New Hampshire · Geologist seal requirements
New Hampshire Geologist seal requirements: proper sizing, signing and sealing of documents
As of
New Hampshire fixes both the wording and the dimensions of the geologist's seal: Geo 307.03(b) prescribes two concentric circles, 1-5/8 inches outer and 1-1/4 inches inner, with "State of New Hampshire" at the top of the band between them and "Professional Geologist" at the bottom. "Licensed" is not part of that band — the rule has it written at the bottom following the curve of the inner circle, above the words "Professional Geologist", so the legend RSA 310-A:130 requires, "Licensed Professional Geologist", is split across the two rings; inside the inner circle go the licensee's full name and a crossed geological hammer and compass, with the license number written so as to span the image. Every paper or document involving the practice of geology prepared by the licensee and issued or filed for public record must bear the seal, the licensee's signature and the date.
The Joint Board of Licensure and Certification no longer exists. RSA 310-A:1, the section that created it, was repealed by 2023, 235:27, effective July 15, 2023, and separate boards for professional engineers, architects, land surveyors, natural scientists and foresters now sit under the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification. Eng 308.02 was last amended June 25, 2024. RSA 310-A:121, I(g) delegates "the design of an official seal" to the board, and the design itself lives only in Geo 307.03, last amended by rule #12152, effective 3-24-17. RSA 310-A:130 was amended effective July 1, 2024 (2024, 327:202) in the course of the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification reorganisation, which moved issuance of the license to the office while leaving the seal language — "a seal of the design authorized by the board" — intact. Geo 103.06 describes a different seal, the board's own embossed OPLC seal, and does not govern the licensee's stamp.
Generate a New Hampshire Geologist seal to this specification
Board approved
Your New Hampshire Geologist seal from pedigitalstamps.com meets every requirement on this page — the required wording, the layout and the diameter set out in RSA 310-A:130; N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03. Fill in your details and download it in seconds.
Every format you need is included — PNG, PDF, SVG and CAD — ready to place in Bluebeam, Acrobat or AutoCAD.
New Hampshire Geologist seal
- Seal requirements
- RSA 310-A:130; N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03
- Legend
- “State of New Hampshire, Licensed Professional Geologist”
- Diameter
- Prescribed. Geo 307.03(b): two concentric circles, the outer circle 1-5/8 inches in diameter and the inner circle 1-1/4 inches.
- Expiration date
- Geo 307.03(b) enumerates the seal's contents exhaustively — "State of New Hampshire" and "Professional Geologist" in the band, "Licensed" on the inner circle's curve, the licensee's full name, the license number and the hammer-and-compass image. No expiration or renewal date appears in the design, though Geo 307.03(c) forbids sealing after the license expires.(N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(b), (c))
- Signature date
- Both the statute and the rule require a date alongside the signature and seal: RSA 310-A:130 says such documents "shall be dated," and Geo 307.03(a) requires "This seal, signature of the licensee, and date" to be affixed.(RSA 310-A:130; N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(a))
- City on seal
- No city, address or place of business appears in the seal design prescribed by Geo 307.03(b), and RSA 310-A:130 requires only the registrant's name and the legend.(RSA 310-A:130; N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(b))
- "Each licensee shall upon licensure obtain a seal of the design authorized by the board, bearing the registrant's name and the legend, 'Licensed Professional Geologist.'"(RSA 310-A:130)
- "All papers or documents involving the practice of geology affecting public health, safety, and welfare, under this subdivision, when issued or filed for public record, shall be dated, and bear the signature and seal of the licensed professional geologist who prepared or had responsibility for and approved them."(RSA 310-A:130)
- "Upon receiving his or her license, the licensee shall acquire an impression type seal or rubber stamp of the design specified in Geo 307.03(b). This seal, signature of the licensee, and date shall be affixed on all papers or documents involving the practice of geology prepared by the licensee issued or filed for public record."(N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(a))
- "The seal shall consist of 2 concentric circles with the outer circle having a diameter of 1-5/8 inches and the inner circle diameter 1-1/4 of an inch. In the space between the circles at the top shall be the words 'State of New Hampshire' and at the bottom 'Professional Geologist.' In the space inside the inner circle shall be the full name of the licensee above an image of a crossed geological hammer and compass. The license number shall be written so as to span the image. The word 'Licensed' shall be written at the bottom following the curve of the inner circle, above the words 'Professional Geologist.'"(N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(b))
- The outer band carries two phrases and only two: "State of New Hampshire" at the top and "Professional Geologist" at the bottom. "Licensed" is a separate element, written at the bottom on the curve of the inner circle above the band's "Professional Geologist" — so the statutory legend "Licensed Professional Geologist" is realised across the two rings rather than as one line of band text.(RSA 310-A:130; N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(b))
- No licensee may stamp or seal any document after the license has expired or been revoked, or while it is suspended, and no licensee may seal a document the licensee did not prepare personally or did not directly supervise the creation of.(N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(c))
- A licensee shall "[n]ot affix his/her signature or seal to any plan or document dealing with subject matter for which he or she lacks competence by virtue of education or experience, nor to any such plan or document not prepared under his or her direct supervisory control, however he or she may affix his/her seal and signature to drawings and documents depicting the work of 2 or more professionals provided he or she designates by a note under his/her seal the specific subject matter for which he/she is responsible."(N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 501.03(b)(8))
- Only two seal media are named — an impression type seal or a rubber stamp. Nothing in the board's rules (Geo 100 through Geo 500) provides for an electronic or digital seal or signature; the words "electronic" and "digital" do not appear in the chapter.(N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(a))
New Hampshire geologist seal questions
What do licensees most often get wrong about New Hampshire seals?▾
Is "Licensed" in the wrong ring? A stamp with "LICENSED PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGIST" running round the outer band does not match Geo 307.03(b): the band bottom reads "Professional Geologist" only, and "Licensed" belongs at the bottom on the curve of the inner circle, above those words. Dropping "Licensed" altogether fails too, since RSA 310-A:130 requires the legend "Licensed Professional Geologist". (RSA 310-A:130; N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(b)) Does the seal include the crossed geological hammer and compass? New Hampshire is unusual in prescribing a pictorial device inside the inner circle, with the license number written so as to span the image — a name-and-number-only stamp does not match Geo 307.03(b). (N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(b)) Are you relying on a digital seal? Geo 307.03(a) authorises only an impression type seal or a rubber stamp, and the board's rules contain no electronic or digital seal provision. (N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 307.03(a)) Are you sealing a multi-discipline document? Geo 501.03(b)(8) permits a licensee to seal drawings depicting the work of 2 or more professionals only if a note under the seal designates the specific subject matter the licensee is responsible for. (N.H. Code Admin. R. Geo 501.03(b)(8))