New Mexico · Engineer seal requirements
New Mexico PE seal requirements: size, wording, and the rule that sets them
As of
New Mexico's engineer seal is set by 16.39.3.12 NMAC: three concentric circles measuring 1½ inches, 1 inch and ½ inch in diameter, with "professional engineer" and the licensee's name in the outer ring, "New Mexico" in the inner ring and the license number in the center circle. The surveyor's seal is the same geometry under 16.39.5.11 NMAC with "professional surveyor" substituted. Architects answer to a different board under a different rule: 16.30.3.18 NMAC prescribes two concentric circles of 1¾ and 1¼ inches with "STATE OF NEW MEXICO" on the upper arc and "REGISTERED ARCHITECT" on the lower, and the name and registration number inside the inner circle. Engineers and surveyors place their original signature and the date it was applied adjacent to the seal (16.39.3.12(A), 16.39.5.11(A) NMAC); an architect's signature and its date go closely aligned to the seal, on a page that also carries the architect's name and address (16.30.3.18(B)(1) NMAC).
The engineering and surveying board's legal name is the "state board of licensure for professional engineers and professional surveyors" (NMSA 1978 § 61-23-5(A); 16.39.1.8(A) NMAC); its own website styles it "New Mexico Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers & Professional Surveyors". NMAC prints the engineer and surveyor legends in lower case — "professional engineer", "professional surveyor" — while capitalizing "New Mexico" in the same sentence; the rule prescribes the words and does not address letter case. Do not copy 16.39.1.8(B) NMAC, which describes an embossed 1¾-inch seal of two concentric circles reading "state of New Mexico": that is the board's own official seal, not a licensee's. For architects, NMSA 1978 § 61-15-7(A) states the legend as "Registered Architect--State of New Mexico" on one line while 16.30.3.18(A) NMAC splits the same words across the upper and lower arcs; the rule governs the layout. Engineers and surveyors licensed before the current rules who have kept the license without lapse may retain a previously approved seal (16.39.3.12(D), 16.39.5.11(D) NMAC). Both seal sections were last amended 12/16/2022 and remain the current text; the statute behind them has since moved ahead of the rule, in that NMSA 1978 §§ 61-23-19(B) and 61-23-27.8(B) now let the board "approve alternative authentications to physical or electronic seals", wording that 16.39.3.3 NMAC still quotes in its older, shorter form.
New Mexico Engineer seal
- Legend
- “professional engineer”
- Diameter
- Three concentric circles — the outermost 1½ inches in diameter, the middle 1 inch and the innermost ½ inch. Paragraph (2) allows a board-approved alternative design instead, and that option prescribes no diameter at all, only text no less than 0.1 inches in height.
- Expiration date
- The prescribed design carries only "professional engineer" and the licensee's name in the outer ring, "New Mexico" in the inner ring and the license number in the center circle. The board-approved alternative lists the same four items.(16.39.3.12(C)(1) and (C)(2) NMAC)
- Signature date
- "Adjacent to the seal/stamp shall appear the original signature of the licensee along with the date the signature was applied."(16.39.3.12(A) NMAC)
- City on seal
- The rule does not require a city on the seal.(16.39.3.12(C) NMAC)
- The outer ring shall contain the words "professional engineer" and the licensee's name.(16.39.3.12(C)(1) NMAC)
- The inner ring shall contain the words "New Mexico", and the center circle shall contain the license number issued by the board. Any border pattern used by the manufacturer is acceptable.(16.39.3.12(C)(1) NMAC)
- In place of that geometry the licensee may use a design approved by the board containing the words "professional engineer", the licensee's name, "New Mexico" and the license number, each in text no less than 0.1 inches in height. That route requires the board's approval; it is not a free choice of layout.(16.39.3.12(C)(2) NMAC)
- The seal appears on all final engineering design drawings, on the certification page of all specifications, and on engineering reports prepared by the licensee in responsible charge. Adjacent to the seal shall appear the licensee's original signature along with the date the signature was applied.(16.39.3.12(A) NMAC; NMSA 1978 § 61-23-21(B))
- The seal may be an impression type seal, the rubber type, or a computer-generated facsimile. Computer-generated seals shall be bona fide copies of the actual seal specific to the work being presented.(16.39.3.12(B) NMAC)
- Rubber stamp signatures are not acceptable. An electronic signature is acceptable as an option to a permanently legible signature, and the licensee shall provide adequate security regarding the use of the seal and signature.(16.39.3.12(A) and (H) NMAC)
- When the document contains more than one sheet, the first or title page shall be sealed and signed by the licensee who was in responsible charge, and each sheet shall additionally be sealed and signed by the licensee responsible for that sheet. Where two or more licensees seal a document, a note under the seal designates the specific subject matter each is responsible for.(16.39.3.12(G) NMAC)
- A licensee shall sign and seal only work within the licensee's area of discipline, even though the seal itself carries no discipline line. New Mexico approves engineers in specific disciplines and licensees may accept work only in those disciplines.(16.39.3.12(F) NMAC; 16.39.3.11(A) NMAC)
New Mexico engineer seal questions
Does a New Mexico engineer’s seal say "State of New Mexico"?▾
The engineer's and surveyor's seals carry "New Mexico", not "State of New Mexico". Only the architect's seal uses "STATE OF NEW MEXICO", and it sits on the upper arc rather than in a ring of its own. (16.39.3.12(C)(1) NMAC; 16.39.5.11(C)(1) NMAC; 16.30.3.18(A) NMAC)
Is there a permitted size range for a New Mexico engineer’s or architect’s seal?▾
There is no 1½-to-2-inch range in New Mexico. The engineer's and surveyor's seals are 1½ inches across the outermost circle and the architect's is 1¾ inches — each a single prescribed figure, not a permitted span. (16.39.3.12(C)(1) NMAC; 16.39.5.11(C)(1) NMAC; 16.30.3.18(A) NMAC)
Can a New Mexico seal use "P.E." or "P.S." instead of the title spelled out?▾
Both prescribed designs spell the title out. "P.E." and "P.S." are not among the elements the rule lists, and the surveyor's words are "professional surveyor" — not "professional land surveyor", which is the wording used in neighboring states. (16.39.3.12(C) NMAC; 16.39.5.11(C) NMAC)
Does a New Mexico engineer’s seal have two concentric circles or three?▾
The engineer's and surveyor's seals have three concentric circles, and the license number goes in the center circle rather than beneath the name. A two-circle seal is not the prescribed design and would need board approval as an alternative under Paragraph (2). (16.39.3.12(C) NMAC; 16.39.5.11(C) NMAC)
What must a New Mexico engineer include when signing a document with a digital signature?▾
A document an engineer or surveyor signs with a digital signature must itself carry an authentication procedure and a list of the hardware, software and parameters used to prepare it. This is the board policy that 16.39.3.12(A) NMAC refers to, and it asks for more than the seal and signature alone. (Advisory Opinions - Engineering & Surveying (updated 7/12/2024), PE/PS Advisory: Signatures/Electronic Signatures [approved 11/2/01])
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