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 Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors and 22 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 138.31, 138.33 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Nearly every state that speaks to seal size sets a minimum. Texas surveying sets a maximum. 22 Texas Administrative Code section 138.31(b) provides that physical and electronic seals “shall be of the Board-authorized designs illustrated in this section and shall be no larger than two inches. Regardless of seal size the surveyor’s name and number must be clearly legible.” A 2-1/4 inch die that reads beautifully still fails. Note that this is the surveying chapter; the Texas architect, landscape architect and registered interior designer rules go the other way and set a one and one half inch floor.
The name on the face is tightly controlled. Section 138.31(d) requires “any legal name, commonly accepted variation of the legal name, or initial combination with the surname as currently listed with the board and in the usual written signature,” and then closes the door: “Nicknames shall not be permitted on a seal in lieu of a legal name or initial combination.” All uppercase or mixed case are both fine. A legal name change after registration obliges you to have a new seal made.
Two things the chapter prohibits outright are worth knowing before you order. Section 138.31(e) bars preprinting blank forms with a surveyor’s seal, and it bars decals and other seal replicas.
Texas land surveyor seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Texas rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | 22 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 138.31, 138.33 |
| Required elements | Your legal name, a commonly accepted variation of it, or an initial combination with the surname, as currently listed with the Board; Your registration number; The Board authorized design illustrated in the rule | 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 138.31(b), (d) |
| Size and shape | No larger than two inches. | 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 138.31(b) |
| Device allowed | Physical or electronic, with a permanence test on the physical device. | 22 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 138.31(c), 138.35(a) |
| Signature and date | Seal, signature and date, none of them obscuring the identifiers. | 22 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 138.33(f), 138.35(b) |
| What must be sealed | Final versions of professional surveying work. | 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 138.33(b), (c), (e), (g), (h) |
| Electronic seal | Two authorized methods and a security duty. | 22 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 138.33(d), 138.35 |
| Renewal and lapse | Sealing while inactive, revoked, suspended or expired is misconduct by name. | 22 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 138.31(d), 138.37 |
| Firm requirements | Firm compliance has its own subchapter. 22 Texas Administrative Code chapter 138, subchapter D, Firm and Government Entity Compliance, governs surveying firms and government entities, and the Board registers surveying firms separately from individual registrants. | 22 Tex. Admin. Code ch. 138, subch. D |
| Regulator | The Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors | Tex. Occ. Code ch. 1071 (Surveying Act), principally § 1071.351(b) |
Is a seal required in Texas?
The duty begins at registration and attaches to final work. 22 Texas Administrative Code section 138.31(a) provides that “Upon issuance of a registration as a registered professional land surveyor, each registration holder is required to obtain a seal under the requirements of §134.97 of this title.” Section 138.33(f) then supplies the trigger: license and registration holders “shall affix their seal and original signature or electronic seal and signature with the date on the final version of their professional surveying work before such work is released from their control.” The statutory anchor is section 1071.351(b) of the Surveying Act, which section 138.31(b) cites for the Board authorized designs.
What must appear on the seal
- Your legal name, a commonly accepted variation of it, or an initial combination with the surname, as currently listed with the Board
- Your registration number
- The Board authorized design illustrated in the rule
The name rule is the strict one. Section 138.31(d) requires the seal to contain “any legal name, commonly accepted variation of the legal name, or initial combination with the surname as currently listed with the board and in the usual written signature,” and then closes the door: “Nicknames shall not be permitted on a seal in lieu of a legal name or initial combination.” The name may be set in all uppercase, such as LESLIE H. DOE, or in the usual mixed case, such as Leslie H. Doe. If a registrant legally changes name after registration, the same subsection requires a new seal. Section 138.31(f) permits the designation R.P.L.S. or other terms described in section 138.1 when signing surveying work, which is a signature block matter rather than an element engraved on the die. Preprinting blank forms with a surveyor’s seal and the use of decals or other seal replicas are prohibited by section 138.31(e).
