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 State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors and Alaska Stat. § 08.48.221 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Alaska prescribes each seal by reproducing a picture of it, so no diameter appears anywhere in 12 AAC 36.180. What the rule does fix is the number: 12 AAC 36.180(a) requires the license number on the seal to be only the numeric characters of your license number, excluding alpha characters. An Alaska prefix such as AELA or a CE prefix does not belong in that field.
Engineers carry a two-character branch identifier placed before the number, from the board’s table, for example CE civil, EE electrical, ME mechanical, EV environmental, FP fire protection and EP petroleum. Structural engineers put the branch identification below the name and before the number.
Much of what other states engrave into the die, Alaska puts on the sheet instead. 12 AAC 36.185(g) requires the business name, physical address and telephone number, the project name, the project address and the firm’s certificate of authorization number on every document that must be signed and sealed. Acorn cuts this seal to 2 inches. That is our production record rather than an Alaska rule, and it gives you a diameter to scale the board’s published CAD artwork to.
Alaska PE seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Alaska rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | Alaska Stat. § 08.48.221 |
| Required elements | State of Alaska legend; Your name as registered; Your registration number, numeric characters only; The profession legend; The two-character branch identifier before the number (engineers); A signature space inside the seal; A date, inside the seal or within two inches of it | Alaska Stat. § 08.48.221(a) |
| Size and shape | Acorn cuts this seal to 2 inches, and that is a production record rather than a published rule. | Acorn Sales production record, Alaska professional engineer seal |
| Device allowed | 12 AAC 36.180 accepts the illustrated design “or a substantially similar electronic or digital representation of that design” for every profession it covers, so an electronic seal is expressly authorized. | 12 Alaska Admin. Code § 36.180 |
| Signature and date | The statute says to “stamp the documents with the seal and sign the seal”, and the board’s published artwork carries an interior caption reading (Affix Original Signature), so the signature goes in or across the seal rather than beside it. | Alaska Stat. § 08.48.221(a) |
| What must be sealed | 12 AAC 36.185(a)(3) limits sealing to “final drawings, surveys, reports, and required construction documents” for which the registrant is qualified and claims responsibility. | 12 Alaska Admin. Code §§ 36.185(a), (b), (i), 36.190, 36.195 |
| Electronic seal | The digital signature must be unique to the registrant using it, capable of verification, under the exclusive control of the registrant using it, and linked to the document so that the signature is invalidated if the document is changed. | 12 Alaska Admin. Code §§ 36.180, 36.185(f)(2) |
| Renewal and lapse | Certificates are renewed under AS 08.48.231, which routes renewal to the centralized licensing statute AS 08.01.100. AS 08.48.221(a) is blunt about what happens after: a registrant “may not affix or permit a seal and signature to be affixed to an instrument after the expiration of a certificate or for the purpose of aiding or abetting another person to evade or attempt to evade a provision of this chapter.” For entities, 12 AAC 36.165 provides that a certificate of registration of corporate, LLC, LLP or LP authorization that is not renewed for five years expires at the end of that period and must then be reinstated on application. | Alaska Stat. §§ 08.48.221(a), 08.48.231 |
| Firm number on documents | A certificate of authorization is required. | Alaska Stat. § 08.48.241 |
| Licensing board | The State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors | Alaska Stat. ch. 08.48 (Architects, Engineers, Land Surveyors |
Rules for other states are on PE stamp requirements by state.
Is a seal required in Alaska?
Alaska requires a seal Alaska requires the seal on issued final work, and the duty sits in statute. AS 08.48.221(a) provides that when a registrant issues final drawings, specifications, surveys, plats, plates, reports, or similar documents, “the registrant shall stamp the documents with the seal and sign the seal.” The same subsection makes the act of sealing an affirmative certification: the registrant “certifies that the document was prepared by or under the registrant’s responsible charge and is within the registrant’s field of practice or is design work of minor importance.” The board rule at 12 AAC 36.185 then governs how the seal is used, dated, validated and surrounded on the sheet.
What must appear on the seal
- State of Alaska legend
- Your name as registered
- Your registration number, numeric characters only
- The profession legend
- The two-character branch identifier before the number (engineers)
- A signature space inside the seal
- A date, inside the seal or within two inches of it
Two traps. First, the number: 12 AAC 36.180(a) says “the license number noted on the seal must be only the numeric characters of the registrant’s license number and exclude alpha characters.” An Alaska license prefix such as AELA or a CE prefix does not belong in the number field. Second, for engineers the branch is carried as a two-character identifier placed before the number, from the board’s table (for example CE civil, EE electrical, ME mechanical, EV environmental, FP fire protection, EP petroleum). For structural engineers the branch identification goes below the registrant’s name and before the number. A great deal that other states put in the seal is required here on the document instead: 12 AAC 36.185(g) requires the business name, physical address and telephone number, the project name or identification, the project address or location, and the certificate of authorization number of the entity, on all documents that must be signed and sealed.
