Hawaii · Land Surveyor seal requirements
Hawaii Land Surveyor seal requirements: size, wording, and the rule that sets them
As of
Land surveyors in Hawaii seal under HAR § 16-115-8 (Seal or stamp); § 16-115-9 (Authentication), administered by the Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors & Landscape Architects. The seal reads “Licensed Professional Land Surveyor”. Two circles — a smaller one 1-1/8 inches in diameter within a larger one 1-1/2 inches in diameter.
One board licenses engineers, architects, land surveyors and landscape architects, and HAR § 16-115-8 gives them all the same seal geometry. Only the center legend changes; a landscape architect's seal reads "Licensed Professional Landscape Architect".
Hawaii Land Surveyor seal
- Legend
- “Licensed Professional Land Surveyor”
- Diameter
- Two circles — a smaller one 1-1/8 inches in diameter within a larger one 1-1/2 inches in diameter.
- Expiration date
- The authentication below the seal must state the expiration date of the license, beside the signature.(HAR § 16-115-9(a))
- Signature date
- The prescribed authentication block is the statement, the signature and the license expiration date only. The rule adds that where applicable the form of authentication is as determined by the rules of the land court or the statute on file plans, which may impose their own dating.(HAR § 16-115-9(a); HRS § 464-11)
- City on seal
- The outer annular space carries the licensee's name and the words "Hawaii, U.S.A." — no city.(HAR § 16-115-8(a)(1))
- The name of the licensee and the words "Hawaii, U.S.A." go in the outer or annular space; "Licensed Professional Land Surveyor" and the license number go in the center space.(HAR § 16-115-8(a)(1))
- The branch abbreviation required in the center space applies to engineers only. A land surveyor's seal carries no branch line.(HAR § 16-115-8(a)(2))
- Below the seal, the authentication states "This work was prepared by me or under my supervision", is signed by the licensee, and states the expiration date of the license.(HAR § 16-115-9(a))
- Signatures must be an original or a digital signature. Rubber signature stamps and other facsimile signatures are prohibited.(HAR § 16-115-9(e))
Hawaii land surveyor seal questions
Does a Hawaii land surveyor's seal say "Registered Land Surveyor"?▾
No. HAR § 16-115-8(a)(1) gives the surveyor's legend as "Licensed Professional Land Surveyor" — all four words — inserted in the center space together with the license number, while the licensee's name and the words "Hawaii, U.S.A." occupy the outer or annular space. The abbreviation that follows the license number in the center of an engineer's seal is directed by § 16-115-8(a)(2) at "[t]he engineer" alone, so nothing follows the number on a land surveyor's seal. (HAR § 16-115-8(a)(1), (a)(2))
Does a Hawaii land surveyor always use the standard authentication wording?▾
No. HAR § 16-115-9(a) sets out the block that goes below the seal — "THIS WORK WAS PREPARED BY ME OR UNDER MY SUPERVISION", the signature, and the expiration date of the license — and then adds a proviso: "where applicable, the form of authentication shall be as determined by the rules of the land court, the statute relating to file plans, or other legal authorities relating to maps, surveys, descriptions, etc." For land court and file plan work the prescribed block gives way to whatever those authorities require, and the surveyor has to go and read them. (HAR § 16-115-9(a))
Must a Hawaii land surveyor seal a written legal description?▾
Yes, where it goes to a public official. HAR § 16-115-8(c) attaches the sealing requirement to plans, specifications, maps, reports, surveys and descriptions submitted to public officials for approval, and § 16-115-9(a) repeats "descriptions" in the list of items that must be stamped and authenticated when filed with public officials. A metes and bounds description is a sealed and authenticated document in its own right, not an annex to the map. The same subsection requires every sheet in a set of design drawings to be stamped. (HAR § 16-115-8(c); § 16-115-9(a))
Generate a Hawaii Land Surveyor seal to this specification
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