Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Holly R, VP of Sales and Marketing at Acorn Sales, against the Alabama State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors and Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c) on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
The correct artwork for an Alabama PE seal does not come from a catalog. Rule 330-X-11-.02(2) has the Board furnish a copy of the design to each new licensee, and rule 330-X-11-.02(4) allows a rubber stamp or computer generated seal only where it is identical in size, design and content with the approved seal. The die is circular, 1 5/8 to 2 inches in diameter, carrying your name, your licensure number and the legend licensed professional engineer.
Alabama also reserves the right to pass on anything unusual. Rule 330-X-11-.03(8) ends with the sentence “Any variation from this procedure must be submitted to and approved by the Board,” which neighboring states do not say.
On the documents, the seal, the signature and the date of signing travel together, and the statute at Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c) permits a digital signature in place of a handwritten one outright.
Alabama PE seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Alabama rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c) |
| Required elements | Your name, Your licensure number and The legend licensed professional engineer or licensed professional land surveyor | Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c) |
| Size and shape | Circular, from 1 5/8 to 2 inches in diameter. | Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-11-.02(2) |
| Device allowed | Rule 330-X-11-.02(4) permits substitutes only on identity terms: “Rubber stamps and computer generated seals identical in size, design and content with the approved seals may be used by the licensee.” The word embossing does not appear in Chapter 330-X-11, though the Board's authorized design is the reference point for any format. | Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-11-.02(4), 330-X-11-.03(10) |
| Signature and date | Seal, signature and date of signature together. | Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-11-.03(1), (2), (8) |
| What must be sealed | Rule 330-X-11-.03(3)(a) requires each design sheet for engineering practice and each map, plat or chart sheet for land surveying practice to be signed, sealed and dated. | Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-11-.03(3), (5), (6), (7), 330-X-11-.04 |
| Electronic seal | Alabama defines the signature rather than the seal. | Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-2-.01(10), 330-X-11-.02(5), 330-X-11-.03(8) |
| Renewal and lapse | Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-8(d) makes an unrenewed license an expired license and the holder ineligible to practice. | Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-8(d), (f) |
| Firm number on documents | Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-9(a)(1) requires a firm that practices or offers to practice engineering or land surveying to hold a certificate of authorization from the Board. | Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-9(a)(1), (2), (6), (7) |
| Licensing board | The Alabama State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors | Ala. Admin. Code ch. 330-X-11 (Seals, rules 330-X-11-.01 through 330-X-11-.04) |
Rules for other states are on PE stamp requirements by state.
Is a seal required in Alabama?
Alabama requires a seal The duty is statutory and the detail is in the rules. Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c) provides that “Upon licensure, each licensee shall obtain a seal of the design authorized by the board” and that work product “must be sealed, signed, and dated in accordance with rules of the board, thereby certifying that he or she is competent in the subject matter and is responsible for the work product.” Rule 330-X-11-.03(6) fixes the trigger: the seal, signature and date of signing go on all final specifications, land surveys, reports, plats, drawings, plans, design information and calculations whenever presented to a client or any public or governmental agency. Rule 330-X-11-.02(1) adds that failure to secure a seal exposes the licensee to the Board.
What must appear on the seal
- Your name
- Your licensure number
- The legend licensed professional engineer or licensed professional land surveyor
Alabama does not leave the layout to you. Rule 330-X-11-.02(1) and (2) provide that the licensee secures an official seal and that “copy of the design” is furnished to each new licensee by the Board. The correct artwork therefore comes from the Board, not from a catalog. Rule 330-X-11-.02(3) grandfathers seals obtained before the rule's adoption that conform to prior Board rules, so an older device is not automatically wrong. Rule 330-X-11-.03(8) closes off improvisation on computer generated devices: “Any variation from this procedure must be submitted to and approved by the Board.”
Size and shape
Circular, from 1 5/8 to 2 inches in diameter. Rule 330-X-11-.02(2) gives the range and then says a copy of the design is furnished to each new licensee, so the diameter is a band but the artwork inside it is not. Note that this range coincides with Mississippi's; it is not a transferable design, only a coincidence of dimension.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Rule 330-X-11-.02(4) permits substitutes only on identity terms: “Rubber stamps and computer generated seals identical in size, design and content with the approved seals may be used by the licensee.” The word embossing does not appear in Chapter 330-X-11, though the Board's authorized design is the reference point for any format. The safe buy is a rubber stamp cut from the Board furnished design, because rule 330-X-11-.03(10) requires the seal and signature to be placed on originals, tracings or reproducible documents so that they reproduce when copies are made.
