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 Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, and Landscape Architects and Haw. Rev. Stat. § 464-11 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
The land court will not take a map or survey without your seal. HRS § 464-11 requires a licensed land surveyor’s seal before any map or survey may be filed in the land court, which is a registration system unique to Hawaii and used heavily for title in the islands. That is a hard stop rather than a preference, and it sits alongside the general duty to stamp plans, specifications, maps and reports when they are filed with public officials.
The device is two circles: a smaller one 1-1/8 inches in diameter inside a larger one 1-1/2 inches in diameter, which is the outside diameter of the stamp. The outer ring carries your name as licensed and the words Hawaii, U.S.A. The center carries the legend Licensed Professional Land Surveyor and your license number. That legend is longer than the statutory wording in HRS § 464-11 and longer than the Registered Land Surveyor or Professional Land Surveyor legends used on the mainland. The statute lets the board authorize other wording and the board has, so cut the rule wording.
The date beside the seal is not the date you signed. HAR § 16-115-9(a) puts an authentication block below the seal and captions the date line “Expiration Date of the License”. Keep the die clear of any DATE caption so it does not invite the wrong entry.
Hawaii land surveyor seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Hawaii rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 464-11 |
| Required elements | Two concentric circles, Your name as licensed, The words “Hawaii, U.S.A.” in the outer ring, Licensed Professional Land Surveyor in the center and Your license number in the center | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a) |
| Size and shape | Two circles: a smaller one 1-1/8 inches in diameter inside a larger one 1-1/2 inches in diameter. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-8(a)(1) |
| Device allowed | HRS § 464-11 authorizes “a seal or rubber stamp of the design authorized by the board”, so both an embosser and an inked rubber stamp are lawful. | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 464-11 |
| Signature and date | HAR § 16-115-9(a) requires an authentication block below the seal stating “This work was prepared by me or under my supervision”, signed by the licensee, with the caption “Expiration Date of the License” under the signature. | Haw. Admin. R. § 16-115-9(a), (b), (c), (e) |
| What must be sealed | All plans, specifications, maps, reports, surveys and descriptions prepared by or under the supervision of the licensee and filed with public officials, plus every sheet in a set of design drawings. | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 464-11, 464-13 |
| Electronic seal | HAR § 16-115-2 defines a digital signature as a digital code, generated and authenticated by public encryption, attached to an electronically transmitted document to verify its contents and the sender’s identity, containing encryption protections using a set of algorithms to determine authenticity. | Haw. Admin. R. §§ 16-115-2, 16-115-9(e) |
| Renewal and lapse | Licenses expire April 30 of each even-numbered year and become invalid after that date unless renewed. | Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 464-9(c), 464-11 |
| Firm requirements | Not applicable. | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 464-12 |
| Regulator | The Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, and Landscape Architects | Haw. Rev. Stat. ch. 464, chiefly §§ 464-9, 464-11, 464-12 and 464-13, read on the Hawaii State Legislature site |
Is a seal required in Hawaii?
Hawaii ties the seal to filing with public officials and adds a land court bar that applies to surveyors alone. HRS § 464-11 provides that all plans, specifications, maps and reports prepared by or under the supervision of a licensed land surveyor “shall be stamped with such seal or stamp when filed with public officials”, and separately requires a licensed land surveyor’s seal before any map or survey may be filed in the land court. HAR § 16-115-8(c) widens the list to surveys and descriptions and requires documents submitted to public officials for approval to be stamped and authenticated as provided in section 16-115-9.
What must appear on the seal
- Two concentric circles
- Your name as licensed
- The words “Hawaii, U.S.A.” in the outer ring
- Licensed Professional Land Surveyor in the center
- Your license number in the center
Nothing else goes inside the circles. The legend prescribed by the rule is “Licensed Professional Land Surveyor”, which is longer than the statutory wording in HRS § 464-11, “licensed land surveyor”, and longer than the Registered Land Surveyor or Professional Land Surveyor legends used on the mainland. The statute lets the board authorize other wording, and the board has: cut the rule wording. The signature, the attestation sentence and the expiration date belong below the seal under HAR § 16-115-9, not inside it, so a die with a date line is wrong. No branch abbreviation appears on a surveyor seal, and the per-branch seal duty in HAR § 16-115-8(b) reaches engineers only.
