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 North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors and N.D.C.C. §§ 43-19.1-21, 43-19.1-30 on 21 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026
A North Dakota county recorder may not lawfully record a plat that lacks your seal. N.D.C.C. § 43-19.1-30 makes it unlawful for the recorder of any county “to file or record any map, plat, survey, or other document” that does not have impressed and affixed the personal signature and seal of the registered professional land surveyor who prepared it. Not an invalid filing, an unlawful one. That is why an inked device beats a dry embosser in practice here: the recorded image has to show the seal.
The geometry is exact rather than a band. N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02 gives two concentric circles with an outer diameter of one and three-quarter inches and an inner diameter of one and one-quarter inches. Registered Professional Land Surveyor goes in the upper annular space, North Dakota at the bottom of it, and your name, your registration number and the word Date go inside the inner circle. The word Date is an element on the die, not merely a practice.
There is a citation trap worth knowing. The seal rule lives in article 28-02.1, chapter 28-02.1-08. Article 28-02 is superseded, and older guidance still circulates 28-02 citations that land in a repealed article.
North Dakota land surveyor seal requirements at a glance
| Requirement | North Dakota rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seal required | Yes | N.D.C.C. §§ 43-19.1-21, 43-19.1-30 |
| Required elements | Registered Professional Land Surveyor in the upper annular space, or Registered Professional Engineer & Land Surveyor if you hold both; North Dakota at the bottom of the annular space; Your name inside the inner circle; Your registration number inside the inner circle; The word Date inside the inner circle | N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02 |
| Size and shape | Two concentric circles: outer diameter one and three-quarter inches, inner diameter one and one-quarter inches. | N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02 |
| Device allowed | Three device classes are accepted: rubber stamps, metal impression types, and electronic seals, whether computer-generated or electronically generated. | N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02 |
| Signature and date | A handwritten signature across the face of the seal, and both the seal and the signature dated. | N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-02 |
| What must be sealed | Section 28-02.1-08-03 reaches “The original copies of all drawings, plan sheets, specifications, studies, reports, plats, maps, and other engineering and surveying work product.” Studies and reports need the seal only on the introductory sheet; engineering plan sheets are sealed individually. | N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-03 |
| Electronic seal | North Dakota states a four-part functional standard rather than naming a technology. | N.D. Admin. Code §§ 28-02.1-08-02, 28-02.1-08-03 |
| Renewal and lapse | N.D.C.C. § 43-19.1-21 makes it improper to affix the seal to documents after the certificate has expired or been revoked. | N.D.C.C. §§ 43-19.1-21, 43-19.1-22 |
| Firm requirements | A certificate of commercial practice, not a certificate of authorization, and no firm seal. | N.D.C.C. § 43-19.1-27(6) |
| Regulator | The North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors | N.D. Admin. Code art. 28-02.1, ch. 28-02.1-08, Certificates and Seals, sections 28-02.1-08-01 through 28-02.1-08-03, with ch. 28-02.1-07 and ch. 28-02.1-12, read from the official rule PDFs at ndlegis.gov |
Is a seal required in North Dakota?
The statute ties the seal to delivery. N.D.C.C. § 43-19.1-21 provides that each registrant may obtain a seal bearing the registrant’s name, registration number and the legend, and that final maps, plats, reports or other documents prepared by a person required to be registered, “when presented to a client, contractor, subconsultant, or any public agency, must be signed, dated, and stamped with the seal or facsimile of the seal.” Section 43-19.1-30 adds a recording bar aimed squarely at surveyors, and N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-03 supplies the document list.
What must appear on the seal
- Registered Professional Land Surveyor in the upper annular space, or Registered Professional Engineer & Land Surveyor if you hold both
- North Dakota at the bottom of the annular space
- Your name inside the inner circle
- Your registration number inside the inner circle
- The word Date inside the inner circle
The dual-credential variant is written into the rule, so a person registered as both takes a single seal reading Registered Professional Engineer & Land Surveyor rather than carrying two dies. The word Date is an element inside the inner circle, not merely a practice. Nothing provides for a discipline line, an expiration date or a firm name. Do not borrow the North Dakota architect and landscape architect stamp from N.D. Admin. Code § 8-06-01-02: that one is a band of one and one-half to two inches with a different legend and a different date format, and it belongs to a different board.
