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 Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Land Surveyors and 32 M.R.S. § 18226(1), (1)(A), (1)(C) on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Maine publishes no seal dimensions, legend or element list, so the artwork has to come from the board. 32 M.R.S. § 18226(1) requires a professional land surveyor to “obtain a seal of the design authorized by the board by rule,” and the rule chapters that are published, 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 20 General Information and ch. 90 Standards of Practice, contain no seal design. The board’s page at the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation publishes no approved seal format. There is therefore no published Maine land surveyor diameter to quote, and the right first step is to ask the board for the design it has authorized. The one figure we can stand behind is our own: Acorn cuts this seal to a 1-5/8 inch nominal circle with a serrated border, STATE OF MAINE above and PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR below. Note that it is a sixteenth smaller than the 1-3/4 inch plate we cut for the architects’ board.
What the statute does say is unusually forceful about consequences. Paragraph C provides that state and local officials “may not accept or approve any plans or other documents prepared within the meaning and intent of this chapter that are not sealed and signed by the professional land surveyor under whose responsible charge they were completed.” That is a bar on the official, not merely a duty on the surveyor.
One figure that circulates should not be used here. The separate Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers publishes a 1 3/4 inch figure as guidance. That is a different board and, as that board’s own materials show, a guidance figure rather than rule text.
Maine land surveyor seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Maine rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | 32 M.R.S. § 18226(1), (1)(A), (1)(C) |
| Required elements | The words “STATE OF MAINE” around the upper arc; The words “PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR” around the lower arc; A five-pointed star at each side, separating the two arcs; Your name in the center; Your license number below it, in the form “0000” with no “No.” prefix; A dotted inner ring around the center block; A serrated outer border of fine radial ticks | Acorn Sales production artwork, Maine professional land surveyor seal |
| Size and shape | This is what Acorn actually makes for Maine, taken from our own production artwork rather than from a published rule. | Acorn Sales production artwork, Maine professional land surveyor seal |
| Device allowed | Not addressed. The statute speaks of documents being sealed and signed and names no device; the words embossed, rubber stamp, facsimile, computer generated and electronic do not appear in § 18226. The sources here. | 32 M.R.S. § 18226 (no device named) |
| Signature and date | Signed and sealed, with no stated date requirement. | 32 M.R.S. § 18226(1)(A), (1)(B) |
| What must be sealed | Final documents such as plans and maps, and by extension any plans or other documents prepared within the meaning and intent of chapter 141, which officials may not accept or approve unless sealed and signed by the surveyor under whose responsible charge they were completed. 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 90 s. 2(2) adds the competence limit: a licensee shall not sign or seal plans or documents dealing with subject matter in which the licensee lacks competence, or any plan or document not prepared under the licensee’s direct control and personal supervision, though a licensee may sign and seal one or more aspects of an overall project provided the aspect for which responsibility is assumed is identified. | 32 M.R.S. §§ 18203, 18226(1)(A), (1)(C) |
| Electronic seal | Not addressed. Section 18226 contains no electronic or digital seal provision and names no technology, certificate authority or verification standard. The sources here are 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 90 in full and scanned ch. 20. | 32 M.R.S. § 18226 (no electronic seal provision) |
| Renewal and lapse | Renewal sits at 32 M.R.S. § 18228, continuing education at § 18225 and 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 70, and denial, refusal to renew and disciplinary action at § 18214. | 32 M.R.S. §§ 18214, 18225, 18228 |
| Firm requirements | Not applicable. 32 M.R.S. § 18222 provides that a license under chapter 141 is limited to persons, and the chapter contains no certificate of authorization, firm registration or firm seal provision: the subchapters run from general provisions and the board of licensure through licensure, scope and administration and a right of entry. | 32 M.R.S. § 18222 |
| Regulator | The Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Land Surveyors | 32 M.R.S. ch. 141 (Professional Land Surveyors), §§ 18201 through 18231, principally § 18226 (Seals |
Is a seal required in Maine?
32 M.R.S. § 18226(1) requires a professional land surveyor to “obtain a seal of the design authorized by the board by rule,” and paragraph A provides that final documents such as plans and maps “must be signed and sealed by the issuing professional land surveyor, as prescribed in the rules of the board.” Paragraph C supplies the enforcement: state and local officials “may not accept or approve any plans or other documents prepared within the meaning and intent of this chapter that are not sealed and signed by the professional land surveyor under whose responsible charge they were completed.”
