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 Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board and LAC 46:LXI § 2701 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Louisiana permits exactly two diameters: a 1 5/8 inch pocket seal and a 2 inch desk seal. LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.2 frames them that way, and it is a pair of permitted sizes rather than a range with a tolerance. A blank cut for a neighboring state’s band is simply the wrong size here. For comparison, the Louisiana architect figure is approximately 1 3/4 inches and the Louisiana landscape architect figure is 1 5/8 inches, so three Louisiana professions use three different specifications.
The face carries State of Louisiana, your name, your license number and the words Professional Land Surveyor. If you were licensed by endorsement, it also carries the endorsement wording referencing R.S. 37:51 et seq., which is the element most buyers have never heard of and is not decoration. LAPELS publishes separate endorsement artwork for each profession, so take the design from the Board’s Stamp Designs and Vendors page rather than assembling it from wording alone.
Section 2701 also states the pairing rule plainly: “A seal must always be accompanied by the licensee’s signature and date.” Every time.
Louisiana land surveyor seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Louisiana rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | LAC 46:LXI § 2701 |
| Required elements | State of Louisiana, Your name, Your license number, Professional Land Surveyor and Licensed by Endorsement, R.S. 37:51 et seq., where you were licensed by endorsement | LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.2 |
| Size and shape | Two sizes, and only two: a 1 5/8 inch seal and a 2 inch seal. | LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.2 |
| Device allowed | Section 2701.A.2 states that “Rubber seals of the same design and size are acceptable for use” and that “Computer-generated seals of the same design and size may be used.” The governing constraint is that phrase, same design and size, measured against the authorized design. | LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.2 |
| Signature and date | Always together. | LAC 46:LXI § 2701 |
| What must be sealed | Final documents issued by the licensee, sheet by sheet on multi-sheet work as described above. | LAC 46:LXI § 2701 |
| Electronic seal | Section 2701.A.5 governs electronic transmission and prescribes the replacement wording verbatim: “This document was originally issued and sealed by (name of licensee and license number) on (date of sealing). | LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.5 |
| Renewal and lapse | La. R.S. 37:697 sets expiration and renewal and gives a grace: “Any person who renews his license or certificate within one hundred twenty days of the expiration of such license or certificate shall not be deprived of the right of renewal.” The seal rule bites sooner than that. | La. R.S. 37:697 |
| Firm requirements | Louisiana licenses firms, and R.S. 37:697 expressly contemplates “Renewal of licensure as a professional engineer, professional land surveyor, or firm.” But the firm gets nothing to stamp with. | LAC 46:LXI § 2701.A.1 |
| Regulator | The Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board | LAC Title 46, Part LXI, Chapter 27 (§ 2701, Seal and Signature), read from the Board’s per-chapter rule document rather than the combined rules volume |
Is a seal required in Louisiana?
Louisiana puts the duty in the board rule and backs it with the statute. LAC 46:LXI § 2701 provides that “Each professional engineer or professional land surveyor, upon licensure, shall obtain an official seal”, and that “A seal must always be accompanied by the licensee’s signature and date.” Sealing is not optional paperwork: La. R.S. 37:698(A)(6) makes violation of any board rule a ground for discipline, and R.S. 37:698(A)(9) makes using a seal while a license is suspended, revoked, expired for more than ninety days, or in retired or inactive status, a disciplinary offence in its own right. On multi-sheet work the rule requires the first sheet or title page to be sealed, signed and dated by the licensee or licensees in responsible charge of the whole project, and in addition each other sheet to be sealed, signed and dated by the licensee in responsible charge of the work on that sheet.
What must appear on the seal
- State of Louisiana
- Your name
- Your license number
- Professional Land Surveyor
- Licensed by Endorsement, R.S. 37:51 et seq., where you were licensed by endorsement
The endorsement line is the element most buyers have never heard of, and it is not decoration: a licensee admitted by endorsement carries that wording on the face. The engineer version of this device names the engineering discipline; the land surveyor version does not, and LAPELS publishes separate endorsement artwork for each profession. Take the design from the Board’s Stamp Designs and Vendors page rather than assembling it from wording alone.
