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
Two inches in diameter. 18VAC10-20-760 F is flat about it: “The original seal shall conform in detail and size to the design illustrated in this subsection and shall be two inches in diameter.” Most of the mid-Atlantic works at 1-5/8 inches, so a die that has served on plats for years in Maryland, North Carolina or Tennessee does not meet the Virginia rule. The published designs “may not be shown to scale,” so the illustration governs the layout and the two-inch figure governs the size.
Virginia also splits land surveying into two licenses with two seals. A land surveyor holds the ordinary credential. A land surveyor B, under 18VAC10-20-320, may in addition practice limited engineering incident to land development, and the distinguishing mark is a B suffix carried on the license number rather than a different word on the arc. A third design exists for surveyor photogrammetrists. Seven designs sit in subsection F in total, published as pictures rather than described in words, so copy the one for the credential you actually hold.
The compensation for all that specificity is stability. The number on the seal is the last six digits of the license, leading zeros may be omitted, and the rule says it is permanent. A Virginia surveyor never recuts a die for a renewal or a reinstatement.
Virginia land surveyor 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 “LAND SURVEYOR”; 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 shall conform in detail and size to the design illustrated in this subsection and shall be two inches in diameter.” The designs “may not be shown to scale,” so the illustration governs layout and the two-inch figure governs size. | 18VAC10-20-760 F |
| Device allowed | No device type is prescribed or prohibited. | 18VAC10-20-760 C and F |
| Signature and date | Seal, signature and date are a set and the rule never separates them. | 18VAC10-20-760 A, B and C |
| What must be sealed | Final documents, with plats named expressly: 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 the electronic version is a unique identification of the professional, is verifiable and is under the professional’s direct control. | 18VAC10-20-760 C |
| Renewal and lapse | Licenses run two years from the last day of the month of issuance, so expiration dates are staggered rather than statewide. | 18VAC10-20-87 A |
| Firm requirements | Business entity registration is required and is separate from the individual license. 18VAC10-20-627 requires any business entity offering or rendering professional services in Virginia to register with the board and designate a responsible person for each service offered. | 18VAC10-20-627 |
| Regulator | The Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects | 18VAC10-20, Part XII, principally 18VAC10-20-760 (use of seal), with 18VAC10-20-320, 18VAC10-20-627, 18VAC10-20-670, 18VAC10-20-87 and 18VAC10-20-770, from the Virginia Administrative Code, and Code of Virginia §§ 54.1-402 and 54.1-410. |
Is a seal required in Virginia?
The duty is the same for surveyors as for every other credential the board issues, and it lives in regulation rather than statute. 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 licensee’s direct control and personal supervision, must be sealed, signed, and dated by the professional.” Plats are named expressly, and each sheet of a plat is sealed, not merely the first. Subsection A makes seal, signature and date the indication that you exercised direct control and personal supervision.
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 “LAND SURVEYOR”
- Adjacent to the seal: your signature
- Adjacent to the seal: the date
Virginia publishes two surveyor designs and they are not interchangeable. The land surveyor design carries the plain designation, while the land surveyor B design, for the license that adds limited engineering incident to land development under 18VAC10-20-320, carries a B suffix on the number. There is also a separate surveyor photogrammetrist design for that distinct credential. All of these appear in 18VAC10-20-760 F as illustrations rather than as rule text, so the exact lettering has to be copied from the published design for the credential you actually hold. The number itself is the last six digits shown on the license, it is permanent, and leading zeros may be omitted.
Size and shape
Two inches in diameter. 18VAC10-20-760 F: “The original seal shall conform in detail and size to the design illustrated in this subsection and shall be two inches in diameter.” The designs “may not be shown to scale,” so the illustration governs layout and the two-inch figure governs size. A 1-5/8 inch surveyor die carried in from Maryland, North Carolina or Tennessee does not meet the Virginia rule.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
No device type is prescribed or prohibited. An embosser, an inked rubber stamp or a digital image all qualify so long as the impression conforms in detail and size, and subsection C permits an electronic seal, signature and date in place of the original set. For surveyors the inked rubber stamp is the clear choice, because recorded plats are microfilmed, scanned and copied by clerks of court and an unpigmented embossed impression disappears in reproduction.