Size and shape
Two concentric circles: outer diameter one and three-quarter inches, inner diameter one and one-quarter inches. Section 28-02.1-08-02 gives exact figures rather than a range. The upper annular space carries the title phrase, the bottom carries North Dakota, and the inner circle carries the name, the registration number and the word Date.
Embosser, rubber stamp or digital
Three device classes are accepted: rubber stamps, metal impression types, and electronic seals, whether computer-generated or electronically generated. An embosser is therefore permitted for the required seal. The statute reinforces the point by allowing the document to be stamped “with the seal or facsimile of the seal.” The safe buy is a rubber or self-inking stamp at one and three-quarter inches outside diameter, because a recorded plat must show the seal and a dry impression does not reproduce.
Signing and dating
A handwritten signature across the face of the seal, and both the seal and the signature dated. Section 28-02.1-08-02 requires the handwritten signature across the seal where the signature is not electronic, and it forbids rubber stamp facsimile signatures. Where the signature is electronic it must be unique to the signer, under that person’s sole control, verifiable, and linked to the document so that any alteration invalidates it. Read the prohibition precisely: rubber is barred for the signature while rubber stamps are one of the named seal devices in the same section. The statute at § 43-19.1-30 then requires the recorder to see “the personal signature and seal” impressed and affixed.
The county recorder is the enforcement point, and the citation you will see quoted is superseded
North Dakota gives the surveyor’s seal a gatekeeper that engineers do not have. N.D.C.C. § 43-19.1-30 makes it unlawful for the recorder of any county to file or record any map, plat, survey or other document that does not have impressed and affixed the personal signature and seal of the registered professional land surveyor who prepared it. Not an invalid filing, an unlawful one. That is why a rubber or self-inking device beats an embosser in practice: the recorded image has to show the seal.
Which documents must be sealed
Section 28-02.1-08-03 reaches “The original copies of all drawings, plan sheets, specifications, studies, reports, plats, maps, and other engineering and surveying work product.” Studies and reports need the seal only on the introductory sheet; engineering plan sheets are sealed individually. Changes to a sealed document after the fact are barred except by the original registrant, or by another qualified professional assuming responsibility, or for construction-phase revisions that do not affect the design. Electronic and paper reproductions must contain reproduced seals and signatures. The surveyor-only teeth are in § 43-19.1-30: it is unlawful for a county recorder “to file or record any map, plat, survey, or other document” lacking the personal signature and seal of the registered professional land surveyor who prepared it.
Electronic and digital seals
North Dakota states a four-part functional standard rather than naming a technology. An electronic signature must be unique to the person using it, under that person’s sole control, capable of verification, and linked to the document such that alterations invalidate the signature. Electronic seals, computer-generated or electronically generated, are accepted devices under 28-02.1-08-02, and the statute accepts a “facsimile of the seal.” No certificate authority is named. Reproductions, electronic or paper, must carry the reproduced seal and signature.
Renewal, lapse and retirement
N.D.C.C. § 43-19.1-21 makes it improper to affix the seal to documents after the certificate has expired or been revoked. Section 43-19.1-22 provides that a certificate of registration expires on December thirty-first of the year of issuance where registration is annual and “becomes invalid after that date unless renewed,” with the board required to notify registrants at least one month in advance. Retired status is governed by N.D. Admin. Code ch. 28-02.1-12. Not addressed: whether the registration number changes on reinstatement, and whether the device must be surrendered or destroyed.
Firm requirements
A certificate of commercial practice, not a certificate of authorization, and no firm seal. N.D.C.C. § 43-19.1-27(6) requires an organization practicing land surveying to obtain a certificate of commercial practice from the board, and N.D. Admin. Code ch. 28-02.1-07 sets out the requirements. The sealed document still carries only the individual registrant’s seal, and nothing requires the commercial practice number on its face.
What to check before you order
Order a circular device with two concentric circles, outer diameter exactly one and three-quarter inches and inner diameter exactly one and one-quarter inches. Put Registered Professional Land Surveyor in the upper annular space and North Dakota at the bottom, and put your name, your registration number and the word Date inside the inner circle. If you are registered as both an engineer and a land surveyor, the rule lets you use one seal reading Registered Professional Engineer & Land Surveyor. A rubber stamp, a metal impression type or an electronic seal is permitted, and a rubber or self-inking stamp is the practical choice because a county recorder has to see the seal on the recorded plat. Do not order a rubber signature stamp: facsimile signatures are prohibited and your handwritten signature goes across the face of the seal, with the seal and the signature both dated.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a seal required for land surveyors in North Dakota?
