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 Arkansas State Board of Registration for Professional Geologists and Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-310(a), (b) on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Arkansas is one of the few states that tells you where you may buy the seal. Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-310(a) provides that a registrant “may purchase from a source approved by the State Board of Registration for Professional Geologists a seal of such design as is authorized by the board, bearing the registrant’s name, the name of this state, and the legend ‘Registered Professional Geologist’ or ‘Certified (sub-specialty) Geologist’.” Two constraints come out of one sentence: the design comes from the board, and the supplier is one the board has approved. Ask the Board who is approved before ordering.
The element list is worth reading twice, because the registration number is not in it. Arkansas names the registrant, the name of the state and the legend, and leaves the number to the board-authorized design rather than fixing it in statute. The specialty wording is a real alternative rather than decoration: a certified specialty geologist takes “Certified (sub-specialty) Geologist” with the specialty named in place of the general legend.
Buying is permissive, using is not. Section 17-32-310(b) requires that all drawings, reports or other geologic papers or documents prepared or approved by a registered geologist, or by a subordinate under their direction, for use or delivery to any person or for public record in the state “shall be signed by him or her and impressed with the seal provided for in this section.” Note that approval alone brings a document within the section.
Arkansas geologist seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Arkansas rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Conditional | Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-310(a), (b) |
| Required elements | Your name as registered, The name of this state and The legend Registered Professional Geologist, or Certified (sub-specialty) Geologist | Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-310(a) |
| Size and shape | Not addressed. Neither Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-310 nor the Board’s published Rules states a diameter, a shape or a proportion. The sources here are the Board’s Rules document in full for any seal. | Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-310 (silent) |
| Device allowed | Not addressed as a list of devices. | Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-310(b) |
| Signature and date | Signature and seal together. | Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-310(b) (silent as to date and placement) |
| What must be sealed | All drawings, reports or other geologic papers or documents involving the practice of geology which have been prepared or approved by a registered geologist, or by a subordinate employee under his or her direction, for the use of or for delivery to any person, or for public record within this state. | Ark. Code Ann. §§ 17-32-310(b), 17-32-301(d) |
| Electronic seal | Not addressed. Arkansas Code chapter 17-32 contains no electronic or digital seal provision for geologists, names no technology, no certificate authority and no board-approved signing process, and the Board’s. | Ark. Code Ann. ch. 17-32 (no electronic seal provision) |
| Renewal and lapse | Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-311(a) lists the grounds on which the board may deny, suspend, revoke or refuse to renew a certificate, and improper sealing of documents is among them; subsection (b) requires any such action to follow a hearing under the Arkansas Administrative Procedure Act. | Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-311 |
| Firm requirements | Not applicable. | Ark. Code Ann. ch. 17-32 (no firm registration or firm seal provision) |
| Regulator | The Arkansas State Board of Registration for Professional Geologists | Ark. Code Ann. §§ 17-32-301(d), 17-32-310 and 17-32-311, read from the Board’s published statutes compilation |
Is a seal required in Arkansas?
Arkansas makes the seal optional to buy and effectively compulsory to use. Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-310(a) provides that “Each registrant under this chapter, upon issuance of a certificate of registration, may purchase from a source approved by the State Board of Registration for Professional Geologists a seal of such design as is authorized by the board, bearing the registrant’s name, the name of this state, and the legend ‘Registered Professional Geologist’ or ‘Certified (sub-specialty) Geologist’.” Subsection (b) then requires that all drawings, reports or other geologic papers or documents prepared or approved by a registered geologist, or by a subordinate under his or her direction, for use or delivery to any person or for public record in the state, “shall be signed by him or her and impressed with the seal provided for in this section.”
What must appear on the seal
- Your name as registered
- The name of this state
- The legend Registered Professional Geologist, or Certified (sub-specialty) Geologist
Note what is not in the statutory list: the registration number. Arkansas names the registrant, the state and the legend, and leaves the number to the board-authorized design rather than to the statute. The specialty alternative is a real option, not decoration: a certified specialty geologist takes “Certified (sub-specialty) Geologist” with the specialty named. Take the artwork from the board, because § 17-32-310(a) makes the design one “as is authorized by the board.”
