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 Arkansas State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors and 17 Code Ark. R. §§ 285-602(b)(2), 285-901(d) on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Arkansas is one of the few states where the firm buys a seal too. 17 CAR § 285-602(c) requires that “Each firm that is issued a certificate of authorization (COA) shall obtain a seal of the design authorized by the board bearing the name of the firm and the COA number” and attach it, at a minimum, to the cover sheet of the plans, the cover page or seals page of specifications, and reports, wherever the professional seal is required. Section 285-307(h) repeats the obligation. A survey office that orders only the individual device has bought half of what the rule requires.
The title on your own seal is the other thing to check. Arkansas licenses a professional surveyor, not a land surveyor, and the legend follows the statute rather than common usage. Section 285-602(d)(2)(D) requires that “The licensee’s name and number inscribed in the seal shall correspond to the name and certificate number shown on the certificate of licensure,” so a nickname or a dropped middle initial is a defect, and a device lettered licensed professional land surveyor does not match the Arkansas certificate.
The device runs from one and one-quarter inches to two inches in diameter with a milled edge, or, on a rubber stamp, two concentric circles corresponding to the respective edges of that milling. Do not import the Arkansas architect board figure of 1.5 inches and 1 inch; that is a different agency.
Arkansas land surveyor seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Arkansas rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | 17 Code Ark. R. §§ 285-602(b)(2), 285-901(d) |
| Required elements | Your name as licensed, Your license number, The legend “licensed professional surveyor” and A milled edge, or two concentric circles on a rubber stamp | 17 Code Ark. R. § 285-602(b)(1), (d)(2) |
| Size and shape | One and one-quarter inches to two inches in diameter. | 17 Code Ark. R. § 285-602(d)(2)(A), (B), (C) |
| Device allowed | Embosser, inked rubber stamp and electronic application are all legal. | 17 Code Ark. R. § 285-602(d)(2), (d)(3)(B), (d)(5) |
| Signature and date | Every sealed page must be dated and signed as well as stamped, and on paper there is no requirement to sign across the seal. | 17 Code Ark. R. § 285-602(b)(2), (d)(5) |
| What must be sealed | For surveyors, each page of final drawings and plats, plus the signature page of reports and the cover sheet of specifications. | 17 Code Ark. R. § 285-602(a)(4), (b)(2), (d)(3)(A) |
| Electronic seal | The digital signature criteria are the three functional tests in § 285-602(d)(5)(A): unique to and under the sole control of the person who applied it, capable of verification, and able to be linked to the document so the signature is invalidated if any data is altered. | 17 Code Ark. R. § 285-602(d)(5) |
| Renewal and lapse | License certificates for professional surveyors, for dual registrants and for certificates of authority expire biennially, with the board mailing a renewal notice at least one month before expiration. | 17 Code Ark. R. §§ 285-602(d)(3)(A), 285-701 |
| Firm requirements | The firm needs its own seal here, which is unusual and which surveyors working in neighboring states routinely miss. 17 CAR § 285-602(c) requires that “Each firm that is issued a certificate of authorization (COA) shall obtain a seal of the design authorized by the board bearing the name of the firm and the COA number” and attach it, at a minimum, to the cover sheet of the plans, the cover page or seals page of specifications, and reports, wherever the professional seal is required. | 17 Code Ark. R. §§ 285-602(c), 285-307(h) |
| Regulator | The Arkansas State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors | 17 Code Ark. R. Title 17, ch. XLIX, subch. A, Part 285, principally §§ 285-602, 285-307(h), 285-701 and 285-901(d), the official codification of Arkansas agency rules under Ark. Code § 25-15-218, cross-checked against the Board’s 2026 Laws and Rules Handbook. One board, two professions: § 285-602 addresses professional engineers in subsection (a) and professional surveyors in subsection (b) with parallel language, and the design, size and electronic provisions in subsection (d) apply to both and to the firm seal. Arkansas architects, landscape architects and registered interior designers sit under a separate board, and professional geologists under a third. |
Is a seal required in Arkansas?
Arkansas requires the seal page by page and puts the duty in board rule. 17 CAR § 285-602(b)(2) is the surveyor provision: each page of final drawings and plats, plus the signature page of written reports and the cover sheet of specifications, shall when issued be dated, signed and stamped with the seal or a facsimile by the responsible licensee. 17 CAR § 285-901(d) adds the filing trigger: final drawings, specifications, plans, reports, plats or other documents “when issued or filed for public records, shall be dated and bear the signature and seal” of the licensee who prepared or supervised and approved them.