What must appear on the seal
- The words “STATE OF MAINE” around the upper arc
- The words “PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR” around the lower arc
- A five-pointed star at each side, separating the two arcs
- Your name in the center
- Your license number below it, in the form “0000” with no “No.” prefix
- A dotted inner ring around the center block
- A serrated outer border of fine radial ticks
The list above is Acorn’s own production artwork, not a published specification. It is what we cut and ship for this credential, and it is offered as a starting point rather than as the rule. As for what the state itself publishes: Not addressed in any source we could read. Section 18226(1) delegates the design to the board by rule, and the board’s published rules do not print one: we read 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 90 (Standards of Practice, as replaced by filing 2026-005) in full and searched it for every occurrence of the word seal, finding only the conduct rule that a licensee shall not sign or seal plans or documents outside the licensee’s competence or not prepared under the licensee’s direct control and personal supervision, with an allowance for signing and sealing one or more aspects of an overall project. We also scanned 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 20 (General Information) for any seal provision and found none, and the board’s website publishes no seal sample. Ask the board for the authorized design.
Size and shape
This is what Acorn actually makes for Maine, taken from our own production artwork rather than from a published rule. No diameter, shape or proportion appears in 32 M.R.S. ch. 141 or in 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 90, and the board publishes no approved seal format. What follows is the die we cut. The die is built to a 1-5/8 inch nominal circle, measured to the outside of the serrated border. Note that the surveyor die is a sixteenth smaller than the 1-3/4 inch plate we cut for the architects’ board, and carries a different border, so the two are not interchangeable even though both are Maine seals. Do not borrow the 1 3/4 inch figure the separate Maine State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers publishes as guidance; that is a different board.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Not addressed. The statute speaks of documents being sealed and signed and names no device; the words embossed, rubber stamp, facsimile, computer generated and electronic do not appear in § 18226. The sources here are 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 90 in full and scanned ch. 20. Because officials may not accept plans that are not sealed and signed, and because those plans are copied and recorded, an inked stamp cut to the board’s authorized design is the safe buy.
Signing and dating
Signed and sealed, with no stated date requirement. Section 18226(1)(A) requires final documents such as plans and maps to be signed and sealed by the issuing professional land surveyor as prescribed by board rule. Paragraph B adds a distinctive alteration rule: where an item bearing a surveyor’s seal is modified, “the altering professional land surveyor’s seal and signature must be affixed with the notation ‘altered by,’ the date and a specific description of the alteration.” So a date is required on an alteration and is not separately required by the statute on the original. Whether the signature must cross the impression is not addressed.
Altering someone else’s sealed plan has its own prescribed notation
32 M.R.S. § 18226(1)(B) is the provision most likely to catch a surveyor picking up another office’s work. Where an item bearing a surveyor’s seal is modified, the altering surveyor’s seal and signature must be affixed together with the notation “altered by,” the date and a specific description of the alteration. Three things, not one, and the description has to be specific.
Which documents must be sealed
Final documents such as plans and maps, and by extension any plans or other documents prepared within the meaning and intent of chapter 141, which officials may not accept or approve unless sealed and signed by the surveyor under whose responsible charge they were completed. 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 90 s. 2(2) adds the competence limit: a licensee shall not sign or seal plans or documents dealing with subject matter in which the licensee lacks competence, or any plan or document not prepared under the licensee’s direct control and personal supervision, though a licensee may sign and seal one or more aspects of an overall project provided the aspect for which responsibility is assumed is identified. Exemptions from licensure sit at 32 M.R.S. § 18203.
Electronic and digital seals
Not addressed. Section 18226 contains no electronic or digital seal provision and names no technology, certificate authority or verification standard. The sources here are 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 90 in full and scanned ch. 20 for any seal or electronic provision. Note that Maine does address electronic reliance for its architects, landscape architects and certified interior designers at 02-288 C.M.R. ch. 18 s. 3, which permits reliance on technical submissions in electronic form including the seals reproduced on them; that rule belongs to a different board and does not reach a land surveyor. Treat an electronic Maine land surveyor seal as unverified rather than authorized.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Renewal sits at 32 M.R.S. § 18228, continuing education at § 18225 and 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 70, and denial, refusal to renew and disciplinary action at § 18214. Licensure by endorsement was added at 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 80 effective 18 January 2026, and ch. 60 (Licensure by Comity) was repealed on the same date by filing 2026-003. Not addressed: whether the license number changes on reinstatement, whether the device must be surrendered or destroyed, and whether sealing after expiration is separately unlawful in the way it is for Maine architects under 32 M.R.S. § 225. Checked §§ 18214, 18225, 18226 and 18228 and read 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 90 in full.
Firm requirements
Not applicable. 32 M.R.S. § 18222 provides that a license under chapter 141 is limited to persons, and the chapter contains no certificate of authorization, firm registration or firm seal provision: the subchapters run from general provisions and the board of licensure through licensure, scope and administration and a right of entry. Documents carry the individual surveyor’s seal and signature only.
