California · Land Surveyor seal requirements
California Land Surveyor seal requirements: size, wording, and the rule that sets them
As of
Land surveyors in California seal under 16 CCR § 411(b), administered by the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. The rule allows “Professional Land Surveyor” or “Licensed Land Surveyor”. Not less than 1½ inches in diameter. The rule sets no maximum.
California Land Surveyor seal
- Seal rule
- 16 CCR § 411(b)
- Legend (any one)
- “Professional Land Surveyor” · “Licensed Land Surveyor”
- Diameter
- Not less than 1½ inches in diameter. The rule sets no maximum.
- Expiration date
- The surveyor's seal carries the legend, "State of California", the name and the certificate number only.(16 CCR § 411(b))
- Signature date
- § 411(h) applies to every licensee under the rule, engineers and land surveyors alike.(16 CCR § 411(h))
- City on seal
- The rule does not require a city on the seal.(16 CCR § 411(b))
- The top border reads either "Professional Land Surveyor" or "Licensed Land Surveyor"; "State of California" runs along the bottom border.(16 CCR § 411(b)(1)-(2))
- The center carries your name and certificate number. Unlike the engineer's seal, the surveyor's seal has no branch line.(16 CCR § 411(b)(3))
California land surveyor seal questions
Is the California land surveyor seal the same as the engineer's seal?▾
The land surveyor's seal uses a different legend and carries no branch line. It is not the engineer's seal with the wording swapped. (16 CCR § 411(b))
Must a California land surveyor seal say "Professional Land Surveyor"?▾
Not necessarily. B&P Code § 8750 and 16 CCR § 411(b)(1) give two legends and treat them as equals: "Professional Land Surveyor" or "Licensed Land Surveyor." Either satisfies the rule, so a seal cut with one wording does not have to be recut to the other, and neither is the single correct form. (B&P Code § 8750; 16 CCR § 411(b)(1))
Does an unsealed California land survey document still need the surveyor's name?▾
Yes. B&P Code § 8761(b) puts the licensee's name and license number on all maps, plats, reports, descriptions and other land surveying documents, final or not. The signature, seal or stamp and the date of signing attach only to the final ones under § 8761(d). A preliminary map therefore carries no seal but is still short of the Act if it omits the name and license number. (B&P Code § 8761(b), (d))
Is there a maximum diameter for a California land surveyor seal?▾
No. 16 CCR § 411(b) says the seal shall be not less than one and one-half inches in diameter and stops there — a floor with no ceiling. The 1½-to-2-inch range quoted for California matches no rule that governs surveyors; the only California seal rule with an upper bound is the architect's stamp, at one to two inches under 16 CCR § 136(a). (16 CCR § 411(b); 16 CCR § 136(a))
How should a California land surveyor mark an interim map or report?▾
With a notation of what it is for. B&P Code § 8761(c) requires interim maps, plats, reports, descriptions and other land surveying documents to include a notation as to their intended purpose, and gives "preliminary" and "for examination only" as the examples. Simply leaving the seal off an unfinished document does not answer the subdivision; the notation is the thing it asks for. (B&P Code § 8761(c))
Generate a California Land Surveyor seal to this specification
Board approved
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