Signing and dating
Seal, signature and date of signature together. Rule 330-X-11-.03(1) treats all three as the certification. Where the seal is computer generated or a facsimile, rule 330-X-11-.03(8) allows it “only when the signature of the professional engineer or professional land surveyor and the date the document was signed are on or adjacent to the computer generated or facsimile seal.” On or adjacent, so signing across the impression is allowed but not required. Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c) states flatly that “A digital signature may be used in lieu of a handwritten signature”, which is unusually permissive for a statute of this vintage. Where two licensees sign one sheet, rule 330-X-11-.03(2) requires a note under each seal stating the subject matter each is responsible for.
The Board hands you the artwork, and a rubber stamp must be identical to it
Alabama is one of the states where the seal design is not something a vendor composes. Rule 330-X-11-.02(2) says the seal is circular and 1 5/8 to 2 inches in diameter “with copy of the design to be furnished each new licensee”, and rule 330-X-11-.02(4) permits rubber stamps and computer generated seals only where they are “identical in size, design and content with the approved seals.” The correct starting point is the licensee's Board furnished specimen, not a template.
Which documents must be sealed
Rule 330-X-11-.03(3)(a) requires each design sheet for engineering practice and each map, plat or chart sheet for land surveying practice to be signed, sealed and dated. Rule 330-X-11-.03(3)(b) allows a bound volume of reports or specifications to be sealed on the title or index sheet alone, provided that sheet identifies all the others and that sheets prepared by another licensee are separately sealed. Rule 330-X-11-.03(3)(c) says letters containing engineering or surveying recommendations should be signed and sealed on the signature page whether sent by hardcopy or electronically. Preliminary work is carved out only if labeled: rule 330-X-11-.03(6) says work products that are not final shall be so identified, and working or preliminary documents need no seal and signature if they carry a statement in large bold letters to the effect “PRELIMINARY, NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION, RECORDING PURPOSES OR IMPLEMENTATION.” Rule 330-X-11-.03(7) pulls scoping sketches back in: working drawings that define the scope of a contract must be sealed. Revisions under rule 330-X-11-.03(5) must be described and dated, must be sealed by whoever is in responsible charge of them, and “The original seal and signature shall not be removed.” Rule 330-X-11-.04 tells a licensee presented with a Certification to evaluate it and either limit its scope or decline to sign. The industrial carve-out in Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-9(a)(7) excuses the firm from a certificate of authorization but not the documents from sealing: they “shall when issued be dated and bear the seal or facsimile of the seal, signature, and licensure number” of the licensee in responsible charge.
Electronic and digital seals
Alabama defines the signature rather than the seal. Rule 330-X-2-.01(10) provides that a signature is handwritten or digital, and that a digital signature associated with an electronic document must have reasonable security measures including being unique to the person using it, capable of verification, and under the sole control of the person using it, with a process approved by the Board presumed to satisfy those criteria. Rule 330-X-11-.02(5) requires that documents signed with a digital signature contain authentication procedures. For documents that do not require certification, rule 330-X-11-.03(8) requires the generated seal to be removed before electronic transmission and replaced with the statement that the document was originally issued and sealed by the named licensee, P.E. or P.L.S. number, on the date of sealing, and “This document should not be considered a certified document.” No third party cryptographic standard is named.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-8(d) makes an unrenewed license an expired license and the holder ineligible to practice. Reinstatement is discretionary and time limited: a petition inside two years of expiration can restore the license on proof of all renewal requirements including the continuing education missed during the expired period, while a license expired longer than two years is not eligible for reinstatement and the individual must apply afresh. Rule 330-X-2-.01(13) states the same two year outer limit. Section 34-11-8(f) allows an individual who relinquishes or does not renew to be granted use of the title Professional Engineer, Retired or Professional Land Surveyor, Retired on Board approval, and rule 330-X-2-.01(11) makes clear that no licensee or firm in inactive status may practice or offer to practice. Rule 330-X-2-.01(16) treats a surrender as having the same force and effect as a revocation. Whether the licensure number changes on reapplication after the two year window, and whether the seal itself must be destroyed or surrendered, are not addressed; checked Chapter 330-X-11 in full, Chapter 330-X-2, and §§ 34-11-7, 34-11-8 and 34-11-9.
Firm registration
Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-9(a)(1) requires a firm that practices or offers to practice engineering or land surveying to hold a certificate of authorization from the Board. Three carve-outs matter commercially: an entity performing services for itself or a parent or subsidiary needs none, a licensee practicing in his or her own given name needs none, and the production, manufacture, transportation, distribution and communication industrial exemption at § 34-11-9(a)(7) needs none. The firm has no seal of its own, and neither the statute nor Chapter 330-X-11 requires the certificate of authorization number on a sealed document. What § 34-11-9(a)(7) does require on industrial exemption documents is the date, the seal or facsimile, the signature and the licensure number.
