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
The Great Seal of New York goes in the middle, and the license number below it sits “with no other letters or numbers.” Most states let a seal be a ring of text around a number. 8 NYCRR § 68.13 puts the Great Seal at the center, your name above it and your license number below it, and then closes the door on anything else in that space. A stamp ordered from a generic round template, with a star or a state outline in the middle and a PLS prefix on the number, is not a New York seal. The outer band reads STATE OF NEW YORK at the top and LICENSED LAND SURVEYOR at the bottom. Note that the band order is the reverse of the New York architect and landscape architect seals under sections 69.5 and 79-1.4.
If you hold both the engineering and the land surveying license, you do not carry two devices. The rule supplies a combined legend, LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER AND LAND SURVEYOR, for exactly that case, which is the opposite of several neighboring states.
The second half of the order is the one buyers forget. Education Law section 7209(2) requires a separate stamp on sealed plans, specifications, plats and reports warning the reader that altering an item is a violation of the article unless it is done under a licensed professional’s direction. It is a statutory requirement and it is not part of the round seal.
New York land surveyor 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 LAND SURVEYOR, or LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER AND LAND SURVEYOR if you hold both licenses, 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 | The seal alone is not enough. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209(1), (2) |
| What must be sealed | All plans, specifications, plats 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 New York license itself does not expire; registration does, on a three year cycle running from the date the license is issued. | N.Y. Educ. Law § 7209 |
| Firm requirements | A firm practicing land surveying in New York needs a certificate of authorization from the Department under Education Law section 7210, issued for three years. | 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 requires the seal by statute. Education Law section 7209(1) provides that “Every professional engineer, land surveyor and professional geologist shall have a seal, approved by the board,” and then fixes when it is used: plans, specifications, plats and reports “shall 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.” The scope of that duty is broader for a land surveyor than for an engineer. For a professional engineer it reaches plans, specifications, plats and reports relating to the construction or alteration of buildings or structures plus geologic drawings and reports. For a land surveyor it reaches all plans, specifications, plats and reports without that narrowing. Work by a full time or part time subordinate under the licensee’s supervision is covered on the same terms.
What must appear on the seal
- STATE OF NEW YORK at the top of the outer band
- LICENSED LAND SURVEYOR, or LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER AND LAND SURVEYOR if you hold both licenses, 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 is a closed list of four, shared across the board’s three professions: “LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER” or “LICENSED LAND SURVEYOR” or “LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER AND LAND SURVEYOR” or “LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST” as the case may be. A licensee holding both the engineering and the land surveying license uses the single combined legend rather than carrying two devices, which is the opposite of several neighboring states. Inside, the license number sits below the Great Seal “with no other letters or numbers,” so an LS or PLS prefix, a registration expiration date, a firm name and a certificate of authorization number are all excluded.
Size and shape
Circular, approximately 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Section 68.13 says approximately, so there is real tolerance, but the diameter has to leave the Great Seal of New York legible at the center. The rule binds applicants who first applied for licensure on or after 1 July 1984; a seal issued under the earlier design is not retrofitted by this rule.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
An embossing seal, a rubber stamp or an electronic version. NYSED does not manufacture, sell or pre-approve seals and directs licensees to take the published specification to their own engraver. The safe buy is a rubber stamp, because section 7209(1) still wants a personal signature on the original filed with public officials and an inked impression reproduces on the copies that get filed. An embosser alone photocopies badly, which matters for maps that go to a county clerk.
Signing and dating
The seal alone is not enough. Section 7209(1) requires the document to be stamped with the seal and also signed “on the original with the personal signature” of the licensee when filed with public officials, which is an original signature on the original document 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 straight across the face of the impression. Neither section 7209 nor section 68.13 prescribes a date beside the seal; the only statutory dating duty attaches to alterations, where the altering professional adds the date of the alteration. A date block is normal New York practice but is not a rule requirement.
One legend for dual licensees, and a warning stamp nobody orders
Section 68.13 gives the board’s three professions one design and four permitted bottom legends. A person licensed as both a professional engineer and a land surveyor does not carry two devices; the rule supplies the combined legend LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER AND LAND SURVEYOR for exactly that case. That is the opposite of several neighboring states, where dual licensure means two seals.
Which documents must be sealed
All plans, specifications, plats and reports, when filed with public officials. Two further duties ride with the seal. Education Law section 7209(2) requires that to any sealed plans, specifications, plats and reports “there shall also be applied a stamp with appropriate wording warning that it is a violation of this article for any person, unless he or she is acting under the direction of a licensed professional engineer or land surveyor, to alter an item in any way.” That is a second inked device most buyers do not know they need, and unlike the architect and landscape architect rules it lives in the statute rather than in the seal regulation. An altering professional must then apply his or her own seal plus the notation “altered by” followed by signature, the date of the alteration and a specific description of it.
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 signature affixed by hand, and is explicit that no particular protocol is mandated and that use by state and local entities is voluntary. A county clerk or municipality is therefore not obliged to accept an electronically sealed filing. The practical consequence is that New York cannot be satisfied by buying a product: the licensee and the receiving authority have to agree in advance on a compatible method.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
The New York license itself does not expire; registration does, on a three year cycle running from the date the license is issued. Because section 68.13 puts only the license number on the seal, and no expiration date, the device does not change at renewal and a licensee never needs a fresh stamp for registration reasons. The license number does not change. Whether a seal must be destroyed or surrendered on lapse, retirement or revocation is not addressed: neither Education Law section 7209 nor 8 NYCRR Part 68 says anything about surrendering the device, and the Office of the Professions seals notice is silent on it as well.