What to check before you order
Ask the board for the seal design it has authorized by rule, because 32 M.R.S. § 18226(1) delegates the design and the board’s published rules do not print a size, a legend or an element list. Buy an inked stamp cut to that design; the plans it goes on are recorded and copied. Sign and seal final documents such as plans and maps, and remember that officials may not accept or approve documents that are not both sealed and signed by the surveyor in responsible charge. If you alter a plan that already bears another surveyor’s seal, add your own seal and signature together with the words altered by, the date and a specific description of what you altered. Seal only work within your competence and prepared under your direct control and personal supervision, identifying the aspects you take responsibility for on a shared project.
Browse land surveyor stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for land surveyors in Maine?
Yes. 32 M.R.S. § 18226(1) requires a professional land surveyor to obtain a seal of the design authorized by the board by rule, and paragraph A provides that final documents such as plans and maps “must be signed and sealed by the issuing professional land surveyor, as prescribed in the rules of the board.” Paragraph C then bars state and local officials from accepting or approving unsealed, unsigned plans.
What has to appear on a Maine land surveyor seal?
The statute does not say. Section 18226(1) delegates the design to the board by rule, and the board’s published rules do not print one. Chapter 90 Standards of Practice contains only the conduct rule that a licensee shall not sign or seal plans or documents outside the licensee’s competence or not prepared under the licensee’s direct control and personal supervision, with an allowance for signing and sealing one or more aspects of an overall project. Ask the board for the authorized design before ordering. Acorn’s own production artwork carries a serrated border of fine radial ticks, STATE OF MAINE on the upper arc, PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR on the lower arc, a star at each side, the name in the center with the license number beneath it, and a dotted inner ring. That is what we cut, not a published specification.
What size is a Maine land surveyor seal?
No diameter, shape or proportion appears in 32 M.R.S. ch. 141 or in the published board rules. Sections 18201 through 18231, chapter 90 in full and chapter 20 all state none, and the board’s page publishes no approved seal format. Do not borrow the 1 3/4 inch figure the separate Maine engineering board publishes as guidance. Acorn’s own production artwork for this seal is built to a 1-5/8 inch nominal circle measured to the outside of the serrated border, which is a sixteenth smaller than the plate we cut for the Maine architects’ board. That is our production record rather than a published rule, so the board remains the authority if it later publishes a figure.
Rubber stamp or embosser in Maine?
Not addressed. The statute speaks of documents being sealed and signed and names no device; the words embossed, rubber stamp, facsimile, computer generated and electronic do not appear in § 18226. Because officials may not accept plans that are not sealed and signed, and because those plans are copied and recorded, an inked stamp cut to the board’s authorized design is the practical choice.
Does Maine require a date with the seal?
Not on the original. Section 18226(1)(A) requires final documents such as plans and maps to be signed and sealed as prescribed by board rule, and says nothing about a date. A date is required on an alteration under paragraph B. Whether the signature must cross the impression is not addressed.
What do I do if I alter another surveyor’s sealed plan in Maine?
Three things, and the description has to be specific. Section 18226(1)(B) provides that where an item bearing a surveyor’s seal is modified, “the altering professional land surveyor’s seal and signature must be affixed with the notation ‘altered by,’ the date and a specific description of the alteration.”
Which Maine documents have to be sealed?
Final documents such as plans and maps, and by extension any plans or other documents prepared within the meaning and intent of chapter 141, which officials may not accept or approve unless sealed and signed by the surveyor under whose responsible charge they were completed. Exemptions from licensure sit at 32 M.R.S. § 18203.
Can I seal work outside my own competence in Maine?
No. 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 90 s. 2(2) provides that a licensee shall not sign or seal plans or documents dealing with subject matter in which the licensee lacks competence, or any plan or document not prepared under the licensee’s direct control and personal supervision. You may sign and seal one or more aspects of an overall project provided the aspect for which you assume responsibility is identified.
Is an electronic Maine land surveyor seal authorized?
Not addressed. Section 18226 contains no electronic or digital seal provision and names no technology, certificate authority or verification standard, and neither chapter 20 nor chapter 90 supplies one. Maine does address electronic reliance for its architects, landscape architects and certified interior designers at 02-288 C.M.R. ch. 18 s. 3, but that rule belongs to a different board and does not reach a land surveyor. Treat an electronic Maine land surveyor seal as unverified rather than authorized, and confirm with the board.
Does a Maine surveying firm need a seal or registration?
Neither. 32 M.R.S. § 18222 provides that a license under chapter 141 is limited to persons, and the chapter contains no certificate of authorization, firm registration or firm seal provision. Documents carry the individual surveyor’s seal and signature only.
What happens to my Maine seal if the license lapses?
Renewal sits at 32 M.R.S. § 18228, continuing education at § 18225 and 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 70, and denial, refusal to renew and disciplinary action at § 18214. Licensure by endorsement was added at 02-360 C.M.R. ch. 80 effective 18 January 2026, and ch. 60, Licensure by Comity, was repealed on the same date. Whether the license number changes on reinstatement, whether the device must be surrendered or destroyed, and whether sealing after expiration is separately unlawful are not addressed in the statutes or rules that are published.
