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 Mexico Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors and 16.39.5.11(A), (E) NMAC on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
The sentence that bans rubber stamps is about your signature, not your seal. Rule 16.39.5.11(A) ends with “Rubber stamps and all facsimiles of signatures are not acceptable.” Read alone it looks like a ban on rubber seals, and that reading circulates. It cannot be right, because the very next subsection says the seal “shall be either the impression type seal, the rubber type, or a computer-generated facsimile.” The sentence sits inside the subsection about the signature and the date, and its grammatical object is signatures. A rubber-stamped signature is out. A rubber-stamped seal is expressly in.
The geometry is three concentric circles: outermost one and one-half inches, middle one inch, innermost one-half inch, with the words professional surveyor and your name in the outer ring, New Mexico in the inner ring and your board-issued license number in the center circle. Those figures are exact rather than minimums, and 16.39.5.11(C)(1) tolerates decoration at the edge: “Any border pattern used by the manufacturer is acceptable.” New Mexico architects take two circles at one and three-quarter inches under 16.30.3.18(A), and neither artwork is interchangeable with the other.
If the three-ring design does not suit you, 16.39.5.11(C)(2) allows “a design approved by the board” carrying the same four items in lettering no less than 0.1 inches high. That is a real alternative, but the approval has to come first: a custom die cut without board approval is not compliant just because it is legible.
New Mexico land surveyor seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | New Mexico rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | 16.39.5.11(A), (E) NMAC |
| Required elements | The words professional surveyor and your name in the outer ring, The word New Mexico in the inner ring and Your license number issued by the board in the center circle | 16.39.5.11(C)(1) NMAC |
| Size and shape | Three concentric circles: outermost one and one-half inches, middle one inch, innermost one-half inch. | 16.39.5.11(C)(1), (C)(2) NMAC |
| Device allowed | Three devices are named and all three are legal. | 16.39.5.11(B) NMAC |
| Signature and date | An original signature, adjacent to the seal, with the date it was applied. | 16.39.5.11(A), (B), (G) NMAC |
| What must be sealed | All plats, reports and the like prepared by the licensee in responsible charge. | 16.39.5.11(E), (F) NMAC |
| Electronic seal | Rule 16.39.5.11(G) treats the electronic signature as an option rather than a separate regime: “An electronic signature, as an option to a permanently legible signature, is acceptable for professional documents. | 16.39.5.11(A), (G) NMAC |
| Renewal and lapse | Grandfathering under 16.39.5.11(D) is conditioned on continuity: the concession to keep an older approved seal runs only to surveyors “who have maintained that license without lapse.” A lapse therefore costs the old die as well as the license. | 16.39.5.11(D) NMAC |
| Firm requirements | No certificate of authorization and no firm seal, but a filed affidavit. | 16.39.5.10(A), (E) NMAC |
| Regulator | The New Mexico Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors | 16.39.5 NMAC, Surveying, Applications, Examinations, Practice of Surveying, Seal of Licensee, sections 16.39.5.10 and 16.39.5.11 read in full from the New Mexico State Records and Archives administrative code site |
Is a seal required in New Mexico?
The board rule states the duty directly. Rule 16.39.5.11(A): “Each licensed professional surveyor shall obtain a seal/stamp which must be impressed on all plats, reports, etc., prepared by the licensee in responsible charge.” Subsection (E) narrows it to work actually supervised: “The seal and signature shall be placed on work only when it was under the licensee’s responsible charge.” The Engineering and Surveying Practice Act supplies the statutory backing.
What must appear on the seal
- The words professional surveyor and your name in the outer ring
- The word New Mexico in the inner ring
- Your license number issued by the board in the center circle
New Mexico gives surveyors two lawful routes. The default under 16.39.5.11(C)(1) is a three-ring design with the elements distributed across the rings, and it expressly tolerates decoration at the edge: “Any border pattern used by the manufacturer is acceptable.” The alternative under (C)(2) is “a design approved by the board” that carries the same four items in text no less than 0.1 inches high, which frees the layout but requires board approval first. Subsection (D) grandfathers devices: a surveyor licensed before the current rules who has kept the license without lapse “may retain and use the seals, stamps, and wall certificates previously approved.” Do not put an expiration date or a discipline line on the face; neither is provided for.
