Washington · Engineer seal requirements
Washington PE seal requirements: size, wording, and the rule that sets them
As of
Washington's seal rule is WAC 196-23-010, and it prescribes no diameter: the impression or image must conform to the illustrated design and be of a size that assures full legibility of the four required items. The legend is "REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER" — RCW 18.43.070 fixes that wording, so dropping "REGISTERED" or substituting "P.E." does not conform. The design also carries "STATE OF WASHINGTON", the certificate number, the licensee's name as shown on the wall certificate, and the Washington bust. The land surveyor's authorized design is a rounded square with a rope border, not a circle.
WAC 196-23-070 is "Signature", not the seal rule; the seal is WAC 196-23-010 and its usage is WAC 196-23-020. WSR 25-02-004, filed December 18, 2024 and effective January 18, 2025, amended WAC 196-23-010, but it was an expedited, non-substantive rule making that changed pronouns only. The illustrated designs are printed in the certified PDF of the section, not in the HTML version.
Washington Engineer seal
- Legend
- “REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER”
- Diameter
- No diameter is stated. The impression or image must conform to the illustrated design and be of a size that assures full legibility of the required information.
- Expiration date
- The rule names four items that must be legible: State of Washington; the legend; the certificate number; and the licensee's name as shown on the wall certificate. No license date on or beside the seal.(WAC 196-23-010(1)-(4); RCW 18.43.070)
- Signature date
- "Any final document must contain the seal/stamp, signature and date of signature of the licensee", and every page of a plan set must carry all three. The statute likewise requires plans, specifications, plats and reports to be signed, dated and stamped.(WAC 196-23-020(1), (3); RCW 18.43.070)
- City on seal
- The four required items are exhaustive; no city, town or place of business.(WAC 196-23-010)
- All individuals licensed under chapter 18.43 RCW must utilize a seal/stamp that conforms to the design as authorized by the board, and it is the responsibility of each licensee to maintain control over the use of their stamp/seal.(WAC 196-23-010)
- The four items that must be fully legible are: State of Washington; registered professional engineer or registered professional land surveyor; certificate number; and the licensee's name as shown on the wall certificate.(WAC 196-23-010(1)-(4))
- The illustrated professional engineer design is circular with a scalloped outer border. The licensee's name runs along the outer top arc, "STATE OF WASHINGTON" along an inner arc beneath it, the Washington bust sits over the certificate number in the center, and "REGISTERED" over "PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER" closes the bottom.(WAC 196-23-010, illustrated designs)
- The statute requires a seal bearing the registrant's name and the legend "registered professional engineer" or "registered professional land surveyor", and requires plans, specifications, plats, and reports to be signed, dated, and stamped with that seal or a facsimile.(RCW 18.43.070)
- Any final document must contain the seal/stamp, signature and date of signature of the licensee who prepared or directly supervised the work.(WAC 196-23-020(1))
- Preliminary documents must be stamped, but need not be signed or dated by the licensee.(WAC 196-23-020(2))
- Every page of a plan set must contain the seal/stamp, the signature of the licensee, and the date of signature.(WAC 196-23-020(3))
- A handwritten or scanned signature must be placed directly over the seal/stamp of the licensee.(WAC 196-23-070)
- A digital identification used in place of a handwritten signature must be unique to the licensee, capable of independent verification, under the exclusive control of the licensee, and linked to the document so that it is invalidated if any data in the document is changed.(WAC 196-23-070(2))
- A separate structural engineer design reads "STRUCTURAL ENGINEER" over "PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER", and the title S.E. is reserved to engineers licensed in structural engineering.(WAC 196-23-010; WAC 196-23-040)
Washington engineer seal questions
Is there a required diameter for a Washington PE seal?▾
The rule states no diameter. The 1⅝-inch minimum and the 1⅝-to-1⅞-inch range quoted for Washington appear in no version of chapter 196-23 WAC; the only sizing instruction is a size that assures full legibility. (WAC 196-23-010)
Does a Washington PE seal have to include "REGISTERED"?▾
"REGISTERED" is part of the legend, not decoration. The statute fixes the wording as "registered professional engineer", and "P.E." is in none of the authorized designs. (RCW 18.43.070; WAC 196-23-010(2))
Can I put my engineering discipline on a Washington PE seal?▾
There is no general allowance to add your discipline. The only variant among the authorized designs is the structural engineer seal, and only an engineer licensed in structural engineering may use it. (WAC 196-23-010; WAC 196-23-040)
Whose name and which number go on a Washington PE seal?▾
The name on the seal is the licensee's name as shown on the wall certificate, and the number is the certificate number — not a shortened business name or a renewal number. (WAC 196-23-010(3)-(4))
Generate a Washington Engineer seal to this specification
Board approved
Your Washington Professional Engineer seal from pedigitalstamps.com meets every requirement on this page — the required wording and the layout set out in WAC 196-23-010 (Seals); WAC 196-23-020 (Seal/stamp usage); WAC 196-23-070 (Signature). Fill in your details and download it in seconds.
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