Signing and dating
Seal, signature and date are a set and the rule never separates them. Virginia does not require the signature to run across the seal. The date is the date of sealing and signing. An electronic seal, signature and date may replace the original set when the three subsection C criteria are met.
Two surveyor designs, and the B is part of the number rather than the title
Virginia is the rare state that splits land surveying into two licenses with two seals. A land surveyor holds the ordinary credential. A land surveyor B, under 18VAC10-20-320, may in addition practice limited engineering incident to land development. The board publishes a separate seal design for the B license in 18VAC10-20-760 F, and the distinguishing mark is a B suffix carried on the license number rather than a different word on the arc. That is easy to lose when a supplier retypes a number from a certificate.
A third design exists for surveyor photogrammetrists, a credential most states do not issue at all. Seven designs sit in subsection F in total, covering architects, professional engineers, land surveyors, land surveyor Bs, surveyor photogrammetrists, landscape architects and certified interior designers, and they are published as pictures rather than described in words. Copy the one for the credential you hold.
The size is the other thing that catches surveyors moving into Virginia. 18VAC10-20-760 F fixes the diameter at two inches. Most of the mid-Atlantic works at 1-5/8 inches, so a die that has served on plats for years elsewhere will not pass here.
The compensation is stability. The number on the seal is the last six digits of the license and the rule says flatly that it is permanent, so a Virginia surveyor never recuts for a renewal or a reinstatement.
Which documents must be sealed
Final documents, with plats named expressly: the cover sheet of plans, plats, documents, drawings, technical reports and specifications, plus each individual sheet of plans, plats or drawings. Where more than one professional contributes, each seals the component completed by or under that professional and the compiling professional seals the cover sheet of the aggregate collection. The carve-out is conditional: “Incomplete plans, plats, documents, and drawings, whether advance or preliminary copies, shall be so identified on the plans, plats, documents, or drawings and need not be sealed, signed, or dated.” Subsection E requires work that is statutorily exempt from licensure to be sealed anyway once a licensee performs it.
Electronic and digital seals
An electronic seal, signature and date are permitted in lieu of the original set when the electronic version is a unique identification of the professional, is verifiable and is under the professional’s direct control. All other requirements of 18VAC10-20-760 continue to apply, including the two-inch design. Virginia names no certificate authority, no cryptographic standard and no tamper-evidence test, which is a lighter regime than surveyors face in several neighboring states.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Licenses run two years from the last day of the month of issuance, so expiration dates are staggered rather than statewide. Practice with an expired license is prohibited, a late fee applies after 30 days and reinstatement is required after six months. Because the six-digit number on the seal is permanent, none of this forces a new device. Nothing in the regulation requires the seal to be surrendered or destroyed on lapse, suspension or revocation.
Firm requirements
Business entity registration is required and is separate from the individual license. 18VAC10-20-627 requires any business entity offering or rendering professional services in Virginia to register with the board and designate a responsible person for each service offered. The firm holds no seal and its registration number does not appear on the plat. What the sheet must carry beside your seal is your name or the firm name, the address and the project name.
What to check before you order
Tell the supplier two inches, in those words, because 1-5/8 inches is the default in most catalogs and it is not legal here. Give them the correct illustration from 18VAC10-20-760 F: the plain LAND SURVEYOR design if you hold the ordinary license, or the land surveyor B design if you hold that license, in which case check that the B appears on the number and not merely in the title. Inside the ring you want your name and Lic. No. followed by the last six digits of your license, with leading zeros optional. Buy the inked rubber stamp rather than the embosser, because your plats will be recorded and copied. Ask for a matching two-inch image file for electronic sealing under subsection C.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for land surveyors in Virginia?