Size and shape
Two sizes, and only two: a 1 5/8 inch seal and a 2 inch seal. Section 2701.A.2 frames them as the pocket size and the desk size respectively. This is not a range with a tolerance; it is a pair of permitted diameters, which makes Louisiana unusually easy to get wrong with a blank sized for a neighboring state. Both figures were confirmed on two separately phrased readings of the Board’s Chapter 27 rule document. Note that the Louisiana architect figure is approximately 1 3/4 inches and the Louisiana landscape architect figure is 1 5/8 inches, so three Louisiana professions use three different specifications.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Section 2701.A.2 states that “Rubber seals of the same design and size are acceptable for use” and that “Computer-generated seals of the same design and size may be used.” The governing constraint is that phrase, same design and size, measured against the authorized design. The words embossed and embossing do not appear anywhere in § 2701, although the rule’s reference to a pocket seal describes the crimp format. The safe buy is a rubber stamp in one of the two authorized diameters.
Signing and dating
Always together. Section 2701 provides that a seal must always be accompanied by the licensee’s signature and date. On multi-sheet work the first sheet or title page is sealed, signed and dated by the licensee or licensees in responsible charge of the project as a whole, and every other sheet is sealed, signed and dated by the licensee in responsible charge of the work on that sheet. The rule does not require the signature to cross the impression. Read the current text of § 2701 before restating any of the electronic transmission conditions that sit alongside it.
Two permitted diameters, and the firm may not own a seal at all
Section 2701.A.2 gives Louisiana licensees a 1 5/8 inch pocket seal and a 2 inch desk seal. Those are the two sizes. There is no range and no tolerance, so a blank cut for a neighboring state’s band is simply the wrong size here. Both figures were confirmed on two separately phrased readings of the Board’s per-chapter rule document.
Which documents must be sealed
Final documents issued by the licensee, sheet by sheet on multi-sheet work as described above. Because § 2701 governs both of this board’s professions identically except for the legend and the endorsement artwork, the land surveyor’s obligations track the engineer’s. Note the jurisdictional line: Louisiana’s professional geoscientists sit under a different Part, LAC 46:LXII, and a different board, and Louisiana’s landscape architects sit under the Horticulture Commission at LAC 7:XXIX, so a Louisiana project can carry three seals answering to three different agencies.
Electronic and digital seals
Section 2701.A.5 governs electronic transmission and prescribes the replacement wording verbatim: “This document was originally issued and sealed by (name of licensee and license number) on (date of sealing). This document should not be considered a completed work.” Louisiana does not name a cryptographic standard in § 2701 and does not incorporate a federal digital signature specification the way Connecticut does. The conditions attaching to electronic transmission should be read off the current text of § 2701.A.5 before they are restated in any customer-facing copy.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
La. R.S. 37:697 sets expiration and renewal and gives a grace: “Any person who renews his license or certificate within one hundred twenty days of the expiration of such license or certificate shall not be deprived of the right of renewal.” The seal rule bites sooner than that. R.S. 37:698(A)(9) makes it a disciplinary offence to use a seal or stamp when a license is suspended or revoked, when it has been expired for more than ninety days, or when the licensee is in retired or inactive status. So there is a thirty day window between the point at which the seal goes dead and the point at which the renewal right lapses. R.S. 37:698(A)(16) separately reaches use of an expired, inactive, retired or revoked license. Not addressed: whether the license number changes on reinstatement, and whether the physical device must be destroyed or surrendered.
Firm requirements
Louisiana licenses firms, and R.S. 37:697 expressly contemplates “Renewal of licensure as a professional engineer, professional land surveyor, or firm.” But the firm gets nothing to stamp with. Section 2701.A.1 is blunt: “Firms are not authorized to possess or use seals.” The rule does not require the firm’s license number to appear on the sealed document either. A Louisiana stamp is a personal instrument and nothing else.
What to check before you order
Order a rubber stamp in one of exactly two diameters, 1 5/8 inches for the pocket size or 2 inches for the desk size, built to the design the Board publishes. The face carries State of Louisiana, your name, your license number and the words Professional Land Surveyor, plus the endorsement wording if you were licensed by endorsement under R.S. 37:51 et seq. Computer generated seals are acceptable if they are the same design and size. Every time the seal goes down it must be accompanied by your signature and the date. On multi-sheet work, seal, sign and date the first sheet or title page as the licensee in responsible charge of the project, and seal, sign and date every other sheet for the work on it. Do not order a firm seal; Louisiana does not authorize one.
