New York · Engineer seal requirements
New York PE seal requirements: size, wording, and the rule that sets them
As of
New York's seal is circular and approximately 1¾ inches across, with "STATE OF NEW YORK" along the top of the outer band and "LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER" along the bottom, for licenses issued after 1 July 1984. An embossing seal, a rubber stamp and an electronic version are all acceptable. The seal on its own is not enough: Education Law § 7209 also requires a separate stamp warning that altering the document is a violation of the article.
New York requires something almost no other state does: a separate alteration-warning stamp alongside the seal. Documents filed with public officials also need a personal signature on the original.
New York Engineer seal
- Legend
- “Licensed Professional Engineer”
- Diameter
- Circular, approximately 1¾ inches in diameter.
- Expiration date
- The inner circle shows the name above the Great Seal of New York and the license number below it "with no other letters or numbers," so nothing else can lawfully appear inside the seal. The expiration date New York engineers do put on drawings comes from elsewhere and is not mandatory: NYSED Practice Guideline 3 lists "the license number and expiration date of the professional engineer's registration" among the items a title block should contain, and that Guideline states on its face that law, rules and regulations, not Guidelines, specify the requirements for practice.(8 NYCRR § 68.13; cf. NYSED Practice Guideline 3 (Professional Seals and Signatures), Best Practices for Drawings, Specifications and Reports)
- Signature date
- The statute requires the seal plus a personal signature on the original when filed with public officials, and says nothing about dating. The only date New York requires is on an ALTERED item, where the altering engineer adds "altered by," a signature, the date of the alteration and a description of it.(Education Law § 7209(1) and (2)(a); 8 NYCRR § 68.13; NYSED Practice Guideline 3 (Professional Seals and Signatures))
- City on seal
- The rule does not require a city on the seal.(8 NYCRR § 68.13)
- For licenses issued after 1 July 1984 the seal is circular, with "STATE OF NEW YORK" along the top of the outer band and "LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER" along the bottom.(NYSED Practice Guideline 3)
- The inner circle carries your name above the Great Seal of New York and your license number below it.(NYSED Practice Guideline 3)
- Both your name and your license number must be clearly and legibly visible on the sealed document — your signature must not obscure either.(NYSED Practice Guideline 3)
- An embossing seal, a rubber stamp or an electronic version are all acceptable to the Department and the State Board.(NYSED Practice Guideline 3)
- Documents filed with public officials must also carry the personal signature of the engineer named on the seal, on the original.(NY Education Law § 7209(1))
- A sealed document must additionally bear a stamp warning that it is a violation of the article for anyone to alter an item on it unless acting under the direction of a licensed professional engineer or land surveyor. This alteration notice is separate from the seal and is easy to miss.(NY Education Law § 7209(2)(a))
New York engineer seal questions
Does a New York PE seal need a separate alteration-warning stamp?▾
The alteration-warning stamp is a separate item from the seal, and it is the most commonly missed requirement on New York submittals. (NY Education Law § 7209(2)(a))
Can a New York engineer’s signature cross over the name or license number?▾
Your name and your license number both have to stay clearly and legibly visible, so the signature cannot be positioned across either. (NYSED Practice Guideline 3)
Do documents an engineer files with New York public officials need an original signature?▾
Documents filed with public officials need the personal signature of the engineer named on the seal, on the original. (NY Education Law § 7209(1))
Generate a New York Engineer seal to this specification
Board approved
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