A New Hampshire professional geologist seal is built from two concentric circles, 1 5/8 inches outside and 1 1/4 inches inside, with a crossed geological hammer and compass at its center. Your full name sits over that image and your license number runs across it. Only a rubber stamp or an impression seal is named. This page covers lettering, sizes, devices, signing, sealed documents, license status and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(b). Sources read September 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Outer band lettering | State of New Hampshire along the top, Professional Geologist along the bottom. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(b) |
| Name and image | Your full name, placed within the inner circle over the crossed geological hammer and compass. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(b) |
| License number | Written so it spans the hammer and compass. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(b) |
| The word Licensed | At the foot of the inner circle, curving with it, above Professional Geologist. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(b) |
| Circle sizes | Outer circle 1 5/8 inches. Inner circle 1 1/4 inches. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(b) (source ss by #12152, eff 3-24-17) |
| Devices | A rubber stamp, or a seal of the impression type. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(a) |
| Electronic seal | No provision at all. No technology, certificate authority or verification method is named. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03 (no electronic seal provision) |
| Signature and date | Seal, signature and date go together on papers filed for public record. | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 310-A:130 |
| Documents to seal | Geology papers you prepared that are issued or filed for public record. The statute adds geology papers bearing on public health, safety and welfare. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(a), (c) |
| License status | No stamping or sealing after expiration or revocation, or during a suspension. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(c), Geo 401.01 through 401.07 |
What does the New Hampshire geologist seal look like?
Two rings of lettering and a picture. Between the circles, State of New Hampshire runs over the top and Professional Geologist under the bottom. Inside, your full name sits over a crossed geological hammer and compass, with your license number spanning that image.
The fifth element is the word Licensed. It goes at the foot of the inner circle, following the curve, above Professional Geologist in the outer band. The title therefore starts in the inner ring and finishes in the outer one.
The image is part of the rule, not an optional flourish, so order artwork that includes it. Our article on the New Hampshire geologist stamp and its symbol looks at the design more closely.
How large are the two circles?
The outer circle measures 1 5/8 inches and the inner circle 1 1/4 inches, under N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(b). Both are exact figures, so the band between them, where the two outer legends run, is fixed too.
Measure the outer circle across the whole impression. The inner circle then has to hold your name, the image, the license number and the word Licensed, so spacing inside it deserves a careful look on the proof.
The rule describes the seal as circles, so the impression is round. No other shape fits the description.
Which devices does the rule name?
Two, both named in N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(a): a rubber stamp or a seal of the impression type. The rule lists no third device and contains no computer generated or digital version of the seal.
An impression seal presses the design into the paper, while a rubber stamp inks it. Either one has to reproduce both circles, all of the lettering and the hammer and compass at the stated sizes.
If you prefer the raised option, read our page on the New Hampshire geologist seal embosser.
Is an electronic geologist seal allowed in New Hampshire?
The rule does not address one. Geo 307.03 names only the two physical devices. It says nothing about electronic or digital sealing, sets no technology, names no certificate authority and gives no way to verify a digital impression.
The rule neither authorizes nor describes an electronic version, so there is no standard to build one to. For documents you sign and file, plan on the rubber stamp or the impression seal.
What goes with the seal on each document?
Your signature and the date. N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 310-A:130 calls for the seal, the signature and the date together on papers filed for public record, so an impression by itself is not a finished job.
Treat the three marks as one step: stamp, sign, date, then issue or file. Building space for all three into your cover sheet or title block keeps any of them from being squeezed out.
Our page on the New Hampshire licensed geologist stamp covers the stamp in daily use.
Which documents need the seal?
Geology papers you prepared that are issued or filed for public record, under N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(a), (c). The statute reaches geology papers that bear on public health, safety and welfare as well.
Read the two together. The rule ties sealing to documents headed for the public record, while the statute frames the duty around the public interest the geology touches.
When must you stop sealing?
Once your license has expired or been revoked, and for as long as it is suspended. N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(c) rules out stamping and sealing in all three situations.
The device does not change when this happens; your authority to use it does. The renewal provisions read alongside the seal rule are Geo 401.01 through 401.07, and the seal should stay out of use until the license is in good standing again.
What should you have ready when you order?
Your full name, your license number and your choice of device, rubber stamp or impression seal. The rest is fixed by the rule: the two legends, the word Licensed, the hammer and compass image, and the 1 5/8 and 1 1/4 inch circles.
Give your name in full rather than as initials, since the rule calls for the full name. To compare formats before you buy, see our overview of New Hampshire geologist seal and stamp options.
How do you check a new seal before first use?
Make a test impression and hold it against Geo 307.03(b): both legends in the outer band, your full name over the image, the number spanning it, and Licensed along the inner curve. Then measure both circles.
Look closely at the license number. It has to cross the hammer and compass and still read clearly, which is worth confirming on the proof before the device is made.
To compare this rule with other states, see the geologist seal requirements for every U.S. state and territory.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1 5/8 inches the size of the whole impression?
It is the size of the outer circle, and every element the rule lists sits on or inside that circle. Measure across it to check the finished impression.
Can I add my firm name or a specialty to the seal?
Neither is among the elements set out in Geo 307.03(b). Those elements are the two legends, your full name, the image, your license number and the word Licensed.
Can I paste a scan of my stamp into a PDF?
Geo 307.03 names a rubber stamp and an impression seal and has no electronic provision, so a pasted scan has no rule supporting it.
Can a colleague's report carry my seal?
Geo 307.03(a), (c) ties the seal to papers the licensee prepared. A report you did not prepare falls outside that description.
Can I seal earlier work while my license is suspended?
No. Geo 307.03(c) looks at the act of stamping or sealing, and it forbids that act for the whole period of a suspension, whenever the work was done.
When your name and license number are ready, pick a rubber stamp or impression seal from our New Hampshire stamps and seals collection.