Browse land surveyor stamps and seals.
- How to Budget for Louisiana Land Surveyor Stamp Cost
- Louisiana Land Surveyor Stamp Embossing: What You Must Know
Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for land surveyors in Louisiana?
Yes. LAC 46:LXI § 2701 provides that “Each professional engineer or professional land surveyor, upon licensure, shall obtain an official seal”. Sealing is not optional paperwork: La. R.S. 37:698(A)(6) makes violation of any board rule a ground for discipline, and R.S. 37:698(A)(9) makes using a seal while a license is suspended, revoked, expired for more than ninety days, or in retired or inactive status a disciplinary offense in its own right.
What has to appear on a Louisiana land surveyor seal?
State of Louisiana, your name, your license number and the words Professional Land Surveyor, under § 2701.A.2 and La. R.S. 37:693(A)(2). A licensee admitted by endorsement also carries the wording Licensed by Endorsement with the reference to R.S. 37:51 et seq. The engineer version of this device names the engineering discipline; the land surveyor version does not.
What size is a Louisiana land surveyor seal?
Either 1 5/8 inches or 2 inches, and nothing in between. Section 2701.A.2 frames them as the pocket size and the desk size respectively. There is no tolerance attached to either figure, which makes Louisiana unusually easy to get wrong with a die sized for another state.
Can I use a rubber stamp in Louisiana?
Yes. Section 2701.A.2 states that “Rubber seals of the same design and size are acceptable for use” and that “Computer-generated seals of the same design and size may be used.” The governing constraint is that phrase, same design and size, measured against the authorized design. The words embossed and embossing do not appear anywhere in § 2701, though the rule’s reference to a pocket seal describes the crimp format. A rubber stamp in one of the two authorized diameters is the safe buy.
How do I seal a multi-sheet plat set in Louisiana?
Sheet by sheet, with an extra certification on the front. Section 2701 requires the first sheet or title page to be sealed, signed and dated by the licensee or licensees in responsible charge of the whole project, and in addition requires each other sheet to be sealed, signed and dated by the licensee in responsible charge of the work on that sheet. The rule does not require the signature to cross the impression.
Does Louisiana require a signature and date with the seal?
Always. Section 2701 provides that a seal must always be accompanied by the licensee’s signature and date. There is no category of sealed document in this rule where the seal stands alone.
What wording does Louisiana require on an electronic transmission?
Section 2701.A.5 prescribes the replacement wording verbatim: “This document was originally issued and sealed by (name of licensee and license number) on (date of sealing). This document should not be considered a completed work.” Louisiana does not name a cryptographic standard in § 2701 and does not incorporate a federal digital signature specification. Read the current text of § 2701.A.5 for the conditions that attach to electronic transmission.
When does my Louisiana seal stop being usable?
Ninety days after expiration, which is sooner than the renewal deadline. La. R.S. 37:697 preserves the right to renew for one hundred twenty days: “Any person who renews his license or certificate within one hundred twenty days of the expiration of such license or certificate shall not be deprived of the right of renewal.” But R.S. 37:698(A)(9) makes it a disciplinary offense to use a seal once the license has been expired for more than ninety days, or while it is suspended or revoked, or while you are in retired or inactive status. There is a thirty day window in which you can still renew and must not seal. Whether the license number changes on reinstatement, and whether the device must be destroyed or surrendered, are not addressed.
Can a Louisiana surveying firm own a seal?
No. Section 2701.A.1 is blunt: “Firms are not authorized to possess or use seals.” Louisiana does license firms, and R.S. 37:697 expressly contemplates renewal of licensure as a professional engineer, professional land surveyor or firm, but the firm gets nothing to stamp with. The rule does not require the firm’s license number on the sealed document either. If your practice also works in Arkansas, note that Arkansas requires a firm seal and Louisiana forbids one, so the same corporate structure needs opposite answers.
Which board governs my Louisiana survey seal?
The Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board, under LAC 46:LXI. That matters because a Louisiana project can carry three seals answering to three different agencies: professional geoscientists sit under LAC 46:LXII and a different board, and landscape architects sit under the Horticulture Commission at LAC 7:XXIX.
