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 Delaware State Board of Geologists, within the Division of Professional Regulation and 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.1, 3.3 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
A Delaware geologist seal must be at least one and one-half inches in diameter and carry your name, your license number and the phrase STATE OF DELAWARE and LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST. Section 3.1 of the Board’s rules sets those three elements and then closes with “This seal shall comply in all respects with the specimen shown below,” and the specimen is printed in the chapter. Section 3.2 supplies the size floor with no stated maximum. Note the Delaware legend: Licensed Professional Geologist, not Registered Professional Geologist, so a device carrying the Alabama, Arkansas or Kentucky wording is wrong here.
Delaware draws a line around the electronic seal that most states do not. Section 3.2 permits a rubber stamp, an embossed seal or an electronic seal, and then says an electronic seal and signature may be used in place of a stamped or embossed impression and an original signature “only for documents that are transmitted electronically.” The graphic image must have the same graphic appearance in all respects as the specimen.
Computer files carry prescribed wording of their own. Section 3.6 requires computer files of reports, drawings or similar technical work that will become public record or be relied on to include the statement “This submission is made in compliance with 24 Del.C. Ch. 36 by [Name], P.G., DE license number [License Number] on this date [Date].” That is prescribed text, so paraphrasing it is a defect.
Delaware geologist seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Delaware rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.1, 3.3 |
| Required elements | Your name, Your license number and The phrase STATE OF DELAWARE and LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST, as printed in the rule | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.1 |
| Size and shape | Not less than one and one-half inches in diameter. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.2 |
| Device allowed | Three formats, with one restriction on the third. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.2 |
| Signature and date | Seal and original signature are the paper baseline, and section 3.2 uses that phrase expressly when it allows an electronic seal and signature “in lieu of a stamped or embossed impression of the seal and original signature.” The electronic image must have “the same graphic appearance in all respects” as the specimen. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.2, 3.6 |
| What must be sealed | All technical submissions prepared by a licensed geologist or under that geologist’s direct supervision that will become a matter of public record or be relied upon by any person within Delaware as a result of the practice of geology. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.3, 3.6, 4.0 |
| Electronic seal | Delaware authorizes an electronic seal, limits when it may be used, and controls its appearance rather than its cryptography. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.2, 3.6 |
| Renewal and lapse | The chapter is unusually explicit about the dead seal and about the stages of losing a license. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.5, 5.1, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 |
| Firm requirements | Not applicable. | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600, s. 3.4 |
| Regulator | The Delaware State Board of Geologists, within the Division of Professional Regulation | 24 DE Admin. Code 3600 (Board of Geologists), read in full from the Delaware Regulations site, principally section 3.0 (Seal Requirements, 19 DE Reg. 1104 (06/01/16)), section 4.0 (Licensing Exemption) and section 5.0 (Issuance and Renewal of License) |
Is a seal required in Delaware?
Section 3.1 of the Board’s rules created the obligation with a deadline attached: “No later than September 30, 2018, pursuant to 24 Del.C. §3619, each licensed geologist shall procure a seal, which shall contain the name of the geologist, his/her license number and the phrase” STATE OF DELAWARE and LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST, which the rule prints as one phrase joined by a hyphen. Section 3.3 supplies the trigger: “All technical submissions prepared by a licensed geologist, or under that geologist’s direct supervision, and that will become a matter of public record, or relied upon by any person, within this state as the result of the practice of geology as defined in 24 Del.C. §3602(5), shall be affixed with that geologist’s seal.”
What must appear on the seal
- Your name
- Your license number
- The phrase STATE OF DELAWARE and LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST, as printed in the rule
Three elements and a specimen. Section 3.1 closes with “This seal shall comply in all respects with the specimen shown below,” and the specimen is printed in the chapter, so the layout is not open. The Delaware legend is Licensed Professional Geologist, not Registered Professional Geologist, and a device carrying the Alabama, Arkansas or Kentucky wording is wrong here. No firm name, no discipline, no expiry date is authorized.