Size and shape
No larger than two inches. Section 138.31(b) states a ceiling rather than a floor: physical and electronic seals “shall be of the Board-authorized designs illustrated in this section and shall be no larger than two inches. Regardless of seal size the surveyor’s name and number must be clearly legible.” That is the reverse of most states, which set a minimum diameter. A device larger than two inches is out of specification in Texas surveying even if it reads perfectly.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Physical or electronic, with a permanence test on the physical device. Section 138.31(c) requires that “All physical seals obtained and used by registration holders must leave a permanent ink image or permanent impression of the seal attached to the surveying work.” Either an inked stamp or an embosser can satisfy that, and the safe buy is the inked stamp because it survives reproduction. Section 138.35(a) recognizes two electronic routes: electronically copying an original hard copy that already bears the seal, original signature and date and transmitting it in a secure electronic format, or creating an electronic seal and electronic signature for transmitting electronically formatted surveying work.
Signing and dating
Seal, signature and date, none of them obscuring the identifiers. Section 138.33(f) requires the seal and original signature, or the electronic seal and signature, with the date, on the final version before the work leaves the surveyor’s control, and adds that “The signature and date shall not obscure the surveyor’s name or registration number in the seal.” Section 138.35(b) offers the alternative: instead of electronic sealing and electronic signatures, surveyors affix their original seals, signatures and date as specified in section 138.33(f).
Texas caps the surveyor seal at two inches and dictates the preliminary wording
Nearly every state that speaks to seal size sets a minimum. Texas surveying sets a maximum. Section 138.31(b) says physical and electronic seals “shall be no larger than two inches,” and then says the name and number must be clearly legible regardless of seal size. A 2-1/4 inch die that reads beautifully still fails. Note that this is the surveying chapter; the Texas architect, landscape architect and registered interior designer rules go the other way and set a one and one half inch floor.
Which documents must be sealed
Final versions of professional surveying work. Preliminary documents are not exempt but are labeled, and Texas dictates the words. Section 138.33(e) requires a preliminary document released from a land surveyor’s control to identify the purpose of the document, the land surveyor of record, the registration number and the release date, and to bear the following statement in the signature space or upon the face of the document: “Preliminary, this document shall not be recorded for any purpose and shall not be used or viewed or relied upon as a final survey document.” A preliminary document carrying that text in place of the signature need not comply with the other minimum standards in the chapter. Where work of more than one registration holder appears, section 138.33(g) requires the seal and signature of each with a notation describing the work done under each one’s responsible charge. Section 138.33(h) relieves registered public employees of sealing review reports, planning documents, proposals for decision and position statements produced in compliance review, while leaving them responsible for sealing their original surveying work.
Electronic and digital seals
Two authorized methods and a security duty. Under section 138.35(a)(1) a surveyor may electronically copy original hard copy work that bears the seal, original signature and date and transmit it in a secure electronic format. Under section 138.35(a)(2) a surveyor may create an electronic seal and electronic signature for transmitting electronically formatted surveying work, whether or not the work began on paper. Section 138.33(d) adds the custody duty: registration holders must take reasonable steps to secure their physical or electronic seals and electronic signatures, must have reasonable security measures in place for those files, and on loss of a seal or an electronic signature must give the Board written notification of the facts “as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days of discovery.” No certificate authority, cryptographic standard or named product is required.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Sealing while inactive, revoked, suspended or expired is misconduct by name. Section 138.37(a)(2) makes a registration holder guilty of misconduct and subject to disciplinary action for signing or affixing a seal on any document “when the registration is inactive or has been revoked, suspended, or has expired.” Section 138.37(a)(3) adds sharing electronic files containing the seal or electronic signature unless access is explicitly authorized for particular surveying work. Section 138.37(b) bars an unregistered person from using or depicting a surveying seal without the express permission of the currently active registration holder, and section 138.37(c) bars fraudulent seals and fraudulent representations of a seal outright. The seal carries no expiration date, so renewal does not require a new device; a legal name change does, under section 138.31(d).
Firm requirements
Firm compliance has its own subchapter. 22 Texas Administrative Code chapter 138, subchapter D, Firm and Government Entity Compliance, governs surveying firms and government entities, and the Board registers surveying firms separately from individual registrants. The firm has no seal of its own. The individual seal design in section 138.31(b) and (d) is limited to the registrant’s name and registration number, so no firm number is engraved on the die.
