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 Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, advised by the Land Surveyors Licensing Board and 225 ILCS 330/15 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
The Illinois land surveyor seal carries your place of business, so moving the office means ordering a new seal. Read 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270.58(a) slowly: the impression must contain the name of the land surveyor, “his or her place of business,” the license number and the words “Professional Land Surveyor, State of Illinois.” An address, on the die. No other Illinois design profession carries one, and very few states anywhere do. The license and its number are untouched by a move; the seal is not.
The second trap is the firm name, and it is the one that voids the device. Any seal on a plat of survey bearing a professional design firm’s name instead of the responsible individual’s name is “deemed an invalid seal.” Meanwhile section 1270.58(c) requires every technical submission issued by a surveying firm to bear the corporate or assumed business name and the design firm registration number. So the firm has to appear on the document and must not appear in the ring, while your own business address has to appear in the ring.
Do not engrave the license expiration date. It sits adjacent to the seal along with your written signature and the date of signing, and every Illinois land surveyor license expires on November 30 of each even numbered year, so that line is identical statewide and turns over for everyone at once.
Illinois land surveyor seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Illinois rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | 225 ILCS 330/15 |
| Required elements | Your name as licensed, Your place of business, Your license number and The words Professional Land Surveyor, State of Illinois | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270.58(a) |
| Size and shape | Not addressed. Section 1270.58 prescribes content and states no diameter, and the Act states none either. Checked 225 ILCS 330/15 and the whole of Part 1270, including the renewal section at 1270.50 and the professional. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270.58 (silent) |
| Device allowed | A reproducible seal or facsimile, which may be computer generated. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270.58(a) |
| Signature and date | Seal, then written signature, then date of signing, then date of license expiration, all adjacent to the seal. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270.58(a) |
| What must be sealed | All documents prepared by or under the direct supervision and control of the professional land surveyor. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270.58(a), (b) |
| Electronic seal | Permitted with no named technology. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270.58(a) |
| Renewal and lapse | Every professional land surveyor license issued under the Act expires on November 30 of each even numbered year, renewable during the month preceding. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270.50(a), 1270.58(a) |
| Firm requirements | Required, and it goes on the document. | 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270.45, 1270.58(a), (c) |
| Regulator | The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, advised by the Land Surveyors Licensing Board | Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Act of 1989, 225 ILCS 330, principally § 15 |
Is a seal required in Illinois?
The rule states the duty in two sentences. 68 Illinois Administrative Code 1270.58(a) provides that “Every individual professional land surveyor shall have a reproducible seal or facsimile, which may be computer generated, the impression of which shall contain the name of the land surveyor, his or her place of business, the license number of the professional land surveyor, and the words ‘Professional Land Surveyor, State of Illinois’,” and then: “A professional land surveyor shall seal all documents prepared by or under the direct supervision and control of the professional land surveyor.” The statutory hook is section 15 of the Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Act of 1989.
What must appear on the seal
- Your name as licensed
- Your place of business
- Your license number
- The words Professional Land Surveyor, State of Illinois
The place of business is the element that catches every buyer, and it belongs to land surveyors alone in Illinois. No other Illinois design profession puts an address on the impression: the architect, engineer, structural engineer, landscape architect, interior designer and geologist rules all stop at the name, the number and the legend. Because the address is engraved, a surveyor who moves the practice needs a new seal even though the license number has not changed. The legend is fixed as Professional Land Surveyor, State of Illinois, and a seal bearing a professional design firm’s name in place of the individual’s name is “deemed an invalid seal” under the same subsection.
Size and shape
Not addressed. Section 1270.58 prescribes content and states no diameter, and the Act states none either. Checked 225 ILCS 330/15 and the whole of Part 1270, including the renewal section at 1270.50 and the professional design firm section at 1270.45. Illinois prescribes a diameter for exactly one of its design professions, geologists, at one and three quarter inches under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1252.APPENDIX A.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
A reproducible seal or facsimile, which may be computer generated. Section 1270.58(a) says so expressly, and the word reproducible is the test: the impression must survive copying, which rules out a dry embosser as the only device. The signature form is the licensee’s choice: “The licensee may provide, at his or her sole discretion, an original signature in the licensee’s handwriting, a scanned copy of the document bearing an original signature, or a signature generated by a computer.” The safe buy is an inked rubber or self inking stamp, with a separate block for the signature, the signing date and the license expiration date.
Signing and dating
Seal, then written signature, then date of signing, then date of license expiration, all adjacent to the seal. Section 1270.58(a) provides that “The individual licensee’s written signature and date of signing, along with the date of license expiration, shall be placed adjacent to the seal.” Illinois does not require the signature to cross the impression. Two distinct dates are in play: the date of signing, which changes with every plat, and the date of license expiration, which is the same statewide date for every Illinois land surveyor.
Illinois engraves the surveyor’s business address into the seal
Read section 1270.58(a) slowly. The impression must contain the name of the land surveyor, “his or her place of business,” the license number and the words Professional Land Surveyor, State of Illinois. An address, on the die. No other Illinois design profession carries one, and very few states anywhere do. The practical consequence is that moving the office means ordering a new seal, even though the license and its number are untouched.
Which documents must be sealed
All documents prepared by or under the direct supervision and control of the professional land surveyor. There is no preliminary or draft carve out in section 1270.58. Section 1270.58(b) adds two protections. It is unlawful “to affix one’s seal to documents if doing so masks the true identity of the person who actually exercised direction, control and supervision of the preparation of that work,” and a professional land surveyor who seals and signs “is not responsible for damage caused by subsequent changes to or uses of those documents when the subsequent changes or uses, including changes or uses made by State or local government agencies, are not authorized or approved by the Professional Land Surveyor who originally sealed and signed the documents.”