Size and shape
Three concentric circles: outermost one and one-half inches, middle one inch, innermost one-half inch. Those are the figures in 16.39.5.11(C)(1), and they are exact rather than minimums. If you take the board-approved alternative in (C)(2) instead, the rule fixes no diameter at all and instead sets a minimum lettering height of 0.1 inches.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Three devices are named and all three are legal. Rule 16.39.5.11(B): “The seal/stamp shall be either the impression type seal, the rubber type, or a computer-generated facsimile. Computer-generated seals shall be bona fide copies of the actual seal/stamp specific to the work being presented.” An embosser is therefore permitted for the required seal here, which is not true of every New Mexico design profession. The safe buy is a rubber or self-inking stamp at one and one-half inches outside diameter, because a dry embossed impression does not survive photocopying of a plat.
Signing and dating
An original signature, adjacent to the seal, with the date it was applied. Rule 16.39.5.11(A): “Adjacent to the seal/stamp shall appear the original signature of the licensee along with the date the signature was applied.” Adjacent, not across, so signing over the impression is not required. Read the next sentence carefully: “Rubber stamps and all facsimiles of signatures are not acceptable.” The grammatical object there is signatures. Subsection (B) expressly permits a rubber seal in the very next paragraph, so the sentence bars a rubber-stamped or facsimile signature, not a rubber-stamped seal. The rule then adds that an “Electronic signature as provided by law and board’s policy shall be acceptable.”
The sentence that bans rubber stamps is about your signature, not your seal
Rule 16.39.5.11(A) ends with “Rubber stamps and all facsimiles of signatures are not acceptable.” Read alone it looks like a ban on rubber seals, and that reading circulates. It cannot be right, because the very next subsection says the seal “shall be either the impression type seal, the rubber type, or a computer-generated facsimile.” The sentence sits inside the subsection about the signature and the date, and its object is signatures. A rubber-stamped signature is out. A rubber-stamped seal is expressly in.
Which documents must be sealed
All plats, reports and the like prepared by the licensee in responsible charge. On a multi-sheet document, 16.39.5.11(F) requires the first or title page to be sealed and signed by the licensee who was in responsible charge, and “In addition, each sheet shall be sealed and signed by the licensee or licensees responsible for that sheet.” Where a firm performs the work, each sheet is sealed and signed by the licensee in responsible charge of that sheet and, with multiple licensees, the portion attributable to each must be explicitly identified. Two or more licensees may seal one document provided a note under each seal designates the specific subject matter each is responsible for. Subsection (E) also confines the licensee to work within the licensee’s area of discipline.
Electronic and digital seals
Rule 16.39.5.11(G) treats the electronic signature as an option rather than a separate regime: “An electronic signature, as an option to a permanently legible signature, is acceptable for professional documents. The licensee shall provide adequate security regarding the use of the seal and signature.” Where a document carries more than one licensee and is transmitted electronically, “each signature must contain an independent electronic signature.” No certificate authority, cryptographic standard or vendor product is named. Subsection (A) ties acceptability to “law and board’s policy,” so the board’s current policy is the operative document.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Grandfathering under 16.39.5.11(D) is conditioned on continuity: the concession to keep an older approved seal runs only to surveyors “who have maintained that license without lapse.” A lapse therefore costs the old die as well as the license. Not addressed: whether the license number changes on reinstatement, and whether the seal must be surrendered or destroyed on expiration, suspension or revocation. Checked 16.39.5 in full.
Firm requirements
No certificate of authorization and no firm seal, but a filed affidavit. Rule 16.39.5.10(E) requires that where a business entity offers or provides surveying services, an authorized company officer and the professional surveyor employed by the entity and in responsible charge “shall place on file with the board a signed affidavit within 30 days,” kept current and revised within thirty days of any change of surveyor or officer. Rule 16.39.5.10(A) bars an entity from advertising or accepting surveying work unless a member is licensed and legally able to bind the entity by contract. Nothing requires a firm number on the face of a sealed document.
What to check before you order
Order a circular device with three concentric circles, one and one-half inches outside, one inch middle and one-half inch center. Put the words professional surveyor and your name in the outer ring, New Mexico in the inner ring, and your board-issued license number in the center circle. A manufacturer border pattern is fine. An impression seal, a rubber stamp and a computer-generated facsimile are all permitted for the seal itself, and a rubber or self-inking stamp is the practical choice because a plat gets copied. Do not order a rubber signature stamp: facsimile signatures are not acceptable, and your signature has to be original, next to the seal, with the date you signed. If you want a different layout, get the board to approve the design first and keep every element in lettering at least 0.1 inches high.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for surveyors in New Mexico?
