South Carolina · Engineer seal requirements
South Carolina PE seal requirements: size, wording, and the rule that sets them
As of
South Carolina's seal rule is S.C. Code Regs. R.49-207, which requires a seal at least 1½ inches in diameter and names no maximum. The legend turns on the date of licensure: "Registered Professional Engineer" for engineers licensed prior to July 1, 2001, "Licensed Professional Engineer" for engineers licensed after that date, and "Professional Engineer and Surveyor" for engineers holding dual licenses. The words "South Carolina" are required on the firm's Certificate of Authorization seal, not on the individual seal. R.49-207(C)(5) then does something no neighbouring state does: a document transmitted electronically must have the computer-generated seal removed from the file.
The statute and the regulation disagree on one legend. For an engineer licensed after July 1, 2001, S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1) prescribes "Professional Engineer" while R.49-207(A)(1)(b) prescribes "Licensed Professional Engineer". The Board has published no ruling resolving it. Separately, the Chapter 49 heading still reads "Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors"; the board's name under § 40-22-10(A) is "Professional Engineers and Surveyors".
South Carolina Engineer seal
- Legend (any one)
- “Registered Professional Engineer” · “Licensed Professional Engineer” · “Professional Engineer and Surveyor”
- Diameter
- At least 1 1/2 inches in diameter and similar to that prescribed for the Board. The regulation states no maximum.
- Expiration date
- The center carries the license number and the prescribed legend; the statute adds the licensee's name and evidence of the license category. No license date on or beside the seal.(S.C. Code Regs. R.49-207(A)(1); S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1))
- Signature date
- The signature and the date when the document was prepared are affixed under or across the face and beyond the circumference of the seal, without obliterating the name or number.(S.C. Code Regs. R.49-207(C)(2); S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(6))
- City on seal
- No place of business on the individual seal — the South Carolina architect's seal does carry one, the engineer's does not.(S.C. Code Regs. R.49-207(A)(1))
- In the center there shall appear the license number of the licensee along with the words "Registered Professional Engineer" for engineers licensed prior to July 1, 2001, or "Licensed Professional Engineer" for engineers licensed after July 1, 2001.(R.49-207(A)(1)(a)-(b))
- An engineer holding dual licenses uses the legend "Professional Engineer and Surveyor".(R.49-207(A)(1)(c))
- The statute adds two elements the regulation leaves out: the seal must bear the licensee's name, and it must bear evidence of the license category.(S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1))
- The words "South Carolina" are expressly required only on the firm's Certificate of Authorization seal. The individual-seal rule does not require them.(R.49-207(A)(1), (B)(1))
- Rubber stamps (wet seal), raised embossed seals or computer-generated seals identical in size, design and content with the approved impression seals may be used.(R.49-207(A)(2))
- The signature and the date the document was prepared go under or across the face and beyond the circumference of the seal, in a manner that does not obliterate or render illegible the licensee's name and number.(R.49-207(C)(2); S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(6))
- Documents transmitted electronically shall have the computer-generated seal removed from the original file, and a copy of the project report shall be signed, sealed and sent to the client. The electronic data carries this text in lieu of the signature and date: "This document originally was issued and sealed by (name of sealer), (license number), on (date of sealing). The electronic media shall not be considered a certified document."(R.49-207(C)(5))
- Where the practice is provided through a firm, the documents shall also carry the Certificate of Authorization seal.(R.49-207(C)(2))
South Carolina engineer seal questions
Must a South Carolina engineer remove the seal from a file sent electronically?▾
A file transmitted electronically must have the computer-generated seal removed from it. The sealed copy goes to the client separately, and the electronic file carries the prescribed "shall not be considered a certified document" sentence in place of the signature and date. (R.49-207(C)(5))
Which legend goes on a South Carolina professional engineer seal?▾
There is no single engineer legend. Which of the three applies depends on whether you were licensed before or after July 1, 2001, and on whether you hold a dual license. "P.E." is not an authorized legend in either the statute or the regulation. (R.49-207(A)(1))
Is 1¾ inches the maximum size for a South Carolina engineer seal?▾
The 1¾-inch figure often quoted as a South Carolina maximum is the architect rule, R.11-11(C), where it is an exact dimension. The engineer and surveyor rule sets a 1½-inch minimum and no maximum. (R.49-207(A)(1))
What does South Carolina's seal statute require that the regulation leaves out?▾
The statute requires elements the regulation omits: the licensee's name on the seal, evidence of the license category for engineers, and the tier designation for surveyors. (S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1))
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