A South Dakota land surveyor seal has a 1 to 2 inch outer circle and an inner circle exactly five-eighths of that diameter. It shows the name South Dakota, your name and license number, and a Land Surveyor title that may start with Licensed or Registered. Registers of deeds will not record a survey lacking your signature, seal and date. This page covers wording, sizing, devices, documents and ordering.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against SDCL 36-18A-44 and the State Board of Technical Professions. Sources read September 2026. Updated 7 November 2026.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identity lines | South Dakota, your name as licensee and your license number. | SDCL 36-18A-44 |
| Title | Land Surveyor, with Licensed or Registered allowed in front of it. | SDCL 36-18A-44 |
| Size | Outer circle from 1 inch up to 2 inches across; inner circle set at exactly five-eighths of that figure. | SDCL 36-18A-44 |
| Devices | A computer-generated seal, an embossed seal, a rubber stamp, or any other facsimile acceptable to the board. | SDCL 36-18A-44 |
| Working device for surveyors | The inked stamp, because recorded submissions need an impressed seal and copies must reproduce legibly. | SDCL 36-18A-44 |
| Signature and date | Where they sit relative to the seal is permissive, not fixed. | SDCL 36-18A-44, 36-18A-45.1, 36-18A-71 |
| Documents to seal | Each drawing sheet of final work given to a client, or to any agency that is public or governmental, both the original and every reproduction. | SDCL 36-18A-45, 36-18A-71 |
| Register of deeds | Cannot file or record a surveying submission that lacks your personal signature, seal and date. | SDCL 36-18A-45, 36-18A-71 |
| Electronic sealing | Allowed and judged on functional criteria; no product is named. | SDCL 36-18A-45(1), 36-18A-45.1 |
| Security and lapse | You answer for the seal's security and proper use; use after lapse is not addressed. | ARSD 20:38:37:01 |
Licensed in more than one place? Check each jurisdiction in land surveyor seal requirements by state. The route to a South Dakota surveying license, from education through the exams, sits in the national table on land surveyor licensing requirements.
What must a South Dakota land surveyor seal show?
Four things under SDCL 36-18A-44: your license number, your own name as the licensee, the name South Dakota, and the title Land Surveyor. That title may carry the prefix Licensed or Registered if you prefer one.
Those lines sit inside the two-circle layout covered below. Our write-up on the specifics of the South Dakota land surveyor seal goes further into the face of the seal.
Which title wording is allowed?
Three forms fit the statute: Land Surveyor, Licensed Land Surveyor or Registered Land Surveyor. The base title is Land Surveyor, and Licensed or Registered is an optional prefix, so the choice among the three is yours.
The listed prefixes do not include Professional. Because Professional Land Surveyor is not one of the three forms in SDCL 36-18A-44, check the title line on every proof closely before you approve it.
How is the South Dakota seal sized?
Two measurements, linked. Across, the outer circle runs from 1 inch minimum to 2 inches maximum; the inner circle equals exactly five-eighths of the outer diameter you choose.
Because the inner circle is a ratio, it moves with the outer size. Some worked figures:
- 1 inch outer circle: 5/8 inch inner circle.
- 1.5 inch outer circle: 15/16 inch inner circle.
- 2 inch outer circle: 1-1/4 inch inner circle.
A die with no inner circle, or with an inner ring drawn to some other proportion, does not match the statute. Our guide to choosing a South Dakota land surveyor seal can help you settle on a diameter.
Which devices does the statute accept?
Four routes: a computer-generated seal, an embossed seal, a rubber stamp, or any other facsimile acceptable to the board. The first three appear by name in SDCL 36-18A-44, which allows others through board acceptance.
Anything outside the named three depends on the board, so the listed devices are the direct choices for most orders.
Why do surveyors work with an inked stamp?
Two statutes explain it. For land surveying submissions to a register of deeds, SDCL 36-18A-71 calls for the seal, signature and date to be impressed and affixed. Separately, SDCL 36-18A-45(1) makes compliance depend on legible reproduction on copies, tracings and electronic submittals.