What must appear on the seal
- Your name as licensed
- Your license number
- The legend “licensed professional surveyor”
- A milled edge, or two concentric circles on a rubber stamp
Arkansas calls the profession “professional surveyor,” not land surveyor, and the legend follows the statute rather than common usage. The name and number are not free text: § 285-602(d)(2)(D) requires that “The licensee’s name and number inscribed in the seal shall correspond to the name and certificate number shown on the certificate of licensure.” A nickname or a dropped middle initial is a defect. Legacy devices are protected by § 285-602(d)(1)(B), which provides that seals previously acquired in compliance with then current rules “need not be changed nor modified as a result of subsequent rule changes unless specifically required.”
Size and shape
One and one-quarter inches to two inches in diameter. The rule fixes a range: “The seal shall be from one and one-quarter inch (1 ¼ in.) to two inches (2 in.) in diameter and have a milled edge in conformance with the above designs.” A facsimile rubber stamp is authorized in lieu of the seal, and “The stamp may have either a milled edge or two (2) concentric circles with the outer and inner circles corresponding with the respective edges of the milling on the seal.” Do not import the Arkansas architect board figure of 1.5 inches and 1 inch; that is a different agency.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Embosser, inked rubber stamp and electronic application are all legal. The rule treats the embossed seal as the base case and authorizes a facsimile rubber stamp in lieu of it; § 285-602(d)(5) then permits documents to be “sealed electronically” by one of three described routes. The safe buy is a rubber stamp in the 1 1/4 to 2 inch range with either a milled edge or two concentric circles. The licensee remains responsible under § 285-602(d)(3)(B) for assuring the seal, however affixed, is legible on the document.
Signing and dating
Every sealed page must be dated and signed as well as stamped, and on paper there is no requirement to sign across the seal. Electronically, § 285-602(d)(5) sets out three routes: a digital signature unique to and under the sole control of the person who applied it, capable of verification, and linked so that the signature is invalidated if any data is altered; or a document manually or digitally sealed but not signed, transmitted electronically only if “an original signature and date shall be affixed over the seal and maintained on a paper or electronic copy of the document in the office of record” and the transmitted file carries the sentence “This document was originally issued and sealed by (name of licensee), (license number) on (date). This copy is not a signed and sealed document.”; or a manually or digitally signed and sealed document copied and transmitted digitally. The second route does require an original signature over the seal on the retained copy.
The firm buys a seal too, and the recodification renumbered every citation
Arkansas is one of a small number of states where a certificate of authorization brings its own stamp. Section 285-602(c) requires each COA firm to obtain a board-authorized seal bearing the firm name and COA number, and to apply it to plan cover sheets, specification cover or seals pages and reports. A survey office that orders only the individual device has bought half of what the rule requires.
Which documents must be sealed
For surveyors, each page of final drawings and plats, plus the signature page of reports and the cover sheet of specifications. The record and as-built prohibition at § 285-602(a)(4), which forbids sealing record or as-built drawings unless the contract specifically requires it and then only with a caveat identifying the compiled nature and source of the information, is written into the engineer subsection rather than the surveyor subsection; read the current text before applying it to a survey. Sealing is limited under § 285-602(d)(3)(A) to documents prepared by or under the supervision of the licensee and only while the certificate is current and in good standing.
Electronic and digital seals
The digital signature criteria are the three functional tests in § 285-602(d)(5)(A): unique to and under the sole control of the person who applied it, capable of verification, and able to be linked to the document so the signature is invalidated if any data is altered. No certificate authority, no named cryptographic standard and no approved vendor list.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
License certificates for professional surveyors, for dual registrants and for certificates of authority expire biennially, with the board mailing a renewal notice at least one month before expiration. Section 285-602(d)(3)(A) permits the seal to be affixed “only when the license certificate is current and in good standing.” Not addressed: whether a license number changes on reinstatement, in 17 CAR § 285-701 or § 285-601. No surrender or destruction of the device is required.
Firm requirements
The firm needs its own seal here, which is unusual and which surveyors working in neighboring states routinely miss. 17 CAR § 285-602(c) requires that “Each firm that is issued a certificate of authorization (COA) shall obtain a seal of the design authorized by the board bearing the name of the firm and the COA number” and attach it, at a minimum, to the cover sheet of the plans, the cover page or seals page of specifications, and reports, wherever the professional seal is required. Section 285-307(h) repeats the obligation and refers back to § 285-602 for design and placement.
