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 New York State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology and N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209(1) on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
A New York geologist seal is circular, approximately 1 3/4 inches in diameter, with the Great Seal of New York at the center, your name as licensed above it and your license number below it with no other letters or numbers. The outer band reads STATE OF NEW YORK at the top and LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST at the bottom. That design comes from 8 NYCRR § 68.13, which prescribes one construction for professional engineers, land surveyors and professional geologists alike, differing only in the bottom legend, and it binds applicants who first applied for licensure on or after 1 July 1984.
There is no specialty seal here. A New York professional geologist has one device, with no hydrogeologist or engineering geologist legend. Compare California, where section 3008 prescribes a Professional Geologist seal, a separate Certified Engineering Geologist or Certified Hydrogeologist seal and a separate Professional Geophysicist seal, so a dual credential holder buys two or three stamps.
The second half of the order is the warning stamp. Education Law section 7209(2) carries a paragraph for geologic material naming the professional geologist, requiring a stamp warning that altering an item is a violation unless done under a licensed professional’s direction, and requiring an altering professional to add their own seal, the notation “altered by,” a signature, the date of the alteration and a specific description of it. That is a statutory requirement and it is not part of the round seal.
New York geologist seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | New York rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209(1) |
| Required elements | STATE OF NEW YORK at the top of the outer band; LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST at the bottom of the outer band; Your name as licensed, above the Great Seal of New York; The Great Seal of New York in the inner circle; Your license number below the Great Seal | 8 NYCRR § 68.13 |
| Size and shape | Circular, approximately 1 3/4 inches in diameter. | 8 NYCRR § 68.13 |
| Device allowed | An embossing seal, a rubber stamp or an electronic version. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209(1) |
| Signature and date | Seal plus a personal signature on the original filed with public officials, under section 7209(1). | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209(1), (2) |
| What must be sealed | Geologic drawings and reports, when filed with public officials. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209(1), (2) |
| Electronic seal | New York names no cryptographic standard. | 8 NYCRR § 68.13 (silent) |
| Renewal and lapse | The license does not expire; registration does, on a three year cycle. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209 |
| Firm requirements | A firm practicing professional geology in New York needs a certificate of authorization from the Department under Education Law section 7210, issued for three years, and the firm gets no seal of its own. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7210 |
| Regulator | The New York State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology | N.Y. Education Law art. 145 (§§ 7200 to 7211, principally §§ 7209 and 7210) |
Is a seal required in New York?
New York licenses professional geologists and puts them under the same statute and the same seal rule as engineers and land surveyors. Education Law section 7209(1) provides that “Every professional engineer, land surveyor and professional geologist shall have a seal, approved by the board,” and requires the relevant documents to be “stamped with such seal and shall also be signed, on the original with the personal signature” of the licensee “when filed with public officials.” A professional geologist’s sealing duty attaches to geologic drawings and reports. The design is 8 NYCRR section 68.13, which is a single design for the board’s three professions differing only in the bottom legend.
What must appear on the seal
- STATE OF NEW YORK at the top of the outer band
- LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST at the bottom of the outer band
- Your name as licensed, above the Great Seal of New York
- The Great Seal of New York in the inner circle
- Your license number below the Great Seal
The bottom legend for a geologist is fixed at “LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST,” one of the four permitted forms in section 68.13. There is no specialty variant: New York has no hydrogeologist or engineering geologist legend, unlike California, where sections 3008(b) and (c) prescribe separate certified specialty and geophysicist seals. Inside the circle, the license number sits below the Great Seal “with no other letters or numbers,” which excludes a PG prefix, a registration expiration date, a firm name or a certificate of authorization number.
Size and shape
Circular, approximately 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Section 68.13 applies the same figure to all three professions it covers. The word approximately gives tolerance, but the Great Seal of New York must stay legible at the center. The rule binds applicants who first applied for licensure on or after 1 July 1984.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
An embossing seal, a rubber stamp or an electronic version. NYSED neither manufactures nor sells nor pre-approves seals; it publishes the specification and sends the licensee to an engraver. The safe buy is an inked rubber stamp, because geology output in New York is reports that get copied and filed, and a dry embossed impression does not survive reproduction.
Signing and dating
Seal plus a personal signature on the original filed with public officials, under section 7209(1). That is an original signature rather than a printed facsimile. Office of the Professions guidance adds that the signature must not obscure the name and license number on the seal, which rules out signing across the face of the impression. Neither section 7209 nor section 68.13 prescribes a date beside the seal; the only dating duty in the statute attaches to alterations.
New York geologists share a seal rule with engineers and a legend with nobody
Very few states license geologists under the same board and the same regulation as engineers and land surveyors. New York does. Section 68.13 prescribes one design for the three, with the Great Seal of New York at the center, the name above it and the license number below it with no other letters or numbers, and four permitted bottom legends. The geologist takes LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST. There is no combined engineer and geologist legend, although the rule supplies one for a person licensed as both an engineer and a land surveyor.
