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 Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects and 18VAC10-20-760 A and B on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Virginia’s seal must be two inches in diameter, and that is a rule rather than a trade convention. 18VAC10-20-760 F requires that the original seal “must conform in detail and size to the design illustrated in this subsection and must be two inches in diameter.” The rule warns that “the designs illustrated may not be shown to scale,” so the artwork governs the layout and the two inch figure governs the size. A 1-5/8 inch stock die is not compliant here.
Two more things about the face. The number line reads “Lic. No.” followed by the last six digits only, with leading zeros optionally omitted, and the DPOR profession prefix stays off. The rule then adds that “the number is permanent,” so a Virginia professional keeps the same impression for an entire career. Renewal never forces a recut.
There is no seal section anywhere in Code of Virginia Title 54.1 Chapter 4. The entire Virginia seal law, two inch diameter included, is board regulation, and most of 18VAC10-20 was amended effective May 1, 2026, which makes pre-2026 write-ups stale. One rule chapter covers seven credentials, and their seal designs are not interchangeable.
Virginia PE seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Virginia rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | 18VAC10-20-760 A and B |
| Required elements | Your name; “Lic. No.” plus the last six digits of your license number; The arc legend “COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA”; The arc designation “PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER”; Adjacent to the seal: your signature; Adjacent to the seal: the date | 18VAC10-20-760 B and F |
| Size and shape | Two inches in diameter. 18VAC10-20-760 F: the original seal “must conform in detail and size to the design illustrated in this subsection and must be two inches in diameter.” The rule warns that “the designs illustrated may not be shown to scale”, so the artwork is a pattern for the layout and the two-inch figure is the binding dimension. | 18VAC10-20-760 F |
| Device allowed | The rule contemplates an original seal, signature and date, and permits an electronic seal, signature and date in lieu of the original when the three conditions in subsection C are met. | 18VAC10-20-760 C and F |
| Signature and date | Seal, signature and date travel together as a set; the rule never refers to one without the other two. | 18VAC10-20-760 A, B and C |
| What must be sealed | Final documents: the cover sheet of plans, plats, documents, drawings, technical reports and specifications, plus each individual sheet of plans, plats or drawings. | 18VAC10-20-760 B, D and E |
| Electronic seal | An electronic seal, signature and date are permitted in lieu of the original set when three criteria are met: “It is a unique identification of the professional”, “It is verifiable”, and “It is under the professional’s direct control.” All other requirements of 18VAC10-20-760 still apply, so the electronic seal must still be the two-inch design. | 18VAC10-20-760 C |
| Renewal and lapse | Licenses, certificates and registrations are valid for two years from the last day of the month in which they are issued, so Virginia has rolling expiration dates rather than a statewide date. | 18VAC10-20-87 A |
| Firm number on documents | Registration is required but the firm number does not go on the document. 18VAC10-20-627: “Any business entity offering or rendering professional services in the Commonwealth of Virginia must register with the board and designate a responsible person for each professional service offered.” The firm has no seal. | 18VAC10-20-627 |
| Licensing board | The Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects | 18VAC10-20 (Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers |
Rules for other states are on PE stamp requirements by state.
Is a seal required in Virginia?
Virginia requires a seal Virginia requires the seal on final documents, and the duty sits entirely in the board regulation rather than in the Code of Virginia. 18VAC10-20-760 B 1: “All final documents, including cover sheet of plans, plats, documents, drawings, technical reports, and specifications, and each sheet of plans or plats or drawings prepared by the professional or someone under the professional’s direct control and personal supervision, must be sealed, signed, and dated by the professional.” Affixing the seal, signature and date indicates that the professional exercised direct control and personal supervision over the work and accepts responsibility for it. This text is current as amended effective May 1, 2026.
What must appear on the seal
- Your name
- “Lic. No.” plus the last six digits of your license number
- The arc legend “COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA”
- The arc designation “PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER”
- Adjacent to the seal: your signature
- Adjacent to the seal: the date
Only the last six digits of the license number go on the seal, and the rule adds that “leading zeros contained in the six-digit number may be omitted from the seal.” The two-digit or four-digit DPOR profession prefix is not part of the seal. The rule also states flatly that “the number is permanent”, which means a Virginia seal never has to be recut for a renewal or a reinstatement. Separately from the seal, the document itself must bear the professional’s name or firm name, address, and project name. Certified interior designers use “Cert. No.” in place of “Lic. No.”