Size and shape
Not addressed. Neither Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-310 nor the Board’s published Rules states a diameter, a shape or a proportion. The sources here are the Board’s Rules document in full for any seal provision and found only the reference at Section 4-7 to the Board’s own seal on certificates of registration, and we checked the Board’s Rules and Regulations, Registration and Renewal and FAQ pages at the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing. Build to the design the board authorizes and ask the board for the specimen.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Not addressed as a list of devices. The statute speaks of documents being “impressed with the seal,” which describes an impression, and says nothing about a rubber stamp, a computer-generated seal or a digital seal. The Board’s Rules contain no seal section at all. The Board’s own Registration and Renewal page names a stamp supplier and notes that the supplier can provide a digital layout of your stamp only after a physical stamp is bought, which tells you the Board expects a physical device to exist. Order the physical seal first.
Signing and dating
Signature and seal together. Section 17-32-310(b) requires qualifying documents to be “signed by him or her and impressed with the seal,” and says that either the registrant’s seal or the seal of a nonresident practicing under the chapter “shall indicate his or her responsibility for them.” Not addressed: a date requirement, a placement rule, or whether the signature must cross the impression. The sources here are § 17-32-310 in full and the Board’s Rules.
Arkansas tells you where you may buy the seal
Most states describe the seal and leave the purchase alone. Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-310(a) says a registrant “may purchase from a source approved by the State Board of Registration for Professional Geologists a seal of such design as is authorized by the board.” Two constraints follow from one sentence: the design comes from the board, and the supplier is one the board has approved. The Board’s own Registration and Renewal page names a stamp company and notes that a digital layout is only supplied after a physical stamp is purchased. Ask the board who is approved before ordering.
Which documents must be sealed
All drawings, reports or other geologic papers or documents involving the practice of geology which have been prepared or approved by a registered geologist, or by a subordinate employee under his or her direction, for the use of or for delivery to any person, or for public record within this state. Note the breadth of “prepared or approved”: approval alone brings the document within the section. There is no preliminary or draft carve-out in the statute. Section 17-32-301(d) is the mirror prohibition: it is unlawful for anyone other than a registered geologist “to stamp or seal any plans, plats, reports, or other documents with the seal or stamp of a registered geologist or registered certified specialty geologist,” or to use either title.
Electronic and digital seals
Not addressed. Arkansas Code chapter 17-32 contains no electronic or digital seal provision for geologists, names no technology, no certificate authority and no board-approved signing process, and the Board’s Rules contain no seal section in which one could sit. The sources here are the statutes compilation the Board publishes and the Rules document in full. Do not assume the engineering and surveying board’s electronic sealing routes at 17 CAR § 285-602(d)(5) reach a geologist; that is a different board and a different chapter.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-311(a) lists the grounds on which the board may deny, suspend, revoke or refuse to renew a certificate, and improper sealing of documents is among them; subsection (b) requires any such action to follow a hearing under the Arkansas Administrative Procedure Act. Renewals are governed by the Board’s Rules. Not addressed: whether the seal must be surrendered or destroyed on revocation, and whether the registration number changes on reinstatement. Checked §§ 17-32-310 and 17-32-311 and the Board’s Rules.
Firm requirements
Not applicable. Arkansas issues no certificate of authorization for geology firms and prescribes no firm seal or firm number on a sealed geological document. The statute instead routes responsibility through the individual: § 17-32-310(b) ties the seal to the registrant who prepared or approved the document, including work done by a subordinate employee under his or her direction.