Size and shape
Acorn cuts this seal to 2 inches, and that is a production record rather than a published rule. The state publishes no dimension, so the figure below is what we make and ship for Alaska licensees rather than something you can point a reviewer at. The board does publish downloadable CAD seal artwork for each profession without stating a size, so scaling that artwork to a 2 inch circle is the closest thing to a Alaska standard there is. What the state publishes: 12 AAC 36.180 prescribes each profession’s seal by reproducing a picture of it rather than by stating a diameter, and no dimension appears anywhere in the rule text. Checked the full text of 12 AAC 36 on the Alaska Legislature’s administrative code site and the board’s own Seal Specifications page, which offers downloadable CAD seal files for architect, land surveyor, landscape architect, professional engineer and structural engineer but states no size. Match the board’s published artwork proportionally rather than inventing a diameter.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
12 AAC 36.180 accepts the illustrated design “or a substantially similar electronic or digital representation of that design” for every profession it covers, so an electronic seal is expressly authorized. The rule does not distinguish embossers from rubber stamps. The safe buy is a rubber stamp cut to the board’s downloadable artwork, because the Alaska design carries an interior signature line and an interior date line that an embossed impression cannot usefully accept ink on. The board also authorizes electronic reproduction where the result meets the design.
Signing and dating
The statute says to “stamp the documents with the seal and sign the seal”, and the board’s published artwork carries an interior caption reading (Affix Original Signature), so the signature goes in or across the seal rather than beside it. Dating: 12 AAC 36.185(d) requires the registrant to include the date each time the registrant signs and seals a document, “by electronically or manually inserting the date within the seal or within two inches of the seal.” Validation under 12 AAC 36.185(f) is by either an original handwritten signature over each seal, or an electronic image of the original handwritten signature plus a digital signature, where the image must be permanently affixed to each seal directly over the seal. A facsimile signature alone is not enough.
The board’s own seal page still prints a repealed version of the signature rule
Alaska’s Seal Specifications page is the page a buyer lands on, and it is the page that offers the downloadable CAD seal files. Underneath the downloads it reprints what it calls the amended 12 AAC 36.185, including a subsection (f) reading that an electronic image of a signature may be used on the seal if the registrant or the owner of the documents retains an original copy that has either an original hand signature over the seal or software in place that will automatically remove or modify the electronic image of the signature if the document is modified.
Which documents must be sealed
12 AAC 36.185(a)(3) limits sealing to “final drawings, surveys, reports, and required construction documents” for which the registrant is qualified and claims responsibility. Where portions are prepared by other registered professionals, a registrant seals only the portion under the registrant’s direct professional knowledge and direct supervisory control. Drawings, engineering surveys, reports and construction documents regarding the structural systems of a significant structure must be sealed by a registered structural engineer, not a general PE. Testing laboratory reports must be signed or sealed by a registered engineer whenever they go beyond tabulating test data. There is no preliminary or draft carve-out stated; the limit is the word “final.” Altering a sealed document is prohibited except under the site adaptation and field alteration procedure in 12 AAC 36.195, which requires written permission from the sealing registrant.
Electronic and digital seals
The digital signature must be unique to the registrant using it, capable of verification, under the exclusive control of the registrant using it, and linked to the document so that the signature is invalidated if the document is changed. No certificate authority, PKI vendor, or named technical standard is specified. The seal itself may be a substantially similar electronic or digital representation of the board design.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Certificates are renewed under AS 08.48.231, which routes renewal to the centralized licensing statute AS 08.01.100. AS 08.48.221(a) is blunt about what happens after: a registrant “may not affix or permit a seal and signature to be affixed to an instrument after the expiration of a certificate or for the purpose of aiding or abetting another person to evade or attempt to evade a provision of this chapter.” For entities, 12 AAC 36.165 provides that a certificate of registration of corporate, LLC, LLP or LP authorization that is not renewed for five years expires at the end of that period and must then be reinstated on application. Whether an individual registration number survives lapse and reinstatement is not addressed; checked 12 AAC 36.165 and AS 08.48.231. No surrender or destruction of the device is required.
Firm registration
A certificate of authorization is required. AS 08.48.241 lets a corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership or limited partnership offer architectural, engineering, land surveying or landscape architectural services only if it files an application for a certificate of authorization with the board. The firm does not get its own seal, but 12 AAC 36.185(g)(4) requires “the certificate of authorization number issued to the corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or limited partnership” on all documents that must be signed and sealed, and 12 AAC 36.185(h) requires the registrant to identify clearly which entity is responsible where multiple authorized entities appear.