Size and shape
Two inches in diameter. 18VAC10-20-760 F: the original seal “must conform in detail and size to the design illustrated in this subsection and must be two inches in diameter.” The rule warns that “the designs illustrated may not be shown to scale”, so the artwork is a pattern for the layout and the two-inch figure is the binding dimension. Virginia is one of the few states where the diameter is a hard number in the rule rather than a trade convention, and a 1-5/8 inch stock die is not compliant.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
The rule contemplates an original seal, signature and date, and permits an electronic seal, signature and date in lieu of the original when the three conditions in subsection C are met. No device type is prescribed or prohibited, so an embosser, an inked rubber stamp or a digital image are all acceptable so long as the impression conforms in detail and size. The safe buy is a two-inch inked rubber stamp: the seal must appear on final documents that get copied, filed and reviewed by local building officials, and an embossed-only impression does not reproduce.
Signing and dating
Seal, signature and date travel together as a set; the rule never refers to one without the other two. There is no requirement that the signature cross the seal. The date is the date the professional seals and signs, not a license date. The set carries substantive meaning: “Affixing of a professional seal, signature, and date will indicate that the professional has exercised direct control and personal supervision over the work to which it is affixed.” An electronic seal, signature and date may replace the original set if it is a unique identification of the professional, is verifiable, and is under the professional’s direct control.
Exempt work still has to be sealed if a licensee did it
Virginia’s Code carries a long list of projects that need no licensed professional at all: two-family homes and townhouses up to three stories, farm structures, small business and mercantile buildings under 5,000 square feet, factory and storage buildings under 15,000 square feet, certain remodels with no change in occupancy, and more. The natural reading is that work on those projects needs no seal.
The board reversed that. 18VAC10-20-760 E: “All work performed by a professional who is licensed or certified by this board, including work that is exempt from licensure pursuant to § 54.1-402 of the Code of Virginia, must be sealed, signed, and dated pursuant to subsection B of this section.” The exemption runs to the unlicensed person, not to the licensee. A Virginia PE who draws a set for a 4,000 square foot retail shell cannot hand it over unsealed on the theory that the project was exempt.
Two things follow for a stamp buyer. A Virginia licensee needs a seal from day one regardless of the scale of the work, and the seal has to be right, because the two-inch diameter is a rule and not a convention. The other durable fact is in the footnote to subsection F: the license number is the last six digits and it is permanent. Virginia is one of the cleanest repeat-purchase states in the country precisely because nothing on the impression ever expires.
Which documents must be sealed
Final documents: the cover sheet of plans, plats, documents, drawings, technical reports and specifications, plus each individual sheet of plans, plats or drawings. On multi-discipline projects each professional seals the component completed by or under that professional, and the professional responsible for compiling the project seals the cover sheet of the aggregate collection. The carve-out is narrow and conditional: “Incomplete plans, plats, documents, and drawings, whether advance or preliminary copies, must be so identified on the plans, plats, documents, or drawings and need not be sealed, signed, or dated.” The identification is the price of the exemption. The trap is subsection E, which pulls statutorily exempt work back in when a licensee does it.
Electronic and digital seals
An electronic seal, signature and date are permitted in lieu of the original set when three criteria are met: “It is a unique identification of the professional”, “It is verifiable”, and “It is under the professional’s direct control.” All other requirements of 18VAC10-20-760 still apply, so the electronic seal must still be the two-inch design. Virginia names no technology, no certificate authority and no standard, and unlike Ohio it does not require the signature to be invalidated when the document changes.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Licenses, certificates and registrations are valid for two years from the last day of the month in which they are issued, so Virginia has rolling expiration dates rather than a statewide date. Regulants must not practice with an expired license. A late fee applies after 30 days and reinstatement is required after six months. Because the license number is permanent, none of this touches the seal itself: a Virginia professional keeps the same impression for the life of the career. The regulation contains no duty to surrender or destroy a seal on lapse, suspension or revocation; the board’s lever is disciplinary, under the prohibited acts in 18VAC10-20-790.
Firm registration
Registration is required but the firm number does not go on the document. 18VAC10-20-627: “Any business entity offering or rendering professional services in the Commonwealth of Virginia must register with the board and designate a responsible person for each professional service offered.” The firm has no seal. What the document must carry, alongside the individual’s seal, is the professional’s name or firm name, address, and project name. A firm may offer or practice only the professions shown on its board-issued registration, and the designated responsible person must exercise direct control and personal supervision of the work being offered.
What to check before you order
Cut the die at two inches in diameter. The ring reads COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA across the top and your profession across the bottom, and inside sit your name and Lic. No. followed by the last six digits, with leading zeros optional. There are seven distinct designs in 18VAC10-20-760 F and they are not interchangeable: ARCHITECT, PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, LAND SURVEYOR, a second LAND SURVEYOR design whose number carries a trailing B, CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNER, which reads Cert. No., and SURVEYOR PHOTOGRAMMETRIST. Choose the rubber stamp over the embosser. Virginia imposes no proof-of-licensure requirement before your seal is made.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need a PE seal in Virginia?
