from sealing once the certificate has expired or been revoked, unless it is renewed or reissued. Topics below: wording, gaps, signing, documents, lapse and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(a) and the State Board of Examiners for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors. Sources read September 2026. Updated 8 November 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Your name | Shown the way you are registered. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(a) |
| Legend | The words Registered Land Surveyor. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(a) |
| Overall design | Follows the design the board authorizes. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(a) |
| Size | No diameter and no tolerance appear in the statute. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(a) (board-authorized design; no dimension given) |
| Shape | Not stated in the statute. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(a) (board-authorized design; no dimension given) |
| Device | Not addressed; no stamp, embosser or other format is named. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119 |
| Signature | Responsibility attaches to the seal and signature as a pair. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(c) |
| Documents to seal | Maps, plats and surveys a registrant issues, plus other issued documents. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(b), (c)(1), (c)(2) |
| Electronic seal | The statute is silent. | Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119 (silent) |
| Expired or revoked certificate | Sealing with it is unlawful for anyone until the certificate is renewed or reissued. | Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 62-18-119(b), 62-18-128 |
Tennessee is one row in our land surveyor seal requirements by state table, which sets each jurisdiction's rule side by side. The seal follows the license; the education routes and exams that lead to a Tennessee license are compared in how to become a licensed land surveyor.
What does Tennessee require on a land surveyor seal?
The statute names two items and one design standard. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(a) calls for your name as registered, the legend Registered Land Surveyor, and conformity with the design the board authorizes.
The statute stops there. It does not list a registration number or a state name among its items, so whatever else the face carries is a matter of the board's authorized design. Our explainer on Tennessee land surveyor stamp and seal requirements sets these items beside the rest of the law.
Which title wording goes on the seal?
Registered Land Surveyor. That is the legend Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(a) names, so a die showing a different title, such as Professional Land Surveyor or Licensed Land Surveyor, does not carry the legend the statute calls for.
Templates made for other states may carry a different title. Order the legend exactly as the statute states it, and confirm it on the proof before the die is made.
What size and shape does Tennessee set?
The statute gives none. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119 states no diameter, shape or tolerance, pointing instead to the design the board authorizes. The physical format follows that design, not a number written into the code.
Do not borrow a size from another state or another profession. A Tennessee surveyor die should be built to the board's authorized design, and that design is the reference to hold up against any proof. Our article on bringing a Tennessee land surveyor seal design to life covers turning that design into a die.
Which devices are allowed?
It is silent. Because Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119 does not address devices, it neither names nor excludes any of the three formats: rubber stamp, embosser or electronic image. The statute's wording leaves that choice open.
Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(b) does speak of documents being stamped with the seal, though it stops short of naming a device. For embossing specifically, see our article on Tennessee land surveyor seal embossing.
How do the seal and signature relate?
As a pair. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(c) makes the seal and the signature jointly carry responsibility for a document, so putting both on a sheet is a statement that you answer for the work it contains.
Treat them as a set on every document you issue, so that responsibility for the work is plainly attached to both marks rather than to one of them alone.
Which documents must be sealed?
Everything you issue. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(b) reaches the maps, plats and surveys a registrant issues, along with any other documents issued, so all of your outgoing survey work falls within it.
Timing is part of the rule too: the seal goes on documents while your certificate is in force. Our guide to land surveyor seal requirements in Tennessee looks at the sealing duty from another angle.
Does Tennessee address electronic seals?
No. Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119 is silent on electronic seals. It does not mention electronic or digital sealing in any form, so there is no statutory electronic procedure to follow or cite.
The reference point the statute does give is documents stamped with the seal. Anyone planning an electronic workflow is working without a provision in this section to rely on.
What happens after a certificate expires or is revoked?
Sealing stops. Under Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 62-18-119(b), 62-18-128, no one may lawfully stamp or seal documents with the seal once the named registrant's certificate has expired or been revoked, unless it is renewed or reissued.
The prohibition applies to everyone, not just the registrant. An employer still holding a former surveyor's stamp is covered, so the firm may not go on sealing with it after the underlying certificate has expired or been revoked.
What should you have ready when you order?
Your name exactly as registered, the legend Registered Land Surveyor, and the design the board authorizes. With no size or shape in the statute, that authorized design is what fixes the layout of the die.
Bring the board's design, or a copy of it, to the order rather than asking for a generic template. Our checklist for examining your Tennessee land surveyor stamp is useful when the proof arrives.
How do you check the first impression?
Compare it with the board's authorized design, not with a ruler alone. Your registered name and the words Registered Land Surveyor must both be present and spelled correctly, and the layout should match the design line for line.
Then sign a test sheet the way you plan to on finished work and confirm the impression and signature read clearly together. Keep that test sheet as a reference for later reorders.
For the geologist side of practice in Tennessee, read what a Tennessee geologist seal requires.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 1.5 inch round stamp acceptable in Tennessee?
The statute neither approves nor rules out that size, because Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119 states no dimension or shape. The board's authorized design is what the die has to follow.
Does the seal need my registration number or the state name?
Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(a) lists neither. It names your registered name and the Registered Land Surveyor legend, then leaves the remaining layout to the board's authorized design.
My certificate expired last month. Can I seal documents while renewal is pending?
No. The bar runs from expiry until the certificate has actually been renewed or reissued, so hold sealed work until the renewal is complete.
Once my certificate is reissued, can I use my seal again?
Yes. The bar lifts when the certificate is renewed or reissued, so once that happens, sealing with it is no longer caught by the prohibition.
Can I draw up my own seal layout?
Only if it matches the board's design. The statute calls for a seal of the design the board authorizes, so a self-drawn layout that departs from it does not meet Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-18-119(a).
Once you have the board's authorized design and your registered name confirmed, order your seal from our Tennessee stamps and seals collection.