Yes, on delivery. N.D.C.C. § 43-19.1-21 provides that each registrant may obtain a seal bearing the registrant’s name, registration number and the legend, and that final maps, plats, reports or other documents prepared by a person required to be registered, “when presented to a client, contractor, subconsultant, or any public agency, must be signed, dated, and stamped with the seal or facsimile of the seal.” Section 43-19.1-30 adds the recording bar, and N.D. Admin. Code § 28-02.1-08-03 supplies the document list.
What has to appear on a North Dakota land surveyor seal?
Five elements under § 28-02.1-08-02: Registered Professional Land Surveyor in the upper annular space, North Dakota at the bottom of the annular space, and your name, your registration number and the word Date inside the inner circle. Nothing provides for a discipline line, an expiration date or a firm name.
What size is a North Dakota land surveyor seal?
Two concentric circles, outer diameter one and three-quarter inches and inner diameter one and one-quarter inches. Section 28-02.1-08-02 gives exact figures rather than a range. Do not borrow the North Dakota architect and landscape architect stamp from § 8-06-01-02: that one is a band of one and one-half to two inches with a different legend and a different date format, and it belongs to a different board.
Can I use one seal if I hold both credentials in North Dakota?
Yes, and the rule writes it out. Section 28-02.1-08-02 lets a person registered as both an engineer and a land surveyor carry a single seal reading Registered Professional Engineer & Land Surveyor. That is one die rather than two, allowed by the rule rather than by practice.
Rubber stamp, metal impression or electronic seal in North Dakota?
All three are accepted device classes under § 28-02.1-08-02: rubber stamps, metal impression types, and electronic seals, whether computer-generated or electronically generated. The statute reinforces the point by allowing the document to be stamped “with the seal or facsimile of the seal.” A rubber or self-inking stamp at one and three-quarter inches outside diameter is the safe buy, because a recorded plat has to show the seal and a dry impression does not reproduce.
Can I use a signature stamp in North Dakota?
No. Section 28-02.1-08-02 requires the handwritten signature across the face of the seal where the signature is not electronic, and it forbids rubber stamp facsimile signatures. Read the prohibition precisely: rubber is barred for the signature while rubber stamps are one of the named seal devices in the same section. The statute at § 43-19.1-30 then requires the recorder to see “the personal signature and seal” impressed and affixed.
Which North Dakota documents have to be sealed?
Section 28-02.1-08-03 reaches “The original copies of all drawings, plan sheets, specifications, studies, reports, plats, maps, and other engineering and surveying work product.” Studies and reports need the seal only on the introductory sheet; engineering plan sheets are sealed individually. Electronic and paper reproductions must contain reproduced seals and signatures.
Can a sealed North Dakota document be changed later?
Only narrowly. Changes to a sealed document after the fact are barred except by the original registrant, by another qualified professional assuming responsibility, or for construction-phase revisions that do not affect the design, under § 28-02.1-08-03.
How does electronic sealing work in North Dakota?
On a four-part functional standard rather than a named technology. An electronic signature must be unique to the person using it, under that person’s sole control, capable of verification, and linked to the document such that alterations invalidate the signature. Electronic seals, computer-generated or electronically generated, are accepted devices under § 28-02.1-08-02, and the statute accepts a “facsimile of the seal.” No certificate authority is named.
What happens to my North Dakota seal if registration lapses?
N.D.C.C. § 43-19.1-21 makes it improper to affix the seal to documents after the certificate has expired or been revoked. Section 43-19.1-22 provides that a certificate expires on December thirty-first of the year of issuance where registration is annual and “becomes invalid after that date unless renewed,” with the board required to notify registrants at least one month in advance. Retired status is governed by N.D. Admin. Code ch. 28-02.1-12. Whether the registration number changes on reinstatement, and whether the device must be surrendered or destroyed, are not addressed.
Does a North Dakota surveying firm need a seal?
No, and it is a certificate of commercial practice rather than a certificate of authorization. N.D.C.C. § 43-19.1-27(6) requires an organization practicing land surveying to obtain one from the board, and N.D. Admin. Code ch. 28-02.1-07 sets out the requirements. The sealed document still carries only the individual registrant’s seal, and nothing requires the commercial practice number on its face.