Firm requirements
A firm practicing land surveying in New York needs a certificate of authorization from the Department under Education Law section 7210, issued for three years. The firm gets no seal of its own. The statute does not require the certificate number to appear on sealed documents, and Office of the Professions guidance treats the certificate of authorization number as a title block best practice rather than a rule. A New York surveying seal therefore carries no firm data at all, because section 68.13 closes the inner circle to the licensee’s name and number.
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 beside the number. The outer band reads STATE OF NEW YORK at the top and LICENSED LAND SURVEYOR at the bottom, or LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER AND LAND SURVEYOR if you hold both licenses, in which case one device serves for both. Circular, approximately 1 3/4 inches. Order 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 PLS or LS prefix, a registration expiration date or a certificate of authorization number. NYSED requires no proof of licensure from your engraver.
Browse land surveyor stamps and seals.
- Get It Right: New York Land Surveyor Stamp Purchase Guide
- Avoid Mistakes with the New York Land Surveyor Seal
Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for land surveyors in New York?
Yes, by statute. Education Law section 7209(1) provides that “Every professional engineer, land surveyor and professional geologist shall have a seal, approved by the board,” and then fixes when it is used: plans, specifications, plats and reports “shall 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.” The duty is broader for a surveyor than for an engineer: for an engineer it reaches documents relating to the construction or alteration of buildings or structures plus geologic drawings and reports, while for a land surveyor it reaches all plans, specifications, plats and reports without that narrowing.
What has to appear on a New York land surveyor seal?
Five things under 8 NYCRR § 68.13: STATE OF NEW YORK at the top of the outer band, LICENSED LAND SURVEYOR at the bottom of it, your name as licensed above the Great Seal of New York, the Great Seal itself in the inner circle, and your license number below it. The number stands alone with no other letters or numbers, so an LS or PLS prefix, a registration expiration date, a firm name and a certificate of authorization number are all excluded.
What legend do I use if I hold both licenses in New York?
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER AND LAND SURVEYOR, on one device. The bottom legend is a closed list of four shared across the board’s three professions, and the combined form exists precisely so a dual licensee does not carry two stamps.
What size is a New York land surveyor seal?
Circular, approximately 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Section 68.13 says approximately, so there is real tolerance, but the diameter has to leave the Great Seal of New York legible at the center. The rule binds applicants who first applied for licensure on or after 1 July 1984; a seal issued under the earlier design is not retrofitted by it.
Rubber stamp or embosser in New York?
An embossing seal, a rubber stamp or an electronic version. NYSED does not manufacture, sell or pre-approve seals and directs licensees to take the published specification to their own engraver. A rubber stamp is the safe buy, because section 7209(1) still wants a personal signature on the original filed with public officials and an inked impression reproduces on the copies that get filed. An embosser alone photocopies badly, which matters for maps going to a county clerk.
Where does the signature go in New York?
On the original, in your own hand. Section 7209(1) requires the document to be stamped with the seal and also signed “on the original with the personal signature” of the licensee when filed with public officials, which means 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 straight across the face of the impression.
Does New York require a date beside the seal?
Neither section 7209 nor section 68.13 prescribes one. The only statutory dating duty attaches to alterations, where the altering professional adds the date of the alteration. A date block is normal New York practice but is not a rule requirement.
What is the New York alteration warning stamp?
A second device. Education Law section 7209(2) requires that to any sealed plans, specifications, plats and reports “there shall also be applied a stamp with appropriate wording warning that it is a violation of this article for any person, unless he or she is acting under the direction of a licensed professional engineer or land surveyor, to alter an item in any way.” Unlike the architect and landscape architect rules, this one lives in the statute rather than in the seal regulation. An altering professional must then apply his or her own seal plus the notation “altered by” followed by signature, the date of the alteration and a specific description of it.
Can I seal New York survey documents electronically?
Sometimes, and it depends on the receiving office. 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 signature affixed by hand, and is explicit that no particular protocol is mandated and that use by state and local entities is voluntary. A county clerk or municipality is not obliged to accept an electronically sealed filing, so you and the receiving authority have to agree in advance on a compatible method.
Does my New York seal change at renewal?
No. The license itself does not expire; registration does, on a three year cycle running from the date the license is issued. Because section 68.13 puts only the license number on the seal and no expiration date, the device does not change at renewal and the license number does not change either. Whether a seal must be destroyed or surrendered on lapse, retirement or revocation is not addressed in Education Law section 7209, in 8 NYCRR Part 68, or in the Office of the Professions seals notice.
Does a New York surveying firm need a seal?
No. A firm practicing land surveying in New York needs a certificate of authorization from the Department under Education Law section 7210, issued for three years, but the firm gets no seal of its own. The statute does not require the certificate number to appear on sealed documents, and Office of the Professions guidance treats it as a title block best practice rather than a rule. The seal itself carries no firm data, because section 68.13 closes the inner circle to your name and number.