Yes, on final documents. 18VAC10-20-760 B 1: “All final documents, including cover sheet of plans, plats, documents, drawings, technical reports, and specifications, and each sheet of plans or plats or drawings prepared by the professional or someone under the professional’s direct control and personal supervision, must be sealed, signed, and dated by the professional.” This text is current as amended effective May 1, 2026.
What size does a Virginia PE seal have to be?
Two inches in diameter. 18VAC10-20-760 F states it as a requirement, not a guideline, and pairs it with a design the seal must conform to in detail. Virginia is one of the few states where the diameter is a hard number in the rule.
What goes on a Virginia PE seal?
Your name, “Lic. No.” plus the last six digits of your license number, the arc legend COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and the arc designation PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER. Adjacent to the seal go your signature and the date. Separately from the seal, the document itself must bear your name or the firm name, the address, and the project name.
Do I put my whole license number on the seal?
No, only the last six digits. The rule adds that “leading zeros contained in the six-digit number may be omitted from the seal,” and the two digit or four digit DPOR profession prefix is not part of the seal. Certified interior designers use “Cert. No.” in place of “Lic. No.”
Will I have to buy a new seal when my Virginia license renews?
No. 18VAC10-20-760 F states that “the number is permanent,” and no expiration date appears on the face. Licenses are valid for two years from the last day of the month in which they are issued, so Virginia has rolling expiration dates rather than one statewide date, with a late fee after 30 days and reinstatement after six months, but none of that touches the impression. The regulation contains no duty to surrender or destroy a seal on lapse, suspension or revocation; the board’s lever is disciplinary, under the prohibited acts in 18VAC10-20-790.
Embosser or rubber stamp in Virginia?
Either. The rule prescribes no device type and prohibits none, so an embosser, an inked rubber stamp or a digital image all work as long as the impression conforms in detail and size. A two inch inked rubber stamp is the safer single purchase, because the seal appears on final documents that get copied, filed and reviewed by local building officials, and an embossed-only impression does not reproduce.
Where do the signature and date go?
Adjacent to the seal. Virginia never refers to one of the three without the other two, and nothing requires the signature to cross the seal. The date is the date you seal and sign, not a license date. The set carries meaning: “Affixing of a professional seal, signature, and date will indicate that the professional has exercised direct control and personal supervision over the work to which it is affixed.”
Can I use an electronic seal in Virginia?
Yes, when three conditions in 18VAC10-20-760 C are met: “It is a unique identification of the professional,” “It is verifiable,” and “It is under the professional’s direct control.” All other requirements of the section still apply, so the electronic seal must still be the two inch design. Virginia names no technology, no certificate authority and no standard, and does not require the signature to be invalidated when the document changes.
Do preliminary drawings need a Virginia seal?
Not if they are labeled. The carve-out is conditional: “Incomplete plans, plats, documents, and drawings, whether advance or preliminary copies, must be so identified on the plans, plats, documents, or drawings and need not be sealed, signed, or dated.” The identification is the price of the exemption, so an unlabeled incomplete set does not qualify.
My project is exempt from licensure. Do I still have to seal it?
Yes, if you are the licensee who did it. 18VAC10-20-760 E: “All work performed by a professional who is licensed or certified by this board, including work that is exempt from licensure pursuant to § 54.1-402 of the Code of Virginia, must be sealed, signed, and dated pursuant to subsection B of this section.” Virginia’s exemption list covers two-family homes and townhouses up to three stories, farm structures, small business and mercantile buildings under 5,000 square feet, factory and storage buildings under 15,000 square feet, and certain remodels with no change in occupancy. The exemption runs to the unlicensed person, not to you. A Virginia PE who draws a set for a 4,000 square foot retail shell cannot hand it over unsealed.
Does my firm number go on the drawings?
No. 18VAC10-20-627 requires that “Any business entity offering or rendering professional services in the Commonwealth of Virginia must register with the board and designate a responsible person for each professional service offered,” but the firm has no seal and its number does not appear on the document. What the document must carry alongside your seal is your name or the firm name, the address, and the project name. A firm may offer only the professions shown on its board issued registration, and the designated responsible person must exercise direct control and personal supervision of the work.
Who seals what on a multi-discipline project?
Each professional seals the component completed by or under that professional, and the professional responsible for compiling the project seals the cover sheet of the aggregate collection. Every individual sheet of plans, plats or drawings still gets sealed, signed and dated.
Is the same seal design used for architects and surveyors in Virginia?
No. 18VAC10-20-760 F prints seven distinct designs and they are not interchangeable: ARCHITECT, PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, LAND SURVEYOR, a second LAND SURVEYOR design whose number carries a trailing B, CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNER (which reads Cert. No.), and SURVEYOR PHOTOGRAMMETRIST. Everything else is shared: same two inch diameter, same seal plus signature plus date set, same electronic criteria, same preliminary document carve-out, and the same rule that exempt work performed by a licensee must still be sealed.