What to check before you order
Work from the board's downloadable seal artwork for your specific profession and branch. The Alaska design has interior fields for an original signature, a date and a number, so take an inked rubber stamp, not an embosser. Strip alpha characters from your license number; as an engineer you put the two-character branch identifier ahead of the number, and as a structural engineer you put the branch identification below your name and before the number. Leave the date field blank or use a separate date stamp, because the date must be re-entered every time you apply the seal. No dimension is prescribed, so scale the board artwork and keep the lettering legible at reduction, and no statute or rule requires you to show proof of licensure.
Browse professional engineer stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
Is a PE seal required in Alaska?
Yes, on issued final work, and the duty is statutory. AS 08.48.221(a) says that when a registrant issues final drawings, specifications, surveys, plats, plates, reports or similar documents, the registrant shall stamp the documents with the seal and sign the seal. Sealing is itself a certification that the document was prepared by or under the registrant’s responsible charge.
What size is an Alaska PE seal?
Not addressed. 12 AAC 36.180 shows each profession’s seal as artwork rather than stating a dimension, and no figure appears in the rule text. The board’s Seal Specifications page offers downloadable CAD seal files for architect, land surveyor, landscape architect, professional engineer and structural engineer, and states no size either. Scale the board artwork proportionally rather than picking a diameter. Acorn cuts this seal to 2 inches. That is our production record rather than an Alaska rule, and it gives you a diameter to scale the board’s published CAD artwork to.
Should my Alaska license number include the letters?
No. 12 AAC 36.180(a) says the license number noted on the seal must be only the numeric characters and must exclude alpha characters. That is one of the two most common defects on an Alaska die.
What is the two-letter code in front of the number?
The engineering branch identifier, taken from the board’s table, for example CE for civil, EE for electrical, ME for mechanical, EV for environmental, FP for fire protection and EP for petroleum. For engineers it sits before the number. For structural engineers the branch identification goes below the registrant’s name and before the number.
Embosser or rubber stamp in Alaska?
A rubber stamp cut to the board’s downloadable artwork. 12 AAC 36.180 does not distinguish the two, and it accepts the illustrated design or a substantially similar electronic or digital representation. The practical point is that the Alaska design carries an interior signature line and an interior date line, and an embossed impression gives ink nothing to sit on.
Where does the date go on an Alaska seal?
Inside the seal or within two inches of it, and it goes on every time. 12 AAC 36.185(d) requires the registrant to include the date each time the registrant signs and seals a document, by electronically or manually inserting the date within the seal or within two inches of the seal. That is why the date field should be left blank on the die.
How is an Alaska seal validated?
Two ways under 12 AAC 36.185(f). Either an original handwritten signature over each seal, or an electronic image of the original handwritten signature together with a digital signature, where the image is permanently affixed directly over the seal. An image of a signature on its own is not enough.
Which documents must be sealed in Alaska?
Final drawings, surveys, reports and required construction documents for which the registrant is qualified and claims responsibility, under 12 AAC 36.185(a)(3). A registrant seals only the portion under their direct professional knowledge and direct supervisory control. Structural systems of a significant structure must be sealed by a registered structural engineer rather than a general PE, and testing laboratory reports must be signed or sealed by a registered engineer whenever they go beyond tabulating test data. There is no draft carve-out stated; the limiting word is final.
Does my firm’s certificate of authorization number go on the document?
Yes. AS 08.48.241 requires a corporation, LLC, LLP or limited partnership to hold a certificate of authorization, and 12 AAC 36.185(g)(4) requires that certificate number on all documents that must be signed and sealed. Where several authorized entities appear, 12 AAC 36.185(h) requires the registrant to identify clearly which one is responsible. The firm gets no seal of its own.
Why does the board’s seal page describe a different signature rule?
Because the prose on that page is out of date. The Seal Specifications page reprints a version of 12 AAC 36.185(f) allowing an electronic signature image where software would automatically remove or modify it if the document were changed. The operative rule no longer offers that route; it requires an original handwritten signature over each seal, or the signature image plus a digital signature, with the digital signature invalidated on any change to the document. Subsection (c) of the same rule was repealed on 10/31/2019. Take the artwork from that page and the signing rules from the current 12 AAC 36.185.
Can I seal after my Alaska certificate expires?
No. AS 08.48.221(a) says a registrant may not affix or permit a seal and signature to be affixed to an instrument after the expiration of a certificate, or to help another person evade the chapter. Whether an individual registration number survives lapse and reinstatement is not addressed; 12 AAC 36.165 and AS 08.48.231 were both checked. No surrender or destruction of the device is required.