That combination makes the inked stamp the working device for a South Dakota surveyor. Our look at the stamp South Dakota land surveyors rely on covers the physical piece.
Where do the signature and date go?
The statutes give you latitude on placement. Under SDCL 36-18A-44, 36-18A-45.1, 36-18A-71, where the signature and date sit relative to the seal is permissive rather than fixed to one spot on the sheet.
Flexible placement does not relax the reproduction duty. SDCL 36-18A-45(1) ties compliance to legible reproduction, so choose a position that stays readable when the sheet is copied or scanned.
Which documents need the seal?
Final work for a client or for a public or governmental agency: plats, land surveys, plans, drawings, reports, specifications, calculations and design information. Originals are covered, and so is each copy, tracing, electronic submittal or other reproduction.
ARSD 20:38:37:01 adds a sheet-level rule for drawings: every sheet carries your seal and license number, along with the signature of whichever licensee is in responsible charge. Our summary of South Dakota land surveyor stamp requirements lays out the sealing duty in full.
What does the register of deeds require?
Your personal signature, your seal and the date. Under SDCL 36-18A-71, a register of deeds cannot accept a surveying map, plat or survey for filing or recording unless all three are on it.
This is the provision in the chapter aimed specifically at surveyors. A plat missing any one of the three cannot be recorded, so check all three before it leaves your office.
How does South Dakota handle electronic seals?
Electronic sealing is permitted and judged by functional criteria rather than a named product. SDCL 36-18A-45(1), 36-18A-45.1 set those criteria; this page does not list them, so read the sections themselves before choosing software.
A computer-generated seal is also one of the devices SDCL 36-18A-44 names, so an electronic image of the seal has a place in the statute alongside the stamp and the embosser.
What happens if your license lapses?
The provisions cited here do not address use after lapse. What ARSD 20:38:37:01 does say is that the licensee is responsible for the seal's security and proper use, and that improper use is grounds for discipline.
The same rule makes a failure to sign and seal final work a ground for discipline as well. Keep the stamp under your control, and treat an unsealed final sheet as a compliance problem. Our article on investing in a South Dakota land surveyor stamp is a useful companion here.
What should you have ready when you order?
The title form you want, your license number, your name as licensed and an outer diameter from 1 to 2 inches. The five-eighths ratio then sets the inner circle.
State the outer size as a single figure, such as 1.5 inches, so the proof can show an inner circle of exactly 15/16 inch. Confirm the title line reads Land Surveyor, Licensed Land Surveyor or Registered Land Surveyor.
How do you check the first impression?
Measure both circles on a test impression. The outer ring should fall between 1 and 2 inches, and the inner ring should measure five-eighths of it, for example 15/16 inch inside a 1.5 inch seal.
Then photocopy the test sheet and scan it. SDCL 36-18A-45(1) ties compliance to legible reproduction, so every line of the seal, plus your signature and date, should still read clearly on the copy.
Frequently asked questions
Can I choose a 1.75 inch outer circle?
Yes. Anything from 1 to 2 inches works, and at 1.75 inches the inner circle must measure 1-3/32 inches, which is five-eighths of the outer diameter.
Is a seal with a single circle acceptable?
No. SDCL 36-18A-44 calls for an inner circle at five-eighths of the outer diameter, so a one-ring design leaves out a required dimension.
Can I use a device other than a stamp, embosser or computer-generated seal?
Only if the board finds it acceptable. The statute leaves room for other facsimiles, but the decision rests with the board, not with the licensee.
Can I record a plat that carries only a digital seal?
Because SDCL 36-18A-71 describes the seal, signature and date as impressed and affixed on land surveying submissions, documents bound for a register of deeds are handled with the inked stamp. Anything you plan to record should get an ink impression.
Who is responsible if someone in my office misuses my seal?
You are. ARSD 20:38:37:01 makes the licensee answerable for keeping the seal secure and seeing that it is used properly, and improper use is grounds for discipline.
With your title form and outer diameter chosen, order your seal from our South Dakota stamps and seals collection.
