A Virginia professional engineer seal must be two inches in diameter and must match the design illustrated in 18VAC10-20-760 F. The face shows your name, "Lic. No." with the last six digits of your license number, COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA and PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER. Your signature and the date go next to it. This page covers the face, size, electronic seals, sealed documents and license term.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against 18VAC10-20-760 B and F and the Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers, and Landscape Architects. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Your name appears on the seal. | 18VAC10-20-760 B and F |
| License number line | "Lic. No." followed by only the final six digits of your license number. | 18VAC10-20-760 B and F |
| Arc wording | COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA as the arc legend and PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER as the arc designation. | 18VAC10-20-760 B and F |
| Signature and date placement | Both sit adjacent to the seal. | 18VAC10-20-760 B and F |
| One set | The rule speaks of seal, signature and date together and never of one alone. | 18VAC10-20-760 A, B and C |
| Diameter and design | Two inches, conforming in detail to the illustrated design. The illustration may not be to scale, so the stated diameter controls. | 18VAC10-20-760 F |
| Original or electronic | An original seal, signature and date, or an electronic set used in place of the original once subsection C is satisfied. | 18VAC10-20-760 C and F |
| Electronic criteria | Uniquely identifies you, can be verified, and stays under your direct control. The two-inch design still applies. | 18VAC10-20-760 C |
| Documents sealed | The cover sheet of final documents such as plans, drawings, plats, specifications and technical reports, and every individual sheet of plans, plats or drawings. | 18VAC10-20-760 B, D and E |
| License term | Two years, counted from the final day of the issue month, so expiration dates roll. Seal use after a lapse is not addressed. | 18VAC10-20-87 A |
Licensed in more than one place? Check each jurisdiction in professional engineer seal requirements by state.
What must a Virginia PE seal show?
Four printed elements under 18VAC10-20-760 B and F: COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA as the arc legend, PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER as the arc designation, your name, and "Lic. No." followed by the final six digits of your license number. Your signature and date sit beside the seal.
- Name: your name as it belongs on the seal.
- Number line: "Lic. No." and then the license number's last six digits, and no more.
- Arc legend: COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA.
- Arc designation: PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER.
Only six digits of the number go on the seal, so count them before you approve a proof. More background is in our overview of Virginia professional engineer stamps.
How big is a Virginia PE seal?
Two inches in diameter. 18VAC10-20-760 F requires the original seal to match the illustrated design in detail and size and to measure two inches across. Because the illustration may not be printed to scale, the two-inch figure is the one that binds.
Use the illustration as a layout pattern that shows where the arc legend, arc designation, name and number sit. Take the size from the rule text, not from measuring the printed drawing. For another angle on the same rules, see a second overview of Virginia PE stamp requirements.
What forms can a Virginia seal take?
An original seal, or an electronic seal used in its place. Under 18VAC10-20-760 C and F, the rule anticipates an original set of seal, signature and date, and it allows an electronic seal, signature and date instead once subsection C's three conditions are satisfied.
For the original, the controlling points are the design and the two-inch diameter. Whatever device you order for paper documents, its impression has to reproduce that design at that size, with every element readable.
Where do the signature and date go on a Virginia document?
Next to the seal. 18VAC10-20-760 B and F place your signature and the date adjacent to the seal, and subsections A, B and C always refer to seal, signature and date as a group, never to any one of them alone.
In practice, treat the three as one step: stamp, sign and date at the same sitting, with the signature and date beside the impression. Leave room in your title block for all three. Our plain-English reading of Virginia PE stamp regulations goes further.
Which Virginia documents need the seal?
Final documents. Under 18VAC10-20-760 B, D and E, the seal belongs on the cover sheet of final plans, drawings, plats, specifications, technical reports and other documents, and also on each individual sheet within a set of plans, plats or drawings.
The per-sheet rule is the one to plan around. A drawing set needs the seal on every sheet, while specifications and technical reports are listed by their cover sheet. Budget stamping time for large sets accordingly.
When can a Virginia PE use an electronic seal?
When three conditions are met. Under 18VAC10-20-760 C, the electronic version can stand in for the original seal, signature and date if it uniquely identifies you, can be verified, and stays under your direct control.
- Unique: it identifies you and no other professional.
- Verifiable: its authenticity can be confirmed.
- Direct control: it remains under your own direct control.
All three have to hold at once. An electronic set that meets two of them does not qualify as a substitute for the original.
Does an electronic Virginia seal follow the same design?
Yes. Every other requirement of 18VAC10-20-760 continues to apply to the electronic version, so an electronic seal still has to be the two-inch design with the same elements as the original seal.
Build the electronic image from your seal artwork at full two-inch size, and set your drawing software so the placed image is not scaled down. A shrunken electronic seal falls short of the diameter rule just as a small rubber stamp would.
How long is a Virginia license valid?
Two years, counted from the final day of the month of issue, under 18VAC10-20-87 A. That gives each licensee a rolling expiration date instead of one shared statewide deadline.
The cited rules do not address using the seal after a license lapses. Track your own month of issue, and see our broader guide to Virginia PE stamp guidelines for related practice notes.
What should you send when ordering a Virginia PE seal?
Your name, your full license number so the final six digits can be taken from it, and your device choice. The two-inch size, the arc legend and the arc designation are fixed by 18VAC10-20-760 F, so they are not options.
- Name: as it should read on the seal.
- License number: the full number, with the last six digits confirmed.
- Device: a physical seal for paper, an electronic seal for digital files, or both.
How do you check a Virginia seal impression before use?
Measure it at two inches, count the digits after "Lic. No." to confirm there are six, and read both arcs: COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA and PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER. Then compare the layout against the illustration in 18VAC10-20-760 F.
Finish with a trial set: stamp a sample, sign and date beside it, and confirm all three read clearly. For more on what the seal represents, see our note on the Virginia engineering seal and what it stands for.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 1-5/8 or 1-3/4 inch seal acceptable in Virginia?
No. The rule gives two inches as the diameter, and the illustrated design is a layout pattern rather than a size guide.
Does the signature have to cross the seal in Virginia?
The rule places your signature and the date adjacent to the seal. It does not describe them crossing it.
Does every page of a specification need the seal?
The rule lists specifications and technical reports by their cover sheet. The every-sheet requirement is written for plans, plats and drawings.
Can a scanned image of my stamp serve as the electronic seal?
Only if the electronic seal, signature and date uniquely identify you, can be verified and stay under your direct control, and only if the image is still the two-inch design.
Do I need both a physical seal and an electronic seal?
Not by rule. The electronic set is an alternative to the original, available once the subsection C conditions are met, so which you use depends on how your documents are delivered.
Which board writes Virginia's seal rules?
The Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers, and Landscape Architects, in 18VAC10-20.
Once your license number is confirmed, order a two-inch seal from our Virginia stamps and seals collection.
