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 Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors, within the Business Standards Division of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry and Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(2) on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Montana delegates the design and publishes the content rather than the dimensions. Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(2) requires a seal “of a design authorized by the board” and applies the same duty to both of this board’s professions, and the board’s published FAQ entry License Seals gives the content list: your first and last name, the word Montana, the applicable title, and your license number in short form.
The short-form number is the Montana detail a vendor working from another state’s template will get wrong. The board’s examples take the form of a number followed by a profession suffix, such as 99999PLS or 99999ES, so a dual licensee carries a single number with the combined suffix rather than two separate numbers. The applicable title is Professional Land Surveyor, or Professional Engineer and Professional Land Surveyor for a dual licensee.
What is not published is everything dimensional. The board names ARM 24.183.511 as its seal rule, and that rule is not published in readable form: rules.mt.gov serves an interactive human-verification challenge on both its legacy and current paths, and the mirror at mtrules.org presents a certificate that does not match the hostname. So ask the board for the authorized design and the current text of ARM 24.183.511 before anything is cut. What we can add is our own bench record: Acorn’s artwork for this seal prints at about 1-15/16 inches inside a 2 inch guide, and it carries the number in the short form the board describes, No. 000PLS.
Montana land surveyor seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Montana rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(2) |
| Required elements | The word “LICENSED”; The words “PROF. LAND SURVEYOR”; The word “MONTANA”; Your place name in the center; Your license number with the PLS suffix, in the form “No. 000PLS” | Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors, published FAQ |
| Size and shape | This is what Acorn actually makes for Montana, taken from our own production artwork rather than from a published rule. | Acorn Sales production artwork, Montana land surveyor seal |
| Device allowed | Not addressed in any source we could obtain. | ARM 24.183.511 (not published in readable form) |
| Signature and date | Not addressed in the statute. | Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(4) |
| What must be sealed | Not addressed as a list. | Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314 |
| Electronic seal | Not addressed. Montana’s engineering and surveying statute contains no electronic or digital seal provision and names no technology, no certificate authority and no board-approved signing process. Whatever Montana. | ARM 24.183.511 (not published in readable form) |
| Renewal and lapse | Expiration is the bright line. | Mont. Code Ann. §§ 37-67-314(4), 37-67-329 |
| Firm requirements | A certificate of authorization is required, but only for entities registered with the Secretary of State. | Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-328 |
| Regulator | The Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors, within the Business Standards Division of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry | Montana Code Annotated 2025, Title 37 ch. 67 (Engineers and Land Surveyors), §§ 37-67-314, 37-67-328 and 37-67-329, read at mca.legmt.gov |
Is a seal required in Montana?
Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(2) requires a seal “of a design authorized by the board” and applies the same duty to both of this board’s professions. The board’s published FAQ entry License Seals gives the content list. Section 37-67-314(4) supplies the hard limit: “It is unlawful for a licensee whose license has expired to sign or seal any professional or technical document or be in responsible charge of a professional engineering or professional land surveying project.”
What must appear on the seal
- The word “LICENSED”
- The words “PROF. LAND SURVEYOR”
- The word “MONTANA”
- Your place name in the center
- Your license number with the PLS suffix, in the form “No. 000PLS”
The short-form license number is the Montana quirk within the element list: the board’s FAQ gives examples in the form of a number followed by a profession suffix, so a dual licensee’s number carries the ES suffix rather than two separate numbers. Beyond that, not addressed in any source we could obtain, because the full content and layout rule sits in ARM 24.183.511, which could not be read as described in the size slot. Take the artwork from the board.
Size and shape
This is what Acorn actually makes for Montana, taken from our own production artwork rather than from a published rule. The Board’s administrative rules sit behind a verification gate we do not click through, so no published diameter could be quoted. What follows is the die we cut. The printed die measures about 1-15/16 inches across, built inside a 2 inch guide. That makes the Montana surveyor plate the largest of any we cut for this board, a full quarter inch over the 1-5/8 inch plate used for Montana architects.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Not addressed in any source we could obtain. The statute names no device at all, saying only that the seal is of a design authorized by the board. The board’s FAQ describes required content but lists no permitted devices. Embossed, rubber stamp and electronic are all plausible and all unverified for Montana. Whether a licensee may use an embosser alone, and what Montana requires of an electronically produced seal, are both in ARM 24.183.511, which is unreachable. Do not assume the NCEES model language applies here.
Signing and dating
Not addressed in the statute. Section 37-67-314 requires the seal and states no signature or date rule, and the board’s FAQ addresses content rather than placement. Any signature and date requirement sits in ARM 24.183.511, which is unreachable as described in the size slot. Section 37-67-314(4) does make clear that signing and sealing are treated as a pair for enforcement purposes, since it forbids an expired licensee to “sign or seal” any professional or technical document.
The short-form license number, and a rule chapter that cannot be reached
The board’s own FAQ describes a Montana seal as carrying the first and last name, the word Montana, the applicable title and the license number in short form, with examples ending in a profession suffix. A dual licensee therefore carries a single number with the combined suffix rather than two numbers. That is a small detail that a vendor working from another state’s template will get wrong.
Which documents must be sealed
Not addressed as a list. The statute speaks of professional or technical documents in the expiration prohibition at § 37-67-314(4) and does not enumerate what must be sealed. Any document list sits in ARM 24.183.511 or its neighbors, which are unreachable. The sources here are MCA Title 37 chapter 67 part 3 for the relevant sections and the board’s FAQ.