Size and shape
Two circles: a smaller one 1-1/8 inches in diameter inside a larger one 1-1/2 inches in diameter. The 1-1/2 inch figure is the outside diameter of the device. HAR § 16-115-8 adds that the licensee “shall use a seal or stamp that is legible and reproducible”, which matters more for surveyors than for anyone else, because a recorded map is reproduced many times over.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
HRS § 464-11 authorizes “a seal or rubber stamp of the design authorized by the board”, so both an embosser and an inked rubber stamp are lawful. Choose the inked rubber stamp, because the legible-and-reproducible test is hard to meet with a blind embossed impression on a map that will be copied and filed. Whether a computer-generated seal image is permitted is not addressed; the rule defines and permits a digital signature but says nothing about a digital seal graphic. Checked HAR §§ 16-115-2, 16-115-8 and 16-115-9 and HRS § 464-11.
Signing and dating
HAR § 16-115-9(a) requires an authentication block below the seal stating “This work was prepared by me or under my supervision”, signed by the licensee, with the caption “Expiration Date of the License” under the signature. The date line is the license expiration date, not the date of signing. The construction observation statements in § 16-115-9(b) and (c) name engineers, architects and landscape architects and do not reach land surveyors, so a surveyor uses the plain block in subsection (a). Under § 16-115-9(e) the signature must be original or digital, and “The use of rubber signature stamps or other facsimile signatures is prohibited.” Signing across the seal is not required.
The land court will not take the map without your seal, and the date beside it is your expiration date
Two Hawaii rules shape a surveyor’s stamp order. The first is a filing bar. HRS § 464-11 requires a licensed land surveyor’s seal before any map or survey may be filed in the land court, which is a registration system unique to Hawaii and used heavily for title in the islands. That is a hard stop rather than a preference.
The second is the date. HAR § 16-115-9(a) puts an authentication block below the seal, and the caption on the date line reads “Expiration Date of the License”. Writing the day you signed there is the usual error, and it is an error the stamp itself should not encourage, so keep the die clear of any DATE caption.
A third point is worth knowing because it distinguishes surveyors from the rest of this board. The construction observation statements in § 16-115-9(b) and (c) apply to engineers, architects and landscape architects. They do not name land surveyors, so a surveyor uses the plain attestation in subsection (a) and nothing more.
Everything else follows the shared geometry: a 1-1/8 inch circle inside a 1-1/2 inch circle, name and Hawaii, U.S.A. in the ring, and the legend Licensed Professional Land Surveyor with the license number in the center.
Which documents must be sealed
All plans, specifications, maps, reports, surveys and descriptions prepared by or under the supervision of the licensee and filed with public officials, plus every sheet in a set of design drawings. The land court requirement in HRS § 464-11 is the one unique to this profession: a map or survey may not be filed in the land court without a licensed land surveyor’s seal. The building cost exemptions in HRS § 464-13 are written around buildings and structural design and do not give a surveyor a route around a filing requirement. Hawaii states no preliminary or draft carve-out anywhere in the rule.
Electronic and digital seals
HAR § 16-115-2 defines a digital signature as a digital code, generated and authenticated by public encryption, attached to an electronically transmitted document to verify its contents and the sender’s identity, containing encryption protections using a set of algorithms to determine authenticity. No certificate authority and no named standard is required. The rule does not separately authorize an electronic seal graphic, so the conservative practice is a digital signature applied over an image of the board-prescribed design.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Licenses expire April 30 of each even-numbered year and become invalid after that date unless renewed. Restoration is available within two years on payment of a fee for each renewal period; after two years the person reapplies as a new applicant. HRS § 464-11 makes it “unlawful for anyone to seal or stamp any document with such seal or stamp after the license has expired or has been revoked or suspended unless such license has been renewed or reissued.” Whether a license number changes on reapplication after two years is not addressed in HRS § 464-9 or HAR chapter 16-115, which is worth confirming for a surveyor whose number sits on filed maps. No surrender or destruction of the device is required.
Firm requirements
Not applicable. A corporation, partnership or limited liability company may practice land surveying in Hawaii provided the person directly in charge of the professional work is licensed and is a full-time employee, principal, officer, partner, member or manager with legal authority to bind the entity. There is no certificate of authorization, no firm number on the document and no firm seal.
