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 Mississippi State Board of Registered Professional Geologists and 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1101, R. 1.15, 10.1 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Mississippi vests the seal design in the Board and spends its rules on how the document is set instead. Rule 1.15 provides that “The Board shall adopt a seal for the use of registrants appearing on the roster,” and states no diameter, shape or proportion, so ask the Mississippi State Board of Registered Professional Geologists for the adopted artwork. Do not borrow the Mississippi architect figure of 1 1/2 inches, the landscape architect figure of 2 inches or the engineer and surveyor range of 1 5/8 to 2 inches. All three belong to other boards.
What Mississippi does prescribe, exactly, is typography. Rule 10.3 provides that the registrant’s “typeset name should be immediately followed by a comma, one blank space, and the designation ‘RPG’ with no periods,” and requires the seal to appear near that typeset name on maps and illustrations. Rule 10.4 applies the same requirements to reports and bulletins. It is the document, not the die, that has to be got right.
Use runs sheet by sheet. Rule 10.1 makes the seal, signature and date together a certification that the document was prepared by the registrant or under direct supervision, and requires each sheet to be “signed, sealed and dated by the registrant preparing them, prepared under his direct supervisory control, or reviewed by him in sufficient depth.”
Mississippi geologist seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Mississippi rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1101, R. 1.15, 10.1 |
| Required elements | The Board adopts the seal for registrants; the rules prescribe use and placement rather than a word list | 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1101, R. 1.15 |
| Size and shape | Not addressed. Neither Rule 1.15 nor Rules 10.1 through 10.5 states a diameter, a shape or a proportion for the registrant’s seal. The sources here are the Part 1101 rule document for every seal provision. That. | 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1101, R. 1.15 (Board adopted design, no dimension stated) |
| Device allowed | Not addressed. The Part 1101 rules speak of signing, sealing and dating and do not name an embosser, a rubber stamp or a computer generated seal. Because Rules 10.3 and 10.4 require the seal to appear near the. | 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1101, R. 10.3, 10.4 (no device named) |
| Signature and date | Seal, signature and date, sheet by sheet. | 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1101, R. 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4 |
| What must be sealed | Maps, cross sections, drawings, descriptions, charts, graphs, reports, illustrations, bulletins and geologic work products generally. | 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1101, R. 10.1, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5 |
| Electronic seal | Not addressed. The Part 1101 rules we read contain no electronic or digital seal provision and name no technology, certificate authority or verification standard. Mississippi does address the electronic question for its. | 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1101 (no electronic seal provision located) |
| Renewal and lapse | Not addressed in the seal rules. | 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1101 (silent as to the device on lapse) |
| Firm requirements | Not addressed. The Part 1101 seal rules put nothing about a firm on the device and prescribe no firm seal, and the certification duties run to the individual registrant. The sources here are the Part 1101 rule document. | 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1101 (no firm seal provision) |
| Regulator | The Mississippi State Board of Registered Professional Geologists | 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1101 (Mississippi State Board of Registered Professional Geologists, system number 92, last amended 6/13/2023), rules 1.15 and 10.1 through 10.5, read from the Part 1101 rule document published by the Mississippi Secretary of State |
Is a seal required in Mississippi?
The Board adopts the device and the rules govern its use. Rule 1.15 provides that “The Board shall adopt a seal for the use of registrants appearing on the roster,” and Rule 10.1 states the effect and the duty together: “The seal, signature and date on a document constitute a certification that the document was prepared by the registrant or under his direct supervision,” with each sheet to be “signed, sealed and dated by the registrant preparing them, prepared under his direct supervisory control, or reviewed by him in sufficient depth.”
What must appear on the seal
- The Board adopts the seal for registrants; the rules prescribe use and placement rather than a word list
Not addressed as a word list. Rule 1.15 vests the design in the Board and the use rules that follow prescribe placement rather than lettering. What the rules do fix is how your name is set in type on the document: Rule 10.3 provides that the registrant’s “typeset name should be immediately followed by a comma, one blank space, and the designation ‘RPG’ with no periods.” That is a typography rule for the document, not for the die, and it is exact. Ask the Board for the adopted seal artwork.