Electronic and digital seals
Not addressed. Montana’s engineering and surveying statute contains no electronic or digital seal provision and names no technology, no certificate authority and no board-approved signing process. Whatever Montana requires of electronic seals and digital signatures is in ARM 24.183.511, which is unreachable as described in the size slot. Treat any vendor claim about a Montana digital seal standard as unverified.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Expiration is the bright line. Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(4): it is unlawful for a licensee whose license has expired to sign or seal any professional or technical document or be in responsible charge of a project. Section 37-67-329 provides emeritus status. Not addressed: nothing in Title 37 chapter 67 requires the seal to be destroyed or surrendered on expiration, discipline or emeritus status, and nothing says the license number changes. Checked the full part 3 section list and §§ 37-67-314, 37-67-328 and 37-67-329.
Firm requirements
A certificate of authorization is required, but only for entities registered with the Secretary of State. Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-328(1) requires a business entity registered with the Montana secretary of state to obtain a certificate of authorization from the board before practicing, and to have at least one employee licensed by the board identified as in responsible charge of work performed in Montana. Under subsection (2), a business with branch offices applies for the main office and lists each branch and its responsible-charge licensee. Under subsection (3), “A sole proprietor who is not required to register with the Montana secretary of state is not required to apply for a certificate of authorization.” The firm gets no seal of its own. Whether the certificate of authorization number must appear on a sealed document is not stated in the statute and would be in ARM 24.183.511 or its neighbors; not verified.
What to check before you order
Ask the board for the authorized seal design and for the current text of ARM 24.183.511 before you order, because the statute delegates the design and the rule is not published in readable form. The board’s published FAQ gives the content: your first and last name, the word Montana, the applicable title, and your license number in short form with the profession suffix. No diameter is verified and no device is verified, so buy a physical inked stamp and confirm any electronic format with the board. Stop signing and sealing the day your license expires; Montana makes that unlawful by statute without any further step. If your business entity is registered with the Montana secretary of state it needs a certificate of authorization, although the firm gets no seal of its own.
Browse land surveyor stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for land surveyors in Montana?
Yes. Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(2) requires a seal of a design authorized by the board and applies the same duty to professional engineers and professional land surveyors alike. Subsection (4) supplies the hard limit: “It is unlawful for a licensee whose license has expired to sign or seal any professional or technical document or be in responsible charge of a professional engineering or professional land surveying project.”
What has to appear on a Montana land surveyor seal?
Four items per the board’s published FAQ: your first and last name, the word Montana, the applicable title, and your license number in short form. The title is Professional Land Surveyor, or Professional Engineer and Professional Land Surveyor if you hold both. Beyond that the full content and layout rule sits in ARM 24.183.511, which is not published in readable form, so take the artwork from the board. Acorn’s own production artwork carries LICENSED, PROF. LAND SURVEYOR and MONTANA around the device, the place name in the center, and the license number in the board’s short form, No. 000PLS. That is what we cut, not a published specification.
What does short form mean for a Montana license number?
The number followed by a profession suffix, in the pattern the board’s FAQ illustrates, such as 99999PLS or 99999ES. A dual licensee therefore carries one number with the combined suffix rather than two numbers.
What size is a Montana land surveyor seal?
No dimension is published in a source that could be read. Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(2) states only that the seal is of a design authorized by the board. Any dimension sits in ARM 24.183.511, which is behind an interactive human-verification challenge on the state rules site and a hostname-mismatched certificate on the mirror. The board’s own site, including its administrative rules page, rule notices page, statutes page and FAQ, does not carry the figure either. Ask the board. Acorn’s own production artwork for this seal prints at about 1-15/16 inches across, built inside a 2 inch guide, the largest plate we cut for this board. That is our production record rather than a published rule, so the board remains the authority if it later publishes a figure.
Embossed, rubber or electronic in Montana?
Unverified. The statute names no device at all, saying only that the seal is of a design authorized by the board, and the board’s FAQ describes required content but lists no permitted devices. Embossed, rubber stamp and electronic are all plausible and all unverified here, because the answer sits in ARM 24.183.511. Buy a physical inked stamp and confirm any electronic format with the board.
Does Montana require a signature and date with the seal?
Not addressed in the statute. Section 37-67-314 requires the seal and states no signature or date rule, and the board’s FAQ addresses content rather than placement. Subsection (4) does treat signing and sealing as a pair for enforcement purposes, since it forbids an expired licensee to “sign or seal” any professional or technical document.
Which Montana documents have to be sealed?
The statute does not enumerate them. It speaks of professional or technical documents in the expiration prohibition at § 37-67-314(4) and leaves any document list to ARM 24.183.511 or its neighbors, which could not be read.
Is there a Montana digital seal standard?
None appears in the statute. Title 37 chapter 67 contains no electronic or digital seal provision and names no technology, no certificate authority and no board-approved signing process. Whatever Montana requires sits in ARM 24.183.511. Treat any claim about a Montana digital seal standard as unverified until you have that rule text.
When must I stop sealing in Montana?
The day your license expires. Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-314(4) makes it unlawful for a licensee whose license has expired to sign or seal any professional or technical document or to be in responsible charge of a project. Expiration alone does it; no suspension or revocation is needed. Section 37-67-329 provides emeritus status. Nothing in Title 37 chapter 67 requires the seal to be destroyed or surrendered, and nothing says the license number changes.
Does a Montana surveying business need a certificate of authorization?
Only if it is registered with the Secretary of State. Mont. Code Ann. § 37-67-328(1) requires a business entity registered with the Montana secretary of state to obtain a certificate of authorization from the board before practicing, and to have at least one employee licensed by the board identified as in responsible charge of work performed in Montana. Under subsection (2), a business with branch offices applies for the main office and lists each branch and its responsible-charge licensee. Under subsection (3), “A sole proprietor who is not required to register with the Montana secretary of state is not required to apply for a certificate of authorization.” The firm gets no seal of its own, and whether the certificate number must appear on a sealed document is not stated in the statute.