What to check before you order
Order a 1-1/2 inch outside circle with a 1-1/8 inch inner circle. Outer ring: your name as licensed plus Hawaii, U.S.A. Center: Licensed Professional Land Surveyor, then your license number. No branch line, no date line, no signature line, no word SEAL. Take the inked rubber stamp rather than an embosser, because the rule tests the impression for legibility and reproducibility and your maps will be copied and filed. Nothing is filed with the board and no proof of licensure is asked of you at the counter.
Browse land surveyor stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for land surveyors in Hawaii?
Yes, on two triggers. HRS § 464-11 provides that all plans, specifications, maps and reports prepared by or under the supervision of a licensed land surveyor “shall be stamped with such seal or stamp when filed with public officials”, and separately requires a licensed land surveyor’s seal before any map or survey may be filed in the land court. HAR § 16-115-8(c) widens the list to surveys and descriptions and requires documents submitted to public officials for approval to be stamped and authenticated as provided in section 16-115-9.
What has to appear on a Hawaii land surveyor seal?
Five things under HAR § 16-115-8(a): two concentric circles, your name as licensed, the words Hawaii, U.S.A. in the outer ring, the legend Licensed Professional Land Surveyor in the center, and your license number in the center. Nothing else goes inside the circles. No branch abbreviation appears on a surveyor seal, since the per-branch seal duty in HAR § 16-115-8(b) reaches engineers only, and the signature, the attestation sentence and the expiration date all belong below the seal rather than inside it.
What size is a Hawaii land surveyor seal?
A 1-1/8 inch circle inside a 1-1/2 inch circle, with 1-1/2 inches as the outside diameter of the device. HAR § 16-115-8 adds that the licensee “shall use a seal or stamp that is legible and reproducible,” which matters more for surveyors than for anyone else on this board because a recorded map is reproduced many times over.
Rubber stamp or embosser in Hawaii?
HRS § 464-11 authorizes “a seal or rubber stamp of the design authorized by the board,” so both are lawful. Choose the inked rubber stamp, because the legible and reproducible test is hard to meet with a blind embossed impression on a map that will be copied and filed. Whether a computer-generated seal image is permitted is not addressed anywhere, since the rule defines and permits a digital signature but says nothing about a digital seal graphic.
What does the Hawaii authentication block say?
HAR § 16-115-9(a) requires a block below the seal stating “This work was prepared by me or under my supervision”, signed by the licensee, with the caption “Expiration Date of the License” under the signature. The construction observation statements in § 16-115-9(b) and (c) name engineers, architects and landscape architects and do not reach land surveyors, so a surveyor uses the plain block in subsection (a) and nothing more.
Can I use a signature stamp in Hawaii?
No. Under HAR § 16-115-9(e) the signature must be original or digital, and “The use of rubber signature stamps or other facsimile signatures is prohibited.” Signing across the seal is not required.
Which Hawaii documents need the surveyor seal?
All plans, specifications, maps, reports, surveys and descriptions prepared by or under your supervision and filed with public officials, plus every sheet in a set of design drawings, plus anything going to the land court. Hawaii states no preliminary or draft carve-out anywhere in the rule. The building cost exemptions in HRS § 464-13 are written around buildings and structural design and do not give a surveyor a route around a filing requirement.
How does Hawaii handle digital signing?
HAR § 16-115-2 defines a digital signature as a digital code, generated and authenticated by public encryption, attached to an electronically transmitted document to verify its contents and the sender’s identity, containing encryption protections using a set of algorithms to determine authenticity. No certificate authority and no named standard is required. The rule does not separately authorize an electronic seal graphic, so the conservative practice is a digital signature applied over an image of the board-prescribed design.
What happens to my Hawaii seal when the license expires?
You stop using it. Licenses expire April 30 of each even-numbered year and become invalid after that date unless renewed, and HRS § 464-11 makes it “unlawful for anyone to seal or stamp any document with such seal or stamp after the license has expired or has been revoked or suspended unless such license has been renewed or reissued.” Restoration is available within two years on payment of a fee for each renewal period; after two years you reapply as a new applicant. Whether the license number changes on reapplication after two years is not addressed, which is worth confirming when your number already sits on filed maps. No surrender or destruction of the device is required.
Does a Hawaii surveying firm need a seal?
No, and there is no certificate of authorization either. A corporation, partnership or limited liability company may practice land surveying in Hawaii provided the person directly in charge of the professional work is licensed and is a full-time employee, principal, officer, partner, member or manager with legal authority to bind the entity, under HRS § 464-12 and HAR § 16-115-4. No firm number appears on the document.