What to check before you order
Work from the design the Board furnished you. The device is circular, 1 5/8 to 2 inches, and its content is fixed by Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c): your name, your licensure number, and the legend licensed professional engineer or licensed professional land surveyor. Rubber and computer generated devices are lawful only if identical in size, design and content to the approved seal, and any variation must go to the Board first. An older seal that conformed to prior Board rules stays acceptable, so a rule change alone is no reason to replace it. Alabama imposes no proof-of-licensure duty before your seal is made.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a PE seal required in Alabama?
Yes. Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c) says that upon licensure each licensee shall obtain a seal of the design authorized by the board, and rule 330-X-11-.03(6) sets the trigger: the seal, signature and date of signing go on all final specifications, land surveys, reports, plats, drawings, plans, design information and calculations whenever they are presented to a client or to any public or governmental agency.
What has to appear on an Alabama PE seal?
Three items, fixed by Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c): your name, your licensure number, and the legend licensed professional engineer, or licensed professional land surveyor for a surveyor. The arrangement of those items is not open, because the Board furnishes the design.
What size is an Alabama PE seal?
Circular, from 1 5/8 to 2 inches in diameter, under rule 330-X-11-.02(2). That is a band for the diameter only. The artwork inside it is the Board furnished design, so a seal can be the right size and still be wrong.
Can I use a rubber stamp instead of an embosser in Alabama?
Yes, provided it matches. Rule 330-X-11-.02(4) permits rubber stamps and computer generated seals that are identical in size, design and content with the approved seals. The word embossing does not appear in Chapter 330-X-11 at all. A rubber stamp is the safer buy, because rule 330-X-11-.03(10) requires the seal and signature to be placed so that they reproduce when copies are made.
Where do the signature and date go on an Alabama sealed drawing?
On or adjacent to the seal. Rule 330-X-11-.03(8) allows a computer generated or facsimile seal only when the signature and the date the document was signed are on or adjacent to it, so signing across the impression is permitted but not demanded. Where two licensees sign one sheet, rule 330-X-11-.03(2) requires a note under each seal stating the subject matter each is responsible for.
Which documents have to be sealed in Alabama?
Each design sheet for engineering practice, under rule 330-X-11-.03(3)(a). A bound volume of reports or specifications may be sealed on the title or index sheet alone if that sheet identifies all the others, under (3)(b), and letters carrying engineering recommendations are signed and sealed on the signature page, under (3)(c). Revisions must be described, dated and sealed by whoever is in responsible charge, and rule 330-X-11-.03(5) adds that the original seal and signature shall not be removed.
Does preliminary work need a seal in Alabama?
Not if it is labeled. Rule 330-X-11-.03(6) excuses working or preliminary documents from the seal and signature when they carry a statement in large bold letters to the effect of PRELIMINARY, NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION, RECORDING PURPOSES OR IMPLEMENTATION. Rule 330-X-11-.03(7) then pulls part of that back: working drawings and reports used in specific proposals, or that become part of defining the scope of a contract, must be sealed, signed and dated.
Can I sign an Alabama engineering document digitally?
Yes. Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-7(c) states that a digital signature may be used in lieu of a handwritten signature. Rule 330-X-2-.01(10) sets the conditions: the signature must be unique to the person using it, capable of verification, and under that person’s sole control, with a process approved by the Board presumed to satisfy those criteria. No third party cryptographic standard is named.
Do I need a new Alabama seal when I renew?
Nothing in the rules says so. An unrenewed license is an expired license under Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-8(d), and the holder may not practice; reinstatement is possible within two years and not after. Whether the licensure number changes on a fresh application after that window, and whether the device itself must be destroyed or surrendered, are not addressed; Chapter 330-X-11, Chapter 330-X-2 and §§ 34-11-7 through 34-11-9 were all checked.
Does my firm need a seal or a firm number on the drawing in Alabama?
No. A firm practicing engineering or land surveying needs a certificate of authorization under Code of Ala. 1975, § 34-11-9(a)(1), but the firm has no seal of its own and neither the statute nor Chapter 330-X-11 requires the certificate of authorization number on a sealed document. Documents issued under the industrial exemption at § 34-11-9(a)(7) still carry the date, the seal or its facsimile, the signature and the licensure number of the licensee in responsible charge.
Do I have to replace an older Alabama seal when the rules change?
No. Rule 330-X-11-.02(3) grandfathers seals obtained before the rule was adopted that conform to prior Board rules, so an older device is not automatically wrong and there is no compliance reason on its own to recut it.