What to check before you order
Order a circular device between 1 1/4 and 2 inches in diameter with your name exactly as it appears on your certificate of licensure, your certificate number, and the legend licensed professional surveyor. An embossed seal must have a milled edge; a rubber stamp may have a milled edge or two concentric circles matching the edges of that milling. Seal, sign and date each page of final drawings and plats, the signature page of reports and the cover sheet of specifications. If your firm holds a certificate of authorization, order a second seal for the firm carrying the firm name and the COA number, and apply it to plan cover sheets, specification cover or seals pages and reports. If you transmit an electronically sealed but unsigned document, keep an original signature over the seal in your office of record and put the prescribed not-a-signed-and-sealed-document sentence on the file you send.
Browse land surveyor stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for surveyors in Arkansas?
Yes, and page by page. 17 CAR § 285-602(b)(2) provides that each page of final drawings and plats, plus the signature page of written reports and the cover sheet of specifications, shall when issued be dated, signed and stamped with the seal or a facsimile by the responsible licensee. Section 285-901(d) adds the filing trigger: final drawings, specifications, plans, reports, plats or other documents “when issued or filed for public records, shall be dated and bear the signature and seal” of the licensee who prepared or supervised and approved them.
What has to appear on an Arkansas surveyor seal?
Your name as licensed, your license number, the legend “licensed professional surveyor,” and either a milled edge or, on a rubber stamp, two concentric circles. The name and number are not free text: § 285-602(d)(2)(D) requires them to correspond to the name and certificate number shown on the certificate of licensure.
What size is an Arkansas surveyor seal?
One and one-quarter inches to two inches in diameter. The rule reads that “The seal shall be from one and one-quarter inch (1 ¼ in.) to two inches (2 in.) in diameter and have a milled edge in conformance with the above designs,” and a facsimile rubber stamp is authorized in lieu of the seal, where “The stamp may have either a milled edge or two (2) concentric circles with the outer and inner circles corresponding with the respective edges of the milling on the seal.”
Embosser or rubber stamp in Arkansas?
Both, and electronic application as well. The rule treats the embossed seal as the base case and authorizes a facsimile rubber stamp in lieu of it, and § 285-602(d)(5) permits documents to be “sealed electronically” by one of three described routes. A rubber stamp in the 1 1/4 to 2 inch range with either a milled edge or two concentric circles is the safe buy. You remain responsible under § 285-602(d)(3)(B) for assuring the seal, however affixed, is legible on the document.
Do I have to keep my old Arkansas seal when the rules change?
No, and you do not have to replace it either. Section 285-602(d)(1)(B) provides that seals previously acquired in compliance with then current rules “need not be changed nor modified as a result of subsequent rule changes unless specifically required.”
What does Arkansas require for electronic sealing?
Section 285-602(d)(5) sets out three routes. A digital signature unique to and under the sole control of the person who applied it, capable of verification, and linked so that the signature is invalidated if any data is altered. Or a document manually or digitally sealed but not signed, transmitted electronically only if “an original signature and date shall be affixed over the seal and maintained on a paper or electronic copy of the document in the office of record” and the transmitted file carries the sentence “This document was originally issued and sealed by (name of licensee), (license number) on (date). This copy is not a signed and sealed document.” Or a manually or digitally signed and sealed document copied and transmitted digitally. No certificate authority, named cryptographic standard or approved vendor list.
Which Arkansas survey documents get the seal?
Each page of final drawings and plats, plus the signature page of reports and the cover sheet of specifications. Sealing is limited under § 285-602(d)(3)(A) to documents prepared by or under the supervision of the licensee and only while the certificate is current and in good standing. The record and as-built prohibition at § 285-602(a)(4) is written into the engineer subsection rather than the surveyor subsection, so read the current text before applying it to a survey.
Does my Arkansas seal stay valid through renewal?
The device does, provided the license does. License certificates for professional surveyors, for dual registrants and for certificates of authority expire biennially, with the board mailing a renewal notice at least one month before expiration, and § 285-602(d)(3)(A) permits the seal to be affixed “only when the license certificate is current and in good standing.” Whether a license number changes on reinstatement is not addressed in § 285-701 or § 285-601, and no surrender or destruction of the device is required.
Does an Arkansas surveying firm need its own seal?
Yes, if it holds a certificate of authorization. Section 285-602(c) requires the firm to obtain a board-authorized seal bearing the firm name and the COA number and to attach it, at a minimum, to the cover sheet of the plans, the cover page or seals page of specifications, and reports, wherever the professional seal is required. This is unusual and surveyors working in neighboring states routinely miss it.
Why do older Arkansas citations not match the current rules?
Because of the recodification. The Board’s rules were codified into the Code of Arkansas Rules effective 1 January 2025 and are now cited as 17 CAR § 285-xxx. Guidance that still points at the Board’s old standalone rule numbering, or at an article and section scheme with a June 2022 effective date, is pointing at pre-codification text.
