West Virginia · Engineer seal requirements
West Virginia PE seal requirements: size, wording, and the rule that sets them
As of
West Virginia spreads its three design professions across three boards, and each seal comes from a different provision. The engineer's seal is set by W. Va. Code § 30-13-16(c) and W. Va. Code R. § 7-1-7.2, which require the words "State of West Virginia", the registrant's name, the registration number and the words "Registered Professional Engineer" — and prescribe no diameter at all, only "an official seal of the size and design prescribed by the Board". Architects work from a dimensioned drawing instead: Figure A at W. Va. Code R. § 2-1-9.6.1, in the version effective June 1, 2026, sizes the outer circle at 1-13/16 inches and reads "STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA" above "REGISTERED ARCHITECT". Surveyors have the most exacting rule of the three — W. Va. Code R. § 23-5-4.2.c builds the seal from a 1⅝-inch "rope" outer circle around a 1-inch "knurled" inner circle — and § 23-5-4.3.a.3 prohibits digital signatures, signature stamps and facsimiles on every certified survey document.
The architects' rule changed on June 1, 2026. The operative text is 2 CSR 1 as filed with the Secretary of State on April 6, 2026 under HB 4265, effective June 1, 2026 and sunsetting August 1, 2031; it is the first version to name electronic and digital seals and to state digital-signature criteria, and Figure A with its 1-13/16-inch dimension carries over unchanged from the version effective July 1, 2020. The Board posts both the clean final filing and a marked-up copy of the same rule, and the marked-up copy still shows the superseded "Effective Date – April 30, 2025" rather than the current one. The engineers' statute and rule state the same legend in different case: W. Va. Code § 30-13-16(c) prints it as "registered professional engineer, state of West Virginia", while W. Va. Code R. § 7-1-7.2 requires the words "State of West Virginia" and the words "Registered Professional Engineer." Separately, 23 CSR 5 § 4.2.b sends prior surveyor seals to "WV Code §30-13A-19(a)", but § 30-13A-19 is the display-of-license section; the rule-making authority for seals is § 30-13A-6(a)(12), and § 30-13A-6(b) keeps rules in effect on July 1, 2010 — this 2008 rule among them — in force until they are amended, modified, repealed or replaced. The engineers' Board FAQ lists "Q8. Does the seal have to be a specific size?", but the FAQ answers are served by page postback and are not delivered with the page, so that answer could not be read; nothing in § 30-13-16 or 7 CSR 1 supplies a diameter.
West Virginia Engineer seal
- Legend
- “Registered Professional Engineer”
- Diameter
- The rule prescribes no diameter. Section 7-1-7.2 requires "an official seal of the size and design prescribed by the Board" and reproduces a sample seal carrying no dimension; the words "inch" and "diameter" appear nowhere in 7 CSR 1 or in § 30-13-16.
- Expiration date
- The rule enumerates four contents: "State of West Virginia", the registrant's name, the registration number and "Registered Professional Engineer". Sealing after the certificate expires is unlawful, but no date goes on the seal.(W. Va. Code R. § 7-1-7.2.a through .2.d; W. Va. Code § 30-13-16(c))
- Signature date
- "[T]he seal, signature and date shall be placed on all specifications, reports, drawings, plans, design information and calculations" presented to a client or public agency, on the first or title page.(W. Va. Code § 30-13-16(c); W. Va. Code R. § 7-1-7.3.a)
- City on seal
- The four enumerated contents are exhaustive; the word "city" appears nowhere in 7 CSR 1.(W. Va. Code R. § 7-1-7.2)
- The seal shall contain four things: the words "State of West Virginia", the registrant's name, the registrant's registration number, and the words "Registered Professional Engineer."(W. Va. Code R. § 7-1-7.2.a through .2.d)
- The seal shall not reference any engineering branch or discipline.(W. Va. Code R. § 7-1-7.2.f)
- The seal may be a rubber stamp, electronic or one that embosses, and the Board authorizes the electronic reproduction of a seal when the resulting reproduction meets the specifications of subsection 7.2.(W. Va. Code R. §§ 7-1-7.2.e, 7-1-7.3.g)
- Whenever the seal is applied, the registrant's written signature shall be adjacent to or across the seal. No further words or wording are required, and a facsimile signature is not acceptable.(W. Va. Code § 30-13-16(c))
- A registrant's seal and signature and the date shall appear on the first or title page of all final or record documents of specifications, reports, drawings, plans, design information and calculations presented to a client or any public or government agency.(W. Va. Code R. § 7-1-7.3.a)
- Revisions shall be numbered, dated, initialed, and sealed by the registrant responsible for the revision, and when copies are to be made the seal and signature on all originals shall be reproducible.(W. Va. Code R. § 7-1-7.3.c, 7.3.d)
- The rule reproduces an official seal sample as a suggested format: the registrant's name arcs the top of the outer band with "PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER" along the bottom, and the inner circle carries "REGISTERED" on its top arc, the registration number in the center and "STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA" on its bottom arc.(W. Va. Code R. § 7-1-7.2)
- A registrant working under a West Virginia temporary permit uses the seal of the state of permanent registration and affixes his or her signature and temporary permit number to all work.(W. Va. Code § 30-13-16(c))
West Virginia engineer seal questions
Can a West Virginia PE seal say "P.E." or "Professional Engineer"?▾
"P.E." is not a West Virginia legend, and neither is "Professional Engineer" on its own. The rule requires the words "Registered Professional Engineer." (W. Va. Code R. § 7-1-7.2.d)
Is there a required diameter for a West Virginia PE seal?▾
The 1⅝-inch figure often attached to West Virginia engineers is the surveyors' outer circle. Neither § 30-13-16 nor 7 CSR 1 states any diameter for an engineer's seal. (W. Va. Code R. §§ 7-1-7.2, 23-5-4.2.c.1)
Where does the signature go on a West Virginia PE seal?▾
Signature placement is prescribed. The registrant's written signature goes adjacent to or across the seal, not elsewhere on the sheet, and a facsimile signature is not acceptable. (W. Va. Code § 30-13-16(c))
Can a West Virginia PE seal show the engineering discipline?▾
An engineer's seal shall not reference any engineering branch or discipline, so no "Civil" or "Structural" belongs on it. The rule keeps branch references off the certificate of registration as well. (W. Va. Code R. §§ 7-1-7.2.f, 7-1-5.2.e.3)
Generate a West Virginia Engineer seal to this specification
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