Size and shape
Not less than one and one-half inches in diameter. Section 3.2 sets a floor rather than a fixed figure or a range: “The seal authorized by the Delaware State Board of Geologists shall not be less than 1 ½ inches in diameter.” No maximum is stated. That is a different number from the Delaware landscape architect outside circle of 1 13/16 inches and from the Delaware land surveyor pocket size of a one inch inner and one and one-half inch outer circle.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Three formats, with one restriction on the third. Section 3.2: “The seal may be a rubber stamp, an embossed seal, or an electronic seal. An electronic seal and signature may be used in lieu of a stamped or embossed impression of the seal and original signature only for documents that are transmitted electronically.” Read that limit carefully: the electronic seal is for electronically transmitted documents, not as a general substitute on paper. The safe buy is a rubber stamp of at least one and one-half inches, with a matching graphic image for electronic transmissions.
Signing and dating
Seal and original signature are the paper baseline, and section 3.2 uses that phrase expressly when it allows an electronic seal and signature “in lieu of a stamped or embossed impression of the seal and original signature.” The electronic image must have “the same graphic appearance in all respects” as the specimen. Not addressed: whether a date must appear beside the seal on a paper document, and whether the signature must cross the impression. The sources here are section 3.0 in full and checked the rest of 24 DE Admin. Code 3600. Note that computer files do carry a date requirement, through the statement prescribed in section 3.6.
The electronic seal is only for documents that are transmitted electronically
Section 3.2 gives Delaware geologists three devices and then draws a line most states do not. A rubber stamp or an embossed seal may be used on anything. An electronic seal and signature may be used in place of a stamped or embossed impression and an original signature “only for documents that are transmitted electronically.” Printing an electronically sealed report and handing it over as a paper deliverable is not what the rule contemplates.
Which documents must be sealed
All technical submissions prepared by a licensed geologist or under that geologist’s direct supervision that will become a matter of public record or be relied upon by any person within Delaware as a result of the practice of geology. The seal indicates that the geologist has accepted responsibility for the submission and the work performed, and section 3.3 forbids affixing it to anything not prepared under direct supervision. Section 3.6 adds a computer-file rule: computer files of reports, drawings or similar technical work that will become public record or be relied on must include the statement “This submission is made in compliance with 24 Del.C. Ch. 36 by [Name], P.G., DE license number [License Number] on this date [Date].” Section 4.0 carries the teaching exemption, which requires a conspicuous disclaimer at the conclusion of any report or study bearing the exempt person’s name.
Electronic and digital seals
Delaware authorizes an electronic seal, limits when it may be used, and controls its appearance rather than its cryptography. Section 3.2 permits an electronic seal and signature in lieu of a stamped or embossed impression and original signature “only for documents that are transmitted electronically,” and requires that “The graphic image of the electronic seal shall have the same graphic appearance in all respects as in subsection 3.1 above.” No certificate authority, cryptographic standard or verification service is named. Section 3.6 then prescribes the compliance statement that must appear in computer files of reports, drawings or similar technical work.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
The chapter is unusually explicit about the dead seal and about the stages of losing a license. Section 3.5: “No person shall seal any plans, specifications, plats, reports, or a similar document with the seal of a licensed geologist if his/her license has been suspended, revoked or has expired.” Section 5.1 puts licenses on biennial renewal, expiring September 30 of even years. Section 5.3 allows renewal of a lapsed license within three months of the expiration date, on a notarized letter certifying no Delaware practice while lapsed and payment of the renewal fee plus a late fee of fifty percent of the renewal fee, with the renewal audited for continuing education. Section 5.4 provides that failure to renew within that three month window terminates the license, after which the person must re-apply as a new applicant with a notarized letter and an automatic audit of twenty-four continuing education units. Section 5.5 allows inactive status for no more than five years, after which the license converts to terminated. Not addressed: whether the license number changes on re-application, and whether the device must be surrendered.
Firm requirements
Not applicable. Delaware registers no geology firm, issues no certificate of authorization for geology and prescribes no firm seal. Section 3.4 instead polices the title and the device together: “No person shall seal any plans, reports, specifications, plats or similar technical submissions with the seal of a licensed geologist or in any manner use the title ‘geologist,’ unless such person is duly licensed in compliance with 24 Del.C. Ch. 36.” Compare Delaware landscape architecture, where 24 Del. C. § 212 does provide a certificate of authorization for business entities.
