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 Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying and Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 672.020(2), 672.025(2) on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
Oregon sets a floor of 2 inches point to point and then forbids resizing: Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0005(2) states that “Reduced or enlarged seals are not permitted on final documents.” That second half is the part buyers miss. Shrink the seal image to fit a crowded title block, or scale a drawing set down for reproduction, and the final document is noncompliant even though the die was right. Rule 820-025-0010(3)(f) repeats the 2 inch requirement for the computer generated seal image, measured when the page is printed to full size.
The content list is unusual too. Along with your printed name, certificate number and professional title, Oregon requires the date of registration on the face. That is the date you were first registered, not the expiration date, and a generic template has no field for it. The printed name “will be exactly the same as the registrant’s name on file with the Board,” so a middle initial the board does not have, or a married name never filed, produces a seal that does not match.
Oregon also closes the scan loophole. Rule 820-025-0010(2) states that a photocopy, scanned copy or other facsimile of a signed and sealed hard copy, and a copy of a rubber stamp seal and ink signature, is not a Digital Seal and Signature and is not allowed on final documents. A PDF of a wet stamped sheet does not qualify. The only electronic route is a true digital signature verified by a third party Certificate Authority.
Oregon PE seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Oregon rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 672.020(2), 672.025(2) |
| Required elements | Your printed name exactly as on file with the Board, Your date of registration, Your certificate of registration number, Your professional title and Optionally, the expiration or renewal date | Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0005(1), (2) |
| Size and shape | At least 2 inches from point to point. | Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0005(2) |
| Device allowed | OAR 820-025-0005(3) states that “The seal may be applied to a document by rubber stamp or it may be computer-generated onto the document.” A 2 inch rubber stamp is the safe buy. | Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0005(2), (3) |
| Signature and date | OAR 820-025-0005(4) requires that the registrant “sign through the middle of the seal or in the place on the seal as indicated for signature, in handwriting, and in permanent ink.” Signing across the seal is therefore mandatory, not customary. | Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0005(4), (5) |
| What must be sealed | Every final document, which OAR 820-025-0015(1) ties to the lists in ORS 672.020(2), 672.025(2), and 672.028(2): drawings, specifications, designs, reports, narratives, maps, and plans. | Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0015, 820-025-0025 |
| Electronic seal | Oregon names the technology. | Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0001, 820-025-0010 |
| Renewal and lapse | OAR 820-010-0520 provides that registrants who are delinquent, retired, inactive, suspended, or revoked are not authorized to practice and, with a narrow exception, may not hold out as professional engineers, professional land surveyors, professional photogrammetrists, or certified water right examiners. | Or. Admin. R. 820-010-0505, 820-010-0520 |
| Firm number on documents | Not applicable. | Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 672.002 to 672.325 (no firm permit provision) |
| Licensing board | The Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying | Or. Admin. R. ch. 820 div. 25 (820-025-0001, 820-025-0005, 820-025-0010, 820-025-0015, 820-025-0020, 820-025-0025) |
Rules for other states are on PE stamp requirements by state.
Is a seal required in Oregon?
Oregon requires a seal The duty sits in the statute and is unusually blunt. ORS 672.020(2) provides that each registered professional engineer “shall, upon registration, obtain a seal of the design authorized by the State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying,” and that “Every final document including drawings, specifications, designs, reports, narratives, maps and plans issued by a registrant shall be stamped with the seal and signed by the registrant.” ORS 672.025(2) says the same for land surveyors and ORS 672.028(2) for photogrammetrists. OAR 820-025-0015(2) then treats anything sent to a client, customer, or public entity as a final document unless it is clearly marked otherwise.
What must appear on the seal
- Your printed name exactly as on file with the Board
- Your date of registration
- Your certificate of registration number
- Your professional title
- Optionally, the expiration or renewal date
Oregon requires the date of registration on the seal, which is a different thing from the expiration date and is not a field most template seals carry. The expiration or renewal date is the optional element, and OAR 820-025-0005(2) attaches a condition to leaving it off: “If the expiration or renewal date is not made part of the seal, it must be handwritten, in permanent ink, after the word ‘Expires’ or ‘Renews.’” The printed name is not a free choice either; it “will be exactly the same as the registrant’s name on file with the Board.” Resizing is prohibited: the same subsection states that “Reduced or enlarged seals are not permitted on final documents.” Using a seal of similar shape, form, or wording without registration is itself a violation under OAR 820-025-0005(6).
Size and shape
At least 2 inches from point to point. OAR 820-025-0005(2) sets the floor and forbids reduction or enlargement on final documents. OAR 820-025-0010(3)(f) repeats the 2 inch requirement for the computer generated seal image on electronic final documents, measured when the page is printed to full size. Oregon is therefore one of the largest required seals in the country, and a 1 5/8 inch die bought for a neighboring state will not pass.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
OAR 820-025-0005(3) states that “The seal may be applied to a document by rubber stamp or it may be computer-generated onto the document.” A 2 inch rubber stamp is the safe buy. The design must be “an exact replica, in style, of the examples shown in Exhibit 1 (Official Seals)” for the profession or branch involved, and Exhibit 1 is not printed in the administrative rule; the editor’s note states the exhibits are available from the agency, and the board publishes a download of Exhibit 1 on its Seals and Signatures page.
