An Alabama land surveyor signs, seals and dates every map, plat and chart sheet, not just the front sheet of a set. The device is circular, 1 5/8 to 2 inches across, and carries your name, your license number and the legend licensed professional land surveyor. A rubber stamp or a computer generated seal is allowed. This page covers the design, the sealing duty and the ordering details.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c) and the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes. A seal comes with licensure, in the design the board sets. | Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c) |
| Face of the seal | Three items: the legend licensed professional land surveyor, your name, and your licensure number. | Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c) |
| Shape | Circular. | Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-11-.02(2) |
| Diameter | 1 5/8 to 2 inches. The rule states a range rather than one fixed figure. | Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-11-.02(2) |
| Devices permitted | A rubber stamp or a computer generated seal may be used, provided it matches the approved seal in size, design and content. | Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-11-.02(4) and r. 330-X-11-.03(10) |
| Signature and date | The seal, your signature and the date of signing belong together. | Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-11-.03(1), (2) and (8) |
| Sheets that must be sealed | Every map, plat and chart sheet in a survey set, not a cover sheet alone. | Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-11-.03(3), (5), (6) and (7) |
| Who applies the seal | The licensee who prepared the documents, or who had responsible charge of them. | Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-11-.03(3) and (5) through (7) |
| Electronic seal | Not addressed. The cited rules define the signature instead. | Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-2-.01(10), r. 330-X-11-.02(5) and r. 330-X-11-.03(8) |
| Renewal and lapse | An unrenewed license is an expired license, and the holder may not practice. Use of the seal after a lapse is not addressed. | Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-8(d) and (f) |
For the same rule in the other 53 jurisdictions, read land surveyor seal requirements by state.
Does an Alabama land surveyor need a seal?
Yes. Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c) attaches a seal to licensure itself, in the design the board sets, and fixes the three items it carries. The seal is not optional equipment for a licensee in this state.
Because the design comes from the board rather than from a supplier's template, the parts you choose are narrow: the diameter within a stated range, and the device format. Everything printed on the face is set. How Alabama land surveyor certification works covers the step that comes before the seal.
Which three items go on the face?
The legend, your name and your licensure number. The legend is fixed wording and not a description you can shorten or restyle.
- The legend licensed professional land surveyor
- Your name
- Your licensure number
The legend is the line that separates the two professions this board covers, so it is the line to read twice on a proof. For the layout side of the question, see Alabama land surveyor seal design specifications.
What size and shape is an Alabama surveyor seal?
Circular, with a diameter anywhere from 1 5/8 to 2 inches under Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-11-.02(2). The rule gives a range, so a 1 5/8 inch device and a 2 inch device are both correct for this board.
Do not carry a diameter across from another Alabama profession. The range above is what the surveyor rule states, and it is the figure to quote when you order.
Which devices may a licensee use?
Two, under Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-11-.02(4) and r. 330-X-11-.03(10): a rubber stamp and a computer generated seal. Either is acceptable provided it matches the approved seal in size, design and content.
That identity condition is the whole test. A rubber stamp cut from the board's design passes it; a redrawn device that tidies the artwork or resets the type does not. How Alabama surveyor seals are used in practice goes further into day to day handling.
Does the seal have to be signed and dated?
Yes. Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-11-.03(1), (2) and (8) treat the seal, the signature and the date of signing as one certification. An impression without a signature and a date beside it is incomplete.
This applies to a computer generated seal on the same terms as an inked one. The three elements travel together on the sheet.
Which sheets have to carry the seal?
Every map, plat and chart sheet. Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-11-.03(3) and (5) through (7) put the signing, sealing and dating duty on each sheet prepared by the licensee, or prepared under that licensee's responsible charge.
A sealed cover sheet does not carry a multi sheet plat set. That is the point where survey practice diverges most sharply from the habits people bring in from other document types, and it is worth building into your plotting routine rather than catching at the end. Alabama surveyor stamp regulations in detail works through the same rules chapter.
Where do electronic and digital seals stand in Alabama?
The electronic seal is not addressed. Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-2-.01(10), r. 330-X-11-.02(5) and r. 330-X-11-.03(8) define the signature rather than the device, so there is no separate electronic seal specification to build to.
What that means when ordering is simple enough: the cited rules give you no electronic seal format to match, and the device rule you do have is the identity test on a rubber stamp or a computer generated seal.
What happens when a license is not renewed?
Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-8(d) and (f) make an unrenewed license an expired one, and the holder is not eligible to practice. Use of the seal during that gap is not addressed in the cited rules.
So the seal question is answered by the practice question. With no eligibility to practice, there is no sealing to do, whatever the device on the desk. The wider set of Alabama land surveyor regulations covers the renewal calendar.
Which board's rules apply here?
The State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors. Its rules supply the design, the size range, the device test and the sealing duty, and the statute supplies the three items on the face plus the renewal consequence.
The provisions read for this page are Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c) and § 34-11-8(d) and (f), together with Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-2-.01(10), r. 330-X-11-.02 and r. 330-X-11-.03.
What do you supply when ordering an Alabama surveyor seal?
Your name as licensed, your licensure number, and the diameter you want within the 1 5/8 to 2 inch range. The legend is fixed wording, so it is not a field you fill in so much as one you confirm.
Name spelling is the item to take from your license record rather than from a business card, since a middle initial that appears in one place and not the other is the most common reorder cause.
How do you check an impression before it goes on a plat?
Take a test impression, measure the outside diameter with a rule, and confirm it falls inside the stated range. Then read the legend, your name and your number against your license record.
Copy the test sheet and look at the copy, because a survey set is reproduced many times before anyone files it. A device that reads well on the original and fills in on a print will cause questions on every sheet of the set.
Alabama geologists seal under a separate rule; see the Alabama geologist seal and stamp requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Can I order a 2 inch seal instead of 1 5/8 inches?
Yes. The rule states a range from 1 5/8 to 2 inches, so any diameter inside that range is within the rule. Pick the size that keeps your name line readable.
Does a digitally drawn seal count as a computer generated seal?
The rule permits a computer generated seal provided it matches the approved seal in size, design and content. Matching is the test, so a redrawn or restyled version of the design does not qualify.
Can I seal the title sheet of a plat set and leave the rest?
No. The sealing duty runs to each map, plat and chart sheet prepared by the licensee or under that licensee's responsible charge, so a set needs a seal, signature and date on every sheet.
Does the legend change if I also hold an engineering license?
The legend stated in the cited statute for a surveyor is licensed professional land surveyor. The sources read here do not set out a combined legend, so treat the surveyor wording as the surveyor wording.
Is there a rule about using the seal while my license is expired?
Not directly. The cited statute makes an unrenewed license expired and the holder ineligible to practice, and says nothing further about the device itself.
Does the date beside the seal have to be the survey date?
The cited rules pair the seal with the signature and the date of signing. That is the date the rule points to.
Confirm your name and licensure number against your license record, choose a diameter inside the stated range, and order from the Alabama stamps and seals collection.