What to check before you order
Order a circular device of at least one and one-half inches in diameter carrying your name, your Delaware license number and the STATE OF DELAWARE and LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST phrase, built to comply in all respects with the specimen in the Board’s rules. A rubber stamp or an embossed seal is the general-purpose device; an electronic seal with the same graphic appearance may be used in place of a stamped impression and an original signature only on documents you transmit electronically. Seal every technical submission that will become a matter of public record in Delaware or be relied on by anyone. In computer files, add the prescribed compliance statement naming you, your license number and the date. Stop using the seal the moment the license is suspended, revoked or expired.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a geologist seal required in Delaware?
Yes. Section 3.1 required every licensed geologist to procure a seal no later than 30 September 2018 under 24 Del. C. § 3619, and section 3.3 supplies the ongoing trigger: “All technical submissions prepared by a licensed geologist, or under that geologist’s direct supervision, and that will become a matter of public record, or relied upon by any person, within this state as the result of the practice of geology as defined in 24 Del.C. §3602(5), shall be affixed with that geologist’s seal.”
What size is a Delaware geologist seal?
Not less than one and one-half inches in diameter, under section 3.2, which reads “The seal authorized by the Delaware State Board of Geologists shall not be less than 1 ½ inches in diameter.” That is a floor rather than a fixed figure or a range, and no maximum is stated. It is a different number from the Delaware landscape architect outside circle of 1 13/16 inches and from the land surveyor pocket size of a one inch inner and one and one-half inch outer circle.
What wording goes on it?
Your name, your license number, and the phrase STATE OF DELAWARE and LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST as the rule prints it, joined by a hyphen. Those are the only three content items in section 3.1, and the layout comes from the printed specimen rather than from your supplier. No firm name, no discipline line and no expiry date is authorized.
Can I use an electronic seal on a printed deliverable?
That is not what the rule contemplates. Section 3.2 allows an electronic seal and signature in place of a stamped or embossed impression and an original signature “only for documents that are transmitted electronically.” Printing an electronically sealed report and handing it over as paper falls outside that permission, so keep a rubber stamp or embosser for paper work.
Rubber stamp or embosser in Delaware?
Either. Section 3.2 names a rubber stamp, an embossed seal and an electronic seal as the three formats. A rubber stamp of at least one and one-half inches is the practical general-purpose device, with a matching graphic image kept for electronic transmissions, because a dry emboss does not survive the copying and scanning that geology reports go through.
What has to go in a computer file?
The statement prescribed by section 3.6, in computer files of reports, drawings or similar technical work that will become public record or be relied on: “This submission is made in compliance with 24 Del.C. Ch. 36 by [Name], P.G., DE license number [License Number] on this date [Date].” It names you, gives the Delaware license number and gives the date, and it cites the chapter by name.
Where do the signature and date go on paper?
Section 3.2 treats the seal and an original signature as the paper baseline, using that exact phrase when it allows the electronic route in lieu of them. Whether a date must appear beside the seal on a paper document, and whether the signature must cross the impression, are not settled by chapter 3600. The date requirement that is explicit applies to computer files, through the statement in section 3.6.
Which documents have to be sealed?
All technical submissions prepared by a licensed geologist or under that geologist’s direct supervision that will become a matter of public record or be relied upon by any person within Delaware, as a result of the practice of geology. The seal indicates that you have accepted responsibility for the submission and the work performed, and section 3.3 forbids affixing it to anything not prepared under your direct supervision.
Can I seal after my license expires?
No. Section 3.5 is explicit: “No person shall seal any plans, specifications, plats, reports, or a similar document with the seal of a licensed geologist if his/her license has been suspended, revoked or has expired.” Licenses run biennially and expire 30 September of even years under section 5.1, with a three month late renewal window under section 5.3 and termination after it under section 5.4.
Does a Delaware geology firm need a certificate of authorization?
No. Delaware registers no geology firm, issues no certificate of authorization for geology and prescribes no firm seal. Section 3.4 instead polices the title and the device together: “No person shall seal any plans, reports, specifications, plats or similar technical submissions with the seal of a licensed geologist or in any manner use the title ‘geologist,’ unless such person is duly licensed in compliance with 24 Del.C. Ch. 36.” Delaware landscape architecture works differently, with a certificate of authorization for business entities under 24 Del. C. § 212.