Signing and dating
OAR 820-025-0005(4) requires that the registrant “sign through the middle of the seal or in the place on the seal as indicated for signature, in handwriting, and in permanent ink.” Signing across the seal is therefore mandatory, not customary. A digital signature is the only alternative to handwriting, and under OAR 820-025-0005(5) it must be unique to the registrant, independently verifiable by a third party Certificate Authority, under the registrant’s sole control, linked so that any change invalidates it, and it must bear the phrase “digitally signed” in place of a handwritten signature.
Two inches minimum, no resizing, and the date of registration engraved on the face
Oregon asks for a physically larger seal than almost anywhere else. OAR 820-025-0005(2) sets a floor of 2 inches point to point, and then forbids reduced or enlarged seals on final documents. That second half is the part buyers miss. A registrant who shrinks the seal image to fit a crowded title block, or scales a drawing set down for reproduction, has produced a noncompliant final document even though the die itself was correct.
The content is unusual too. OAR 820-025-0005(1) requires the printed name, the date of registration, the certificate number, and the professional title. The date of registration is the date the registrant was first licensed. It is fixed for life, so it does not force reordering, but a supplier working from a generic template will not have a field for it and will produce a seal missing a required element.
The name is not negotiable. The rule requires the printed name on the seal to be exactly the registrant’s name on file with the board. A registrant who orders a seal with a middle initial the board does not have, or who has married and not updated the board record, gets a seal that does not match.
Finally, Oregon closes the scan loophole that most states leave open. OAR 820-025-0010(2) states that a copy or facsimile of a rubber stamp seal and ink signature is not a Digital Seal and Signature and is not allowed on final documents. A PDF of a wet stamped sheet is not an Oregon compliant electronic final document. The only electronic route is a true digital signature verified by a third party Certificate Authority.
Which documents must be sealed
Every final document, which OAR 820-025-0015(1) ties to the lists in ORS 672.020(2), 672.025(2), and 672.028(2): drawings, specifications, designs, reports, narratives, maps, and plans. The only escape is labeling. OAR 820-025-0015(2) requires non final documents to be marked “preliminary”, “not for construction”, “review copy”, “draft copy, subject to change” or similar, and provides that documents submitted to a client, customer, public entity, or any other person are final documents unless so marked. Under OAR 820-025-0025, more than one registrant may seal a document only if each registrant’s portion of the work is clearly explained and denoted on the document.
Electronic and digital seals
Oregon names the technology. OAR 820-025-0001(2) and (3) define a Certificate Authority as the trusted third party that issues and manages digital certificates, and state that a digital certificate is required to affix a digital signature. OAR 820-025-0010(2) then excludes the common workaround outright: a Digital Seal and Signature “is not a photocopy, scanned copy, or other facsimile of a signed and sealed hard copy document, nor is it a copy or facsimile of a rubber stamp seal and ink signature, nor is it a copy of a computer-generated image of a seal and ink signature,” and such seals and signatures “are not allowed on final documents.” For a single page electronic file the registrant affixes a computer generated stamp image bearing the phrase digitally signed where the handwritten signature would go; for a multi page file the same image goes on the title page, an index page, or a seals page. This rule was amended effective 11 September 2024.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
OAR 820-010-0520 provides that registrants who are delinquent, retired, inactive, suspended, or revoked are not authorized to practice and, with a narrow exception, may not hold out as professional engineers, professional land surveyors, professional photogrammetrists, or certified water right examiners. A registrant becomes delinquent by failing within five years of the renewal date to renew, pay renewal or delinquent fees, or satisfy professional development hour requirements. The certificate number does not change on renewal, so a seal that carries only the registration number and date of registration stays valid indefinitely. A seal carrying the expiration or renewal date has to be replaced each cycle.
Firm registration
Not applicable. Oregon issues no certificate of authorization and no business registration for engineering or land surveying firms. ORS 672.002 to 672.325, the sections that create OSBEELS and its registration scheme, contain no firm permit provision, and the board publishes no business registration process. Documents carry the individual registrant’s seal only. The corporate practice question is handled instead through the exemptions in ORS 672.060, which cover in house engineering work performed by an employee, sole proprietorship, firm, partnership, or corporation on its own property and for its own interests.
What to check before you order
You will need to supply four things: your exact name as on file with the board, your date of registration, your certificate of registration number, and which of the six seal designs in Exhibit 1 applies to you. Exhibit 1 is not reproduced in the administrative rule text and must be obtained from the board, which publishes it as a download on its Seals and Signatures page; OAR 820-025-0005(2) requires your seal to be an exact replica in style of the applicable example. Build at 2 inches or larger point to point. There is no licensing requirement on whoever makes it, but OAR 820-025-0005(6) makes it a representation of unlawful practice for an unregistered person to use a seal of similar shape, form, or wording, so expect your registration and number to be confirmed before a die is cut.
Browse professional engineer stamps and seals.