Yes, and plats are named. 18VAC10-20-760 B 1 provides that “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 licensee’s direct control and personal supervision, must be sealed, signed, and dated by the professional.” Each sheet of a plat is sealed, not merely the first. Subsection A makes the seal, signature and date the indication that you exercised direct control and personal supervision.
What has to appear on a Virginia land surveyor seal?
Your name, the words Lic. No. followed by the last six digits of your license number, the arc legend COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA and the arc designation LAND SURVEYOR. Your signature and the date go adjacent to the seal rather than on the die. The exact lettering comes from the published illustration in 18VAC10-20-760 F for the credential you hold.
What size is a Virginia land surveyor seal?
Two inches in diameter, under 18VAC10-20-760 F. Catalogs default to 1-5/8 inches for surveyors in this region, so say two inches in those words when you order. The illustration in the rule is not necessarily to scale, so it fixes the layout while the stated figure fixes the size.
What is the difference between the land surveyor and land surveyor B seal?
The B. A land surveyor B holds the license under 18VAC10-20-320 that adds limited engineering incident to land development, and the board publishes a separate design for it in 18VAC10-20-760 F. The distinguishing mark is a B suffix on the license number rather than a different word on the arc, which is easy to lose when a number is retyped from a certificate. Check that the B lands on the number and not merely in the title.
Rubber stamp or embosser in Virginia?
No device type is prescribed or prohibited. An embosser, an inked rubber stamp or a digital image all qualify so long as the impression conforms in detail and size, and subsection C permits an electronic seal, signature and date in place of the original set. For surveyors the inked rubber stamp is the clear choice, because recorded plats are microfilmed, scanned and copied by clerks of court and an unpigmented embossed impression disappears in reproduction.
Does the signature go across the seal in Virginia?
Not required. The seal, the signature and the date are a set and the rule never separates them, but it does not say the signature has to run across the impression. The date is the date of sealing and signing.
Which Virginia survey documents have to be sealed?
Final documents, with plats named expressly: the cover sheet of plans, plats, documents, drawings, technical reports and specifications, plus each individual sheet of plans, plats or drawings. Where more than one professional contributes, each seals the component completed by or under that professional and the compiling professional seals the cover sheet of the aggregate collection. Subsection E requires work that is statutorily exempt from licensure to be sealed anyway once a licensee performs it.
Do preliminary plats need a Virginia seal?
Only if they are not identified as preliminary. The carve-out is conditional: “Incomplete plans, plats, documents, and drawings, whether advance or preliminary copies, shall be so identified on the plans, plats, documents, or drawings and need not be sealed, signed, or dated.” The identification is what earns the exemption.
Can I seal Virginia plats electronically?
Yes. An electronic seal, signature and date are permitted in lieu of the original set when the electronic version is a unique identification of the professional, is verifiable and is under the professional’s direct control. All other requirements of 18VAC10-20-760 continue to apply, including the two-inch design. Virginia names no certificate authority, no cryptographic standard and no tamper-evidence test, which is a lighter regime than surveyors face in several neighboring states.
Does my Virginia seal need replacing when the license lapses?
No. Licenses run two years from the last day of the month of issuance, so expiration dates are staggered rather than statewide. Practice with an expired license is prohibited, a late fee applies after 30 days and reinstatement is required after six months. Because the six-digit number on the seal is permanent, none of that forces a new device, and nothing in the regulation requires the seal to be surrendered or destroyed on lapse, suspension or revocation.
Does a Virginia surveying firm get its own seal?
No. 18VAC10-20-627 requires any business entity offering or rendering professional services in Virginia to register with the board and designate a responsible person for each service offered, but the firm holds no seal and its registration number does not appear on the plat. What the sheet must carry beside your seal, under 18VAC10-20-760 B 1 and 18VAC10-20-770, is your name or the firm name, the address and the project name.
