West Virginia's surveyor statute never mentions a seal, and whatever the seal rules say is in Title 23 Series 1 or Series 5, which are published without a readable text layer. An embosser or an inked rubber stamp is recorded as acceptable, and we produce each. Wording, size, signing and electronic use cannot be confirmed from a readable source. This page separates what is confirmed from what is not.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against W. Va. Code St. R. tit. 23, ser. 1 and ser. 5 (text layer not available) and the Board of Professional Surveyors. Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Where seal rules sit | Title 23 Series 1 and Series 5; neither has a readable text layer. | W. Va. Code St. R. tit. 23, ser. 1 and ser. 5 (text layer not available) |
| Devices | An inked rubber stamp or an embosser. | W. Va. Code St. R. tit. 23, ser. 1 (text layer not available) |
| Face wording | Cannot be read from the rule. The face we make follows production artwork. | W. Va. Code St. R. tit. 23, ser. 1 (text layer not available) |
| Size and shape | No size is prescribed and no shape is stated in a readable source. | Not addressed in the cited rules |
| Electronic seal | Unconfirmed; article 30-13A has no electronic or digital seal standard. | W. Va. Code St. R. tit. 23, ser. 1 (text layer not available) |
| Use after a lapse | Not addressed; the status sections are silent on what happens to a seal after a lapse. | W. Va. Code §§ 30-13A-14, 30-13A-15, 30-13A-16, 30-13A-17 |
| Seal in the statute | Article 30-13A treats license status in detail yet has no seal provision. | W. Va. Code §§ 30-13A-14, 30-13A-15, 30-13A-16, 30-13A-17 |
| Signature and date | Unconfirmed; the statute ties no signature or date to a seal. | W. Va. Code St. R. tit. 23, ser. 1 and ser. 5 (text layer not available) |
| Documents to seal | Unconfirmed; the classes of documents are set in Series 1 and Series 5. | W. Va. Code St. R. tit. 23, ser. 1 and ser. 5 (text layer not available) |
| Statutory framework | The statute supplies the structure around sealing, not a document list. | W. Va. Code §§ 30-13A-10, 30-13A-11, 30-13A-19, 30-13A-21 |
For the same rule in the other 53 jurisdictions, read land surveyor seal requirements by state. The route to a West Virginia surveying license, from education through the exams, sits in the national table on land surveyor licensing requirements.
What does West Virginia law confirm about a surveyor seal?
Very little. W. Va. Code art. 30-13A, the surveyor statute, never mentions a seal. Whatever the seal rules require is set in Title 23 Series 1 or Series 5, and both are published without a readable text layer.
Series 5 holds the state's standards for surveying practice. Because neither rule could be read as text, this page reports the rule citations and marks their content as not verified rather than guessing at it.
Can a West Virginia surveyor use a rubber stamp or an embosser?
Yes, both are recorded as acceptable: an embosser or an inked rubber stamp, and we produce each of them. Both are cited to W. Va. Code St. R. tit. 23, ser. 1 (text layer not available).
No other device appears in the record for West Virginia surveyors. Pick between the two on how your documents are handled: an inked stamp leaves a printed mark, while an embosser leaves a raised one.
What face do we make for West Virginia surveyors?
The face below comes from our production artwork, not from rule text, because the rule that would set it cannot be read. It is what we manufacture for West Virginia surveyors, offered as our product specification.
- a rope border around the outside
- your name following the top arc
- PROFESSIONAL SURVEYOR following the bottom arc
- LICENSED over STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA, both inside the central panel
- your license number styled No. 12345
- a star at the left and right ends of the horizontal centerline
- a serrated ring enclosing that central panel
Two points are worth checking. The lower arc reads PROFESSIONAL SURVEYOR, not land surveyor, and the number carries a No. label in front of the digits.
Is there a set size or shape for a West Virginia surveyor seal?
None that can be confirmed. No size is prescribed and no shape is stated in any readable source, and the dimensions of our West Virginia die are taken from production artwork, not from any published rule.
Since Series 1 has no readable text layer, nobody can quote a West Virginia surveyor diameter from the rule itself. The die we manufacture has its own dimensions, set by production artwork, and those are a product fact rather than a legal one.
What happens to the seal when a West Virginia license lapses?
The sources do not say. Use after a lapse is not addressed, and although W. Va. Code §§ 30-13A-14, 30-13A-15, 30-13A-16, 30-13A-17 treat license status at length, they never mention a seal.
Those sections tell you where your license stands, but none of them spells out what happens to the seal itself when that status changes.
Is an electronic seal allowed for West Virginia surveyors?
Not verified. Article 30-13A contains no electronic or digital seal standard. Whether Series 1 contains one is an open question, because Series 1 is published without a readable text layer.
The recorded devices, a rubber stamp and an embosser, are both physical. This page does not state any electronic method for West Virginia surveyors, since none can be confirmed.
Which West Virginia documents must be sealed?
Not verified. The document classes that need a seal are set by Series 1 and Series 5, and neither could be read, so there is no confirmed list of plats, plans or reports to give here.
The statute supplies the framework around that question in W. Va. Code §§ 30-13A-10, 30-13A-11, 30-13A-19, 30-13A-21, but those sections do not list the documents that take a seal.
Does West Virginia require a signature or date with the seal?
Unconfirmed. The surveyor statute, W. Va. Code art. 30-13A, links neither a signature nor a date to any seal, so a rule of that kind would have to come from Title 23 Series 1 or Series 5, and neither could be read.
That leaves the statute silent and the rules unconfirmed. This page therefore gives no signature position and no date requirement for West Virginia, because none can be verified from a readable source.
How can you confirm the Series 1 wording before ordering?
Obtain a readable copy of Title 23 Series 1, for example by requesting one from the Board of Professional Surveyors. The published version has no text layer, so the wording, size and signing rules cannot be taken from it directly.
If you get a readable copy, compare its seal section with the face described above before you approve a proof. If the rule and our artwork differ, the rule governs.
What should you send with a West Virginia seal order?
Your name as it should run along the top arc and your license number. PROFESSIONAL SURVEYOR, LICENSED, STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA, the stars and both borders come built into the die from production artwork.
Then choose an inked rubber stamp, an embosser, or both. If you have obtained a readable copy of Series 1, send along any wording it specifies so the proof can be checked against it.
How do you check a West Virginia impression before use?
Stamp or emboss a test sheet and read every element: your name on the top arc, PROFESSIONAL SURVEYOR on the bottom arc, LICENSED and STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA in the center, and your number.
Check that the rope border and the serrated inner ring print all the way around, and that each digit of your license number is correct before the device goes into use.
Frequently asked questions
Is the West Virginia face design a legal requirement?
Not as far as a readable source shows. It comes from our production artwork, because the rule that would set the wording has no readable text layer.
Why does the number print as No. 12345?
That is the format on our West Virginia artwork: a No. label followed by the digits. It is a manufacturing format rather than a confirmed rule.
Do I need both a stamp and an embosser?
Both are recorded as acceptable, and nothing read for this page requires holding both. Either one is listed on its own.
Can I sign across the impression?
Not verified either way. The statute ties no signature to a seal, and any placement rule would sit in Series 1 or Series 5, which could not be read.
Why does the seal say PROFESSIONAL SURVEYOR rather than land surveyor?
That is the lower-arc wording on the production artwork we cut for West Virginia. The readable sources do not supply a different legend to replace it.
With your name and license number ready, order from our West Virginia stamps and seals collection and check every element on the proof before production.