Yes. Rule 16.39.5.11(A): “Each licensed professional surveyor shall obtain a seal/stamp which must be impressed on all plats, reports, etc., prepared by the licensee in responsible charge.” Subsection (E) narrows it to work actually supervised: “The seal and signature shall be placed on work only when it was under the licensee’s responsible charge.” The Engineering and Surveying Practice Act supplies the statutory backing.
Can I use a rubber stamp seal in New Mexico?
Yes. Rule 16.39.5.11(B): “The seal/stamp shall be either the impression type seal, the rubber type, or a computer-generated facsimile. Computer-generated seals shall be bona fide copies of the actual seal/stamp specific to the work being presented.” The prohibition in the previous subsection is directed at facsimile signatures. A rubber or self-inking stamp at one and one-half inches outside diameter is the practical choice, because a dry embossed impression does not survive photocopying of a plat.
What has to appear on a New Mexico surveyor seal?
Three groupings under 16.39.5.11(C)(1): the words professional surveyor and your name in the outer ring, the word New Mexico in the inner ring, and your board-issued license number in the center circle. Do not put an expiration date or a discipline line on the face; neither is provided for.
What size is a New Mexico surveyor seal?
Three concentric circles at one and one-half inches outermost, one inch middle and one-half inch innermost. Those are exact figures. If you take the board-approved alternative in (C)(2) instead, the rule fixes no diameter at all and sets a minimum lettering height of 0.1 inches.
Where does the signature go in New Mexico?
Beside the seal. Rule 16.39.5.11(A): “Adjacent to the seal/stamp shall appear the original signature of the licensee along with the date the signature was applied.” Adjacent, not across, so signing over the impression is not required. The signature must be original: rubber stamps and all facsimiles of signatures are not acceptable, though the rule adds that an “Electronic signature as provided by law and board’s policy shall be acceptable.”
How do I seal a multi-sheet New Mexico plat?
Front page plus every sheet. 16.39.5.11(F) requires the first or title page to be sealed and signed by the licensee who was in responsible charge, and “In addition, each sheet shall be sealed and signed by the licensee or licensees responsible for that sheet.” Where a firm performs the work, each sheet is sealed and signed by the licensee in responsible charge of that sheet and, with multiple licensees, the portion attributable to each must be explicitly identified. Two or more licensees may seal one document provided a note under each seal designates the specific subject matter each is responsible for.
What may I seal in New Mexico?
Only work under your responsible charge and within your area of discipline. Subsection (E) states both limits.
Can I seal New Mexico documents electronically?
Yes, as an option rather than a separate regime. Rule 16.39.5.11(G): “An electronic signature, as an option to a permanently legible signature, is acceptable for professional documents. The licensee shall provide adequate security regarding the use of the seal and signature.” Where a document carries more than one licensee and is transmitted electronically, “each signature must contain an independent electronic signature.” No certificate authority, cryptographic standard or vendor product is named, and subsection (A) ties acceptability to “law and board’s policy,” so the board’s current policy is the operative document.
Can I keep an older New Mexico seal?
Only if the license never lapsed. Subsection (D) provides that a surveyor licensed before the current rules who has kept the license without lapse “may retain and use the seals, stamps, and wall certificates previously approved.” The concession runs only to surveyors “who have maintained that license without lapse,” so a lapse costs the old die as well. Whether the license number changes on reinstatement, and whether the seal must be surrendered or destroyed on expiration, suspension or revocation, are not addressed.
Does a New Mexico surveying firm need a certificate or a seal?
Neither, but it files an affidavit. Rule 16.39.5.10(E) requires that where a business entity offers or provides surveying services, an authorized company officer and the professional surveyor employed by the entity and in responsible charge “shall place on file with the board a signed affidavit within 30 days,” kept current and revised within thirty days of any change of surveyor or officer. Rule 16.39.5.10(A) bars an entity from advertising or accepting surveying work unless a member is licensed and legally able to bind the entity by contract. Nothing requires a firm number on the face of a sealed document.