Size and shape
Not addressed. Neither Rule 1.15 nor Rules 10.1 through 10.5 states a diameter, a shape or a proportion for the registrant’s seal. The sources here are the Part 1101 rule document for every seal provision. That leaves the dimension with the Board’s adopted design. Do not borrow the Mississippi architect figure of 1 1/2 inches, the landscape architect figure of 2 inches or the engineer and surveyor range of 1 5/8 to 2 inches; all three belong to other Mississippi boards.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Not addressed. The Part 1101 rules speak of signing, sealing and dating and do not name an embosser, a rubber stamp or a computer generated seal. Because Rules 10.3 and 10.4 require the seal to appear near the registrant’s typeset name on maps, illustrations, reports and bulletins, and because those documents are reproduced, an inked stamp built to the Board’s adopted design is the safe buy.
Signing and dating
Seal, signature and date, sheet by sheet. Rule 10.1 makes the three together the certification and requires each sheet to be signed, sealed and dated by the registrant who prepared them, under whose direct supervisory control they were prepared, or who reviewed them in sufficient depth. Rule 10.2 prescribes the review wording for geologic studies and projects: “I have reviewed this document in sufficient depth to accept full responsibility for its contents.” Rules 10.3 and 10.4 place the seal near the typeset name of the registrant on maps and illustrations and on reports and bulletins.
A comma, one blank space, and RPG with no periods
Rule 10.3 is the most prescriptive typography rule you will meet in a sealing chapter. The registrant’s typeset name on maps and illustrations “should be immediately followed by a comma, one blank space, and the designation ‘RPG’ with no periods,” and the seal must appear near that typeset name. Rule 10.4 applies the same requirements to reports and bulletins. It is the document, not the die, that has to be got right.
Which documents must be sealed
Maps, cross sections, drawings, descriptions, charts, graphs, reports, illustrations, bulletins and geologic work products generally. The rules then split by document type: Rule 10.3 covers maps and illustrations and fixes the typeset name convention and the seal placement near it; Rule 10.4 applies the same requirements to reports and bulletins; and Rule 10.5 covers pamphlets and open file reports, allowing a certification page carrying the signature, date and seal for documents reproduced in large numbers. That last concession is the practical one for a report printed in quantity.
Electronic and digital seals
Not addressed. The Part 1101 rules we read contain no electronic or digital seal provision and name no technology, certificate authority or verification standard. Mississippi does address the electronic question for its architects at 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 201, R. 3.2.4, for its landscape architects at Pt. 202, R. 1.11.3 and, in a contested form, for its engineers and surveyors at Pt. 901, R. 6.2.3; none of those reaches a registered professional geologist. Treat a claimed Mississippi electronic geologist sealing standard as unverified and ask the Board.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Not addressed in the seal rules. Rules 1.15 and 10.1 through 10.5 govern the device and its use and do not say what happens on expiration, suspension or revocation, whether the registration number changes on reinstatement, or whether the seal must be surrendered. The sources here are the Part 1101 rule document for every seal provision. Note the currency: Part 1101 was last amended 6/13/2023, so check the effective text before quoting. Take renewal and discipline from Miss. Code Ann. Title 73 ch. 63 and from the Board.
Firm requirements
Not addressed. The Part 1101 seal rules put nothing about a firm on the device and prescribe no firm seal, and the certification duties run to the individual registrant. The sources here are the Part 1101 rule document for every seal provision. The certificate of authority Mississippi does require, under Miss. Code Ann. § 73-13-43, reaches corporations, firms and partnerships practicing professional engineering or professional surveying, not geology.