Which documents must be sealed
Geologic drawings and reports, when filed with public officials. The alteration machinery in Education Law section 7209(2) carries a separate paragraph for geologic material naming the professional geologist, parallel to the paragraph naming the professional engineer or land surveyor: a warning stamp goes on the sealed material, and an altering professional must apply his or her own seal plus the notation “altered by” with signature, the date of the alteration and a specific description of it. Note that the engineer’s duty under section 7209(1) reaches geologic drawings and reports as well, so a New York engineer and a New York geologist can both have sealing duties over the same material.
Electronic and digital seals
New York names no cryptographic standard. Office of the Professions guidance grounds electronic seals and signatures in the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, under which an electronic signature has the same validity and effect as a handwritten one, and states that no particular protocol is mandated and that adoption by state and local entities is voluntary. A receiving agency is therefore not obliged to accept an electronically sealed geologic report, so the method has to be agreed in advance.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
The license does not expire; registration does, on a three year cycle. Since section 68.13 puts only the license number on the seal and no expiration date, the device survives every renewal and the number does not change. Whether the seal must be surrendered or destroyed on lapse, retirement or revocation is not addressed in Education Law section 7209 or in 8 NYCRR Part 68, and the Office of the Professions seals notice does not speak to it.
Firm requirements
A firm practicing professional geology in New York needs a certificate of authorization from the Department under Education Law section 7210, issued for three years, and the firm gets no seal of its own. The statute does not require the certificate number on sealed documents; Office of the Professions guidance treats it as a title block best practice. Section 68.13 closes the inner circle to the licensee’s name and number, so no firm data can be engraved.
What to check before you order
Engrave the Great Seal of New York at the center, your name exactly as licensed above it, and your license number below it with nothing else. The outer band reads STATE OF NEW YORK at the top and LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST at the bottom. Circular, approximately 1 3/4 inches. There is no New York specialty legend, so order one device only. Add the Education Law section 7209(2) alteration warning stamp as a companion product, because it is a statutory requirement and is not part of the round seal. Do not add a PG prefix, a registration expiration date or a certificate of authorization number. NYSED asks your engraver for no proof of licensure.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a geologist seal required in New York?
Yes. Education Law section 7209(1) provides that “Every professional engineer, land surveyor and professional geologist shall have a seal, approved by the board,” and requires the relevant documents to be stamped with it and signed on the original with the licensee’s personal signature when filed with public officials. For a geologist the duty attaches to geologic drawings and reports.
What size is a New York geologist seal?
Circular, approximately 1 3/4 inches in diameter, under section 68.13, which applies the same figure to all three professions it covers. The word approximately gives some tolerance, but the Great Seal of New York must stay legible at the center, which is the practical constraint on going smaller.
What goes inside the circle?
Your name as licensed above the Great Seal of New York, and your license number below it “with no other letters or numbers.” That phrase excludes a PG prefix, a registration expiration date, a firm name and a certificate of authorization number.
Embosser, rubber stamp or electronic?
All three. NYSED neither manufactures nor sells nor pre-approves seals: it publishes the specification and sends you to an engraver, who is asked for no proof of licensure. An inked rubber stamp is the practical buy, because geology output in New York is reports that get copied and filed and a dry embossed impression does not survive reproduction.
Where does my signature go?
On the original filed with public officials, as a personal signature rather than a printed facsimile, under section 7209(1). Office of the Professions guidance adds that the signature must not obscure the name and license number on the seal, which rules out signing across the face of the impression.
Is a date required beside the seal?
Neither section 7209 nor section 68.13 prescribes one. The only dating duty in the statute attaches to alterations, where section 7209(2) requires the altering professional to give the date of the alteration alongside the notation altered by and a specific description of what was changed.
What is the alteration warning stamp?
A separate device required by Education Law section 7209(2). The sealed material carries a stamp warning that altering an item is a violation unless done under a licensed professional’s direction. Order it as a companion product, because it is statutory and it is not part of the round seal.
Can a New York engineer also seal geologic reports?
Yes, and the overlap is worth planning around. Section 7209(1) gives professional engineers a sealing duty over geologic drawings and reports as well, so a geologic report attached to an engineering submission can attract duties on both sides. The two seals are distinguished only by the bottom legend.
Can I seal a New York geologic report electronically?
New York names no cryptographic standard. Office of the Professions guidance grounds electronic seals and signatures in the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, under which an electronic signature has the same validity and effect as a handwritten one, and states that no particular protocol is mandated and that adoption by state and local entities is voluntary. A receiving agency is therefore not obliged to accept an electronically sealed geologic report, so agree the method in advance.
Does my New York seal go stale at registration renewal?
No. The license does not expire; registration does, on a three year cycle. Because section 68.13 puts only the license number on the seal and no expiration date, the device survives every renewal and the number does not change. Whether the seal must be surrendered or destroyed on lapse, retirement or revocation is not stated in section 7209 or in 8 NYCRR Part 68.
Does a New York geology firm need a certificate of authorization?
Yes. A firm practicing professional geology needs one from the Department under Education Law section 7210, issued for three years, and the firm gets no seal of its own. The statute does not require the certificate number on sealed documents, and Office of the Professions guidance treats it as a title block best practice. Section 68.13 closes the inner circle to your name and number, so no firm data can be engraved.
