Official Requirements for the Design of the Florida State Engineer Seal
Under Section 471.025, F.S., the Board of Florida has outlined requirements for seals that are acceptable to use as the Florida engineer impression seal on professional engineering documents. An embossing seal or rubber stamp is allowed, but it has to be a minimum of 1 and 7/8 inches in diameter. Licensees are allowed to use a seal that leaves a permanent ink representation or opaque and permanent impression on the hard copy of reports. A CAD generated Florida engineer impression seal is only permitted on the hard copy of documents.
The licensees name must be on the Florida engineer impression seal, which may be in the form of their given name, a combination of initials, or the surname of the licensee that is registered with the Board.
The Florida engineer impression seal must be accompanied by the handwritten signature on all documents, which include:
- Final drawings, plans, documents, specifications, and reports
- All final documents provided to the owner
- Every sheet of plans and prints
Further Requirements
Next, there are further requirements when using the Florida engineer impression seal when working in certain situations. For example, when an engineer is working for the local, State, or Federal Government, the person must write their name and license number, along with the address of the company, on all documents that are required to be signed, sealed, and dated.
An engineer may only seal documents and reports with the Florida engineer impression seal when they were in charge of the production and preparations of the documents or if they have expertise in the engineering discipline that was used. In addition, a document made of linen, sepia, or other materials that are easily changed may not be sealed with the Florida engineer impression seal.
Plans may not be sealed if they are not final documents, unless the engineer states the limitations of the information inside of the document. Some examples of this would be nothing “Preliminary,” “Not for Construction,” or “For Review Only.”
Using a Digital Seal
The engineer may use a digital signature instead the Florida engineer impression seal if the signature is unique to the person using it, capable of verification, and under the sole control of the person using it.
The engineer seal may be an embosser seal or a rubber stamp. When purchasing one, it is important to note the size specifications as well as the information that needs to be on the seal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the official Florida engineer seal requirements for professional documents?
Under Florida law, the engineer seal must be at least 1 7/8 inches in diameter and may be an embossing seal, rubber stamp, or permanent ink impression. It must also include the licensee’s registered name and be used on documents that require signing, sealing, and dating.
Does a Florida PE impression seal need to be signed by hand?
Yes. The Florida engineer impression seal must be accompanied by the engineer’s handwritten signature on final drawings, plans, specifications, reports, and other documents provided to the owner.
Can a Florida engineer use a digital seal instead of an impression seal?
Yes, a digital signature may be used if it is unique to the engineer, capable of verification, and under the engineer’s sole control. A CAD-generated seal is only permitted on the hard copy of documents.
When can an engineer legally seal documents in Florida?
An engineer may only seal documents they were responsible for preparing or supervising, or for work within their area of engineering expertise. Sealing documents outside that scope may violate Florida requirements.
Can preliminary or review-only plans be sealed with a Florida engineer seal?
Generally, no. Plans should not be sealed if they are not final documents unless they clearly state limitations such as “Preliminary,” “Not for Construction,” or “For Review Only.”
What information is required on a Florida engineer seal for government projects?
When working for local, state, or federal government, the engineer must include their name, license number, and the company address on all documents that must be signed, sealed, and dated.