Electronic and digital seals
Permitted with no named technology. Section 1270.58(a) allows a facsimile “which may be computer generated” and allows a computer generated signature at the licensee’s sole discretion. No certificate authority, hash standard, tamper evident container or product is named anywhere in Part 1270. That is a much lighter regime than Florida surveying, which under rule 5J-17.062 requires either a qualifying electronic signature or an explicit authorization sentence accompanying a computer generated seal.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
Every professional land surveyor license issued under the Act expires on November 30 of each even numbered year, renewable during the month preceding. Because the date of license expiration sits adjacent to the seal, the block beside the impression turns over on a fixed statewide schedule, and a device that engraves the expiration date is obsolete each cycle. The license number does not change. The place of business is a different matter: since it is engraved into the impression, a change of business address obliges a new seal. Nothing in Part 1270 requires the device to be surrendered or destroyed.
Firm requirements
Required, and it goes on the document. Section 1270.58(c) provides that “All technical submissions issued by a land surveying firm, corporation, limited liability company, professional limited liability company, or partnership are required to bear the corporate or assumed business name and design firm registration number,” and section 1270.45 carries the professional design firm rule. The firm identifiers belong in the title block. Putting the firm name inside the impression is fatal: section 1270.58(a) deems any seal on a plat of survey bearing a professional design firm’s name rather than the responsible individual’s name to be an invalid seal.
What to check before you order
Letter the ring exactly: Professional Land Surveyor, State of Illinois. Inside, put your name as licensed, your place of business and your license number. The place of business is required by rule and is unique to Illinois land surveyors, so it must be current; if you move your office, order a new seal. Never put a professional design firm’s name in the impression in place of your own, because that makes the seal invalid on a plat of survey. Do not engrave the license expiration date; supply it beside the impression with your signature and the date of signing. Choose a reproducible inked stamp rather than a dry embosser.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for land surveyors in Illinois?
Yes. 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1270.58(a) provides that “Every individual professional land surveyor shall have a reproducible seal or facsimile, which may be computer generated,” and then that “A professional land surveyor shall seal all documents prepared by or under the direct supervision and control of the professional land surveyor.” The statutory hook is section 15 of the Illinois Professional Land Surveyor Act of 1989, 225 ILCS 330/15.
What has to appear on an Illinois land surveyor seal?
Four items under section 1270.58(a): your name as licensed, your place of business, your license number, and the words Professional Land Surveyor, State of Illinois. The place of business is the element that catches every buyer and it belongs to land surveyors alone in Illinois; the architect, engineer, structural engineer, landscape architect, interior designer and geologist rules all stop at the name, the number and the legend.
What size is an Illinois land surveyor seal?
Not addressed. Section 1270.58 prescribes content and states no diameter, and the Act states none either. Illinois prescribes a diameter for exactly one of its design professions, geologists, at one and three quarter inches under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1252.APPENDIX A. Size the die to your title block while keeping the four required items readable after copying.
Can I use an embosser in Illinois?
The rule asks for a reproducible seal or facsimile, which may be computer generated, and the word reproducible is the test: the impression has to survive copying, which rules out a dry embosser as the only device. An inked rubber or self inking stamp is the safe buy, with a separate block beside it for the signature, the signing date and the license expiration date.
What goes next to the Illinois seal?
Section 1270.58(a) provides that “The individual licensee’s written signature and date of signing, along with the date of license expiration, shall be placed adjacent to the seal.” Illinois does not require the signature to cross the impression. Two distinct dates are in play: the date of signing, which changes with every plat, and the date of license expiration, which is the same statewide date for every Illinois land surveyor.
What form may my Illinois signature take?
Your choice: “The licensee may provide, at his or her sole discretion, an original signature in the licensee’s handwriting, a scanned copy of the document bearing an original signature, or a signature generated by a computer.”
Which Illinois documents have to be sealed?
All documents prepared by or under your direct supervision and control. There is no preliminary or draft carve out in section 1270.58. Subsection (b) adds that it is unlawful “to affix one’s seal to documents if doing so masks the true identity of the person who actually exercised direction, control and supervision of the preparation of that work.”
Am I responsible if someone changes my sealed Illinois plat?
Section 1270.58(b) gives real protection here. A professional land surveyor who seals and signs “is not responsible for damage caused by subsequent changes to or uses of those documents when the subsequent changes or uses, including changes or uses made by State or local government agencies, are not authorized or approved by the Professional Land Surveyor who originally sealed and signed the documents.”
Can I seal Illinois documents electronically?
Yes, with no named technology. Section 1270.58(a) allows a facsimile “which may be computer generated” and allows a computer generated signature at your sole discretion. No certificate authority, hash standard, tamper evident container or product is named anywhere in Part 1270. That is a much lighter regime than Florida surveying, which requires either a qualifying electronic signature or an explicit authorization sentence accompanying a computer generated seal.
When does an Illinois surveyor seal need replacing?
When your business address changes. The license number does not change, licenses expire on November 30 of each even numbered year and are renewable during the month preceding, and nothing in Part 1270 requires the device to be surrendered or destroyed. But because the place of business is engraved into the impression, a change of business address obliges a new seal. A device that engraves the license expiration date is also obsolete each cycle, which is why that date belongs beside the seal rather than inside it.
Where does the Illinois design firm number go?
In the title block, never in the impression. Section 1270.58(c) provides that “All technical submissions issued by a land surveying firm, corporation, limited liability company, professional limited liability company, or partnership are required to bear the corporate or assumed business name and design firm registration number,” and section 1270.45 carries the professional design firm rule. Putting the firm name inside the impression is fatal: section 1270.58(a) deems any seal on a plat of survey bearing a professional design firm’s name rather than the responsible individual’s name to be an invalid seal.