What to check before you order
Order a seal no larger than two inches, cut to the Board authorized design attached to 22 Texas Administrative Code section 138.31, with your name and your registration number clearly legible. Set the name as your legal name, a commonly accepted variation of it, or an initial combination with your surname, exactly as the Board has it on file; nicknames are prohibited and a later legal name change obliges you to order a new seal. Choose an inked stamp, since section 138.31(c) requires a permanent ink image or permanent impression on the work. Do not order seal decals or preprinted forms bearing your seal; section 138.31(e) prohibits both. If you also hold a licensed state land surveyor license, order the separate additional seal that section 138.31(h) requires.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for land surveyors in Texas?
Yes, from the day you are registered. Section 138.31(a) provides that “Upon issuance of a registration as a registered professional land surveyor, each registration holder is required to obtain a seal under the requirements of §134.97 of this title.” Section 138.33(f) supplies the trigger: registration holders “shall affix their seal and original signature or electronic seal and signature with the date on the final version of their professional surveying work before such work is released from their control.” The statutory anchor is section 1071.351(b) of the Surveying Act.
What has to appear on a Texas land surveyor seal?
Your name, your registration number, and the Board authorized design illustrated in section 138.31. The name has to be your legal name, a commonly accepted variation of it, or an initial combination with your surname, exactly as the Board currently has it listed and as it appears in your usual written signature. Section 138.31(f) permits the designation R.P.L.S. or other terms described in section 138.1 when signing surveying work, which is a signature block matter rather than an element engraved on the die.
What size is a Texas land surveyor seal?
No larger than two inches, and the rule states no minimum. Section 138.31(b) fixes the ceiling and then says that regardless of seal size the name and number must be clearly legible. So the size question in Texas is how small you can go and still read cleanly on a recorded document, not how large you are required to go.
Can I use a rubber stamp or an embosser in Texas?
Either, if it passes the permanence test. Section 138.31(c) requires that “All physical seals obtained and used by registration holders must leave a permanent ink image or permanent impression of the seal attached to the surveying work.” An inked stamp is the safe buy because it survives reproduction. Do not order decals or preprinted forms carrying your seal; section 138.31(e) prohibits both.
Where do the signature and date go in Texas?
On the final version before the work leaves your control, under section 138.33(f), and not on top of the identifiers: “The signature and date shall not obscure the surveyor’s name or registration number in the seal.” That is the opposite instruction from states that require signing across the impression, so leave clear space beside the die rather than through it. Section 138.35(b) allows original seals, signatures and dates as specified in 138.33(f) in place of electronic sealing.
What has to go on a preliminary Texas survey document?
Texas writes the sentence for you. Section 138.33(e) requires a preliminary document released from your control to identify the purpose of the document, the land surveyor of record, the registration number and the release date, and to bear this statement in the signature space or on the face of the document: “Preliminary, this document shall not be recorded for any purpose and shall not be used or viewed or relied upon as a final survey document.” A preliminary document carrying that text in place of the signature need not comply with the other minimum standards in the chapter.
Do I need a second seal as a licensed state land surveyor?
Yes. Section 138.31(h) provides that on issuance of a license as a licensed state land surveyor, “each license holder is required to obtain an additional seal,” with its own attached design. That is a separate credential from the registered professional land surveyor registration and it does not share a die, so a holder of both carries two devices.
How does electronic sealing work in Texas?
Two authorized routes under section 138.35(a). You may electronically copy original hard copy work that already bears the seal, original signature and date and transmit it in a secure electronic format, or you may create an electronic seal and electronic signature for transmitting electronically formatted work, whether or not it began on paper. No certificate authority, cryptographic standard or named product is required. Section 138.33(d) adds a custody duty: secure your physical or electronic seals and electronic signature files, and report a loss to the Board in writing “as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days of discovery.”
What happens if I seal while inactive or expired in Texas?
It is misconduct by name. Section 138.37(a)(2) makes a registration holder subject to disciplinary action for signing or affixing a seal on any document “when the registration is inactive or has been revoked, suspended, or has expired.” Section 138.37(a)(3) adds sharing electronic files containing the seal or electronic signature unless access is explicitly authorized for particular work. The seal carries no expiration date, so renewal alone does not require a new device.
Does a Texas surveying firm have its own seal?
No. The Board registers surveying firms separately under 22 Texas Administrative Code chapter 138, subchapter D, Firm and Government Entity Compliance, but the firm gets no seal of its own. The individual seal design in section 138.31(b) and (d) is limited to the registrant’s name and registration number, so no firm number is engraved on the die.