What to check before you order
Ask the Board for its authorized seal design and for a source it has approved, because Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-310(a) lets you purchase the seal from a board-approved source in a design the board authorizes. The statute calls for your name, the name of this state and the legend Registered Professional Geologist, or Certified (sub-specialty) Geologist with your specialty named. No diameter is prescribed anywhere, so size for legibility on a report page. Buy a physical device first; the supplier the Board names supplies a digital layout only after a physical stamp is bought. Sign and seal every drawing, report or other geologic paper you prepare or approve for delivery to any person or for public record, including work done by a subordinate under your direction.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a geologist seal required in Arkansas?
Functionally yes. Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-310(a) makes purchase permissive, but subsection (b) makes use mandatory on all drawings, reports or other geologic papers or documents involving the practice of geology prepared or approved by a registered geologist for the use of or delivery to any person, or for public record within the state. Once you are registered and issuing geologic work product, you need the device.
What has to appear on an Arkansas geologist seal?
Your name as registered, the name of this state, and the legend Registered Professional Geologist or Certified (sub-specialty) Geologist with your specialty named. That is the whole statutory list in § 17-32-310(a). The registration number is not named in it, which is one reason to build from the artwork the board authorizes rather than from a checklist assembled out of another state’s rule.
What size is an Arkansas geologist seal?
No size is prescribed. Neither § 17-32-310 nor the Board’s published Rules states a diameter, a shape or a proportion. The Rules document contains no seal provision at all beyond the reference at Section 4-7 to the Board’s own seal on certificates of registration. Build to the design the board authorizes, ask the board for the specimen, and size for legibility on a report page.
Where can I buy an Arkansas geologist seal?
From a source the board has approved, which is what § 17-32-310(a) says in terms. The Board’s own Registration and Renewal page names a stamp supplier and notes that the supplier can provide a digital layout of your stamp only after a physical stamp is bought. That sequencing tells you the Board expects a physical device to exist, so order the physical seal first.
Does Arkansas allow a digital geologist seal?
Arkansas Code chapter 17-32 contains no electronic or digital seal provision for geologists. It names no technology, no certificate authority and no board-approved signing process, and the Board’s Rules contain no seal section in which one could sit. Do not assume the engineering and surveying board’s electronic sealing routes at 17 CAR § 285-602(d)(5) reach you, because that is a different board under a different chapter. Treat a claimed Arkansas geologist digital sealing standard as unverified until the board supplies it.
Rubber stamp or embosser in Arkansas?
The statute is not written as a list of devices. Section 17-32-310(b) speaks of documents being “impressed with the seal,” which describes an impression and says nothing about a rubber stamp, a computer-generated seal or a digital seal, and the Board’s Rules add nothing. In practice an inked device is the useful one on a report that gets copied and scanned. Order from the board-approved source and follow the design the board authorizes.
Where do the signature and date go?
Signature and seal go together. Section 17-32-310(b) requires qualifying documents to be “signed by him or her and impressed with the seal,” and says either the registrant’s seal or the seal of a nonresident practicing under the chapter “shall indicate his or her responsibility for them.” A date requirement, a placement rule and whether the signature must cross the impression are all absent from § 17-32-310 and from the Board’s Rules.
Which Arkansas documents have to be sealed?
All drawings, reports or other geologic papers or documents involving the practice of geology prepared or approved by a registered geologist, or by a subordinate employee under their direction, for the use of or delivery to any person, or for public record within the state. There is no preliminary or draft carve-out in the statute, which distinguishes Arkansas from states that exempt documents marked draft.
Who is forbidden to use an Arkansas geologist seal?
Anyone who is not registered. Ark. Code Ann. § 17-32-301(d) makes it unlawful for a person other than a registered geologist “to stamp or seal any plans, plats, reports, or other documents with the seal or stamp of a registered geologist or registered certified specialty geologist,” or to use either title. That is the provision behind the board-approved source requirement.
Does an Arkansas geology firm need a seal or a number?
No. Arkansas issues no certificate of authorization for geology firms and prescribes no firm seal or firm number on a sealed geological document. The statute routes responsibility through the individual instead: § 17-32-310(b) ties the seal to the registrant who prepared or approved the document, including work done by a subordinate employee under their direction.