Frequently asked questions
What size does an Oregon PE seal have to be?
At least 2 inches from point to point. Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0005(2) sets that floor, and 820-025-0010(3)(f) repeats it for the computer generated seal image on electronic final documents, measured at full size print. Oregon is one of the largest required seals in the country, and a 1 5/8 inch die bought for a neighboring state will not pass.
Can I shrink my Oregon seal to fit the title block?
No. Rule 820-025-0005(2) says “Reduced or enlarged seals are not permitted on final documents.” The prohibition runs both ways, so enlarging is out as well.
What has to appear on an Oregon PE seal?
Four required items and one optional. Required by Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0005(1) and (2): your printed name exactly as on file with the Board, your date of registration, your certificate of registration number and your professional title. Optional: the expiration or renewal date.
What happens if I leave the expiration date off the seal?
You write it by hand. Rule 820-025-0005(2) provides that “If the expiration or renewal date is not made part of the seal, it must be handwritten, in permanent ink, after the word ‘Expires’ or ‘Renews.’” A seal that carries the expiration or renewal date has to be replaced each cycle, while one carrying only the registration number and the date of registration stays valid indefinitely, because the certificate number does not change on renewal.
Rubber stamp or computer generated seal in Oregon?
Both are permitted. Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0005(3): “The seal may be applied to a document by rubber stamp or it may be computer-generated onto the document.” Whichever you use, the design must be “an exact replica, in style, of the examples shown in Exhibit 1 (Official Seals)” for the profession or branch involved. Exhibit 1 is not printed in the administrative rule; the editor’s note says the exhibits are available from the agency, and the board publishes a download of Exhibit 1 on its Seals and Signatures page. Get the artwork from there before a die is cut.
Do I have to sign across the seal in Oregon?
Yes. Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0005(4) requires the registrant to “sign through the middle of the seal or in the place on the seal as indicated for signature, in handwriting, and in permanent ink.” The only alternative is a digital signature, which under 820-025-0005(5) must be unique to the registrant, independently verifiable by a third party Certificate Authority, under the registrant’s sole control and linked so that any change invalidates it, and which must carry the phrase “digitally signed” in place of a handwritten signature.
Can I send a scanned PDF of a sealed and signed sheet in Oregon?
Not as a final document. Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0010(2) excludes it in terms: a Digital Seal and Signature “is not a photocopy, scanned copy, or other facsimile of a signed and sealed hard copy document, nor is it a copy or facsimile of a rubber stamp seal and ink signature, nor is it a copy of a computer-generated image of a seal and ink signature,” and such seals and signatures “are not allowed on final documents.” Oregon defines a Certificate Authority at 820-025-0001(2) and (3) as the trusted third party that issues and manages digital certificates, and says a digital certificate is required to affix a digital signature. This rule was amended effective 11 September 2024.
Where does the seal go on an electronic Oregon file?
On a single page file, the registrant affixes a computer generated stamp image bearing the phrase digitally signed where the handwritten signature would go. On a multi page file the same image goes on the title page, an index page or a seals page, under Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0010.
Which Oregon documents have to be sealed?
Every final document. Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0015(1) ties the list to Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 672.020(2), 672.025(2) and 672.028(2): drawings, specifications, designs, reports, narratives, maps and plans. The escape is labeling. Rule 820-025-0015(2) requires non final documents to be marked “preliminary,” “not for construction,” “review copy,” “draft copy, subject to change” or similar, and provides that anything submitted to a client, customer, public entity or any other person is a final document unless so marked.
Can two registrants seal the same Oregon drawing?
Yes, with attribution. Or. Admin. R. 820-025-0025 allows more than one registrant to seal a document only if each registrant’s portion of the work is clearly explained and denoted on the document.
Does Oregon require a firm certificate of authorization?
No. Oregon issues no certificate of authorization and no business registration for engineering or land surveying firms. Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 672.002 to 672.325, the sections creating the board and its registration scheme, contain no firm permit provision, and the board publishes no business registration process. Documents carry the individual registrant’s seal only. The corporate practice question is handled through the exemptions in § 672.060, covering in house engineering work performed by an employee, sole proprietorship, firm, partnership or corporation on its own property and for its own interests.
What happens if my Oregon registration goes delinquent?
You may not practice. Or. Admin. R. 820-010-0520 provides that registrants who are delinquent, retired, inactive, suspended or revoked are not authorized to practice and, with a narrow exception, may not hold out as professional engineers, professional land surveyors, professional photogrammetrists or certified water right examiners. A registrant becomes delinquent by failing, within five years of the renewal date, to renew, pay renewal or delinquent fees, or satisfy professional development hour requirements.
Does the same Oregon rule cover land surveyors?
Yes. Division 25 governs six credentials on one seal rule: professional engineers, professional engineers holding a structural engineering certificate, registered professional traffic engineers, professional land surveyors, professional photogrammetrists and certified water right examiners. They differ only in which Exhibit 1 design applies. Size, content, signature and digital signature requirements are identical across all six. Or. Rev. Stat. § 672.025(2) carries the sealing duty for land surveyors and § 672.028(2) for photogrammetrists.