What to check before you order
Ask the Board for the seal it has adopted for registrants; Rule 1.15 vests the design in the Board and no Mississippi rule states a diameter for this credential. An inked stamp is the practical device, because the seal has to sit near your typeset name on maps, illustrations, reports and bulletins and those get reproduced. Sign, seal and date each sheet, whether you prepared it, supervised its preparation, or reviewed it in sufficient depth. On a geologic study or project certified by review, use the wording the rule prescribes about having reviewed the document in sufficient depth to accept full responsibility for its contents. Set your typeset name followed by a comma, one blank space and RPG with no periods. For pamphlets and open file reports printed in quantity, a certification page carrying your signature, date and seal is allowed.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a geologist seal required in Mississippi?
Yes. Rule 1.15 has the Board adopt the seal for registrants on the roster, and Rule 10.1 requires each sheet to be signed, sealed and dated by the registrant who prepared it, under whose direct supervisory control it was prepared, or who reviewed it in sufficient depth. The seal, signature and date together are the certification.
What size is a Mississippi geologist seal?
No diameter is stated. Neither Rule 1.15 nor Rules 10.1 through 10.5 gives a dimension, which leaves the size with the Board’s adopted design. Ask the Board for the artwork before ordering, and do not fill the gap with a figure from one of Mississippi’s other design boards.
How do I set my name on the document?
Name, comma, one blank space, RPG with no periods. Rule 10.3 states it that precisely for maps and illustrations, and Rule 10.4 applies the same requirements to reports and bulletins. The seal then goes near that typeset name.
Can I seal work I reviewed rather than prepared?
Yes, on the terms the rules set. Rule 10.1 allows a sheet to be sealed by a registrant who reviewed it in sufficient depth, and Rule 10.2 prescribes the wording for a geologic study or project certified that way: “I have reviewed this document in sufficient depth to accept full responsibility for its contents.”
Do I have to seal every page of a printed report?
Not always. Rule 10.5 covers pamphlets and open file reports, allowing a certification page carrying the signature, date and seal for documents reproduced in large numbers. That is the practical concession for a report printed in quantity, and it is the exception rather than the general rule.
Rubber stamp or embosser in Mississippi?
The rules name no device. They speak of signing, sealing and dating without mentioning an embosser, a rubber stamp or a computer generated seal. An inked stamp built to the Board’s adopted design is the safe buy, because the seal has to sit near your typeset name on maps, illustrations, reports and bulletins, and those get reproduced.
Which documents have to be sealed?
Geologic work products generally, including maps, cross sections, drawings, descriptions, charts, graphs, reports, illustrations and bulletins. The rules then split by type: Rule 10.3 for maps and illustrations, Rule 10.4 for reports and bulletins, and Rule 10.5 for pamphlets and open file reports printed in quantity.
Does Mississippi allow a digital geologist seal?
The Part 1101 rules contain no electronic or digital seal provision and name no technology, certificate authority or verification standard. Mississippi does address the question for its architects at 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 201, R. 3.2.4, for its landscape architects at Pt. 202, R. 1.11.3, and in a contested form for its engineers and surveyors at Pt. 901, R. 6.2.3. None of those reaches a registered professional geologist, so ask the Board rather than assuming.
What happens to my seal if my registration lapses?
The seal rules do not say. Rules 1.15 and 10.1 through 10.5 govern the device and its use and are silent on expiration, suspension and revocation, on whether the registration number changes on reinstatement, and on surrender. Take renewal and discipline from Miss. Code Ann. Title 73 ch. 63 and from the Board.
Does a Mississippi geology firm need a certificate of authority?
The Part 1101 seal rules put nothing about a firm on the device and prescribe no firm seal, and the certification duties run to the individual registrant. The certificate of authority Mississippi does require, under Miss. Code Ann. § 73-13-43, reaches corporations, firms and partnerships practicing professional engineering or professional surveying, not geology.
Is the current rule text up to date?
Part 1101 was last amended 13 June 2023, so check the effective text before quoting it. The provisions that matter here are Rule 1.15 for the adopted design and Rules 10.1 through 10.5 for use, placement and the typeset name convention.
