Louisiana · Land Surveyor seal requirements
Louisiana Land Surveyor seal requirements: size, wording, and the rule that sets them
As of
Land surveyors in Louisiana seal under LAC 46:LXI.2701 (Seal and Signature), administered by the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board. The seal reads “Professional Land Surveyor”. Two sizes are acceptable: a 1-5/8 inch seal, commonly used in pocket seals, and a 2 inch seal, commonly used in desk seals. These are two discrete sizes, not a continuous range.
The 1½-to-2-inch range quoted for Louisiana matches no provision of §2701; the rule gives two discrete sizes, 1-5/8 inch and 2 inch. The endorsement legend at §2701.A.2.a.v was added by the April 2025 amendment, LR 51:553.
Louisiana Land Surveyor seal
- Seal rule
- LAC 46:LXI.2701 (Seal and Signature)
- Legend
- “Professional Land Surveyor”
- Diameter
- Two sizes are acceptable: a 1-5/8 inch seal, commonly used in pocket seals, and a 2 inch seal, commonly used in desk seals. These are two discrete sizes, not a continuous range.
- Expiration date
- Same minimum-information list as the engineer's seal: "State of Louisiana", name, license number, "Professional Land Surveyor", plus the endorsement line where it applies.(LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.2.a)
- Signature date
- Signature and date adjacent to or across the seal — but a surveyor places the effective date, defined as the date the surveyor certifies that the document represents his or her work, not the date of execution.(LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.2.f; LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.4.a.ii)
- City on seal
- The rule does not require a city on the seal.(LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.2.a)
- The design must carry "State of Louisiana", the licensee's name, the license number and "Professional Land Surveyor".(LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.2.a)
- A land surveyor places the effective date with the seal, not the date of execution. This is where the surveyor's practice departs from the engineer's.(LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.4.a.ii)
- A seal must always be accompanied by the licensee's signature and date, placed adjacent to or across the seal.(LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.2.f)
- A licensee licensed under R.S. 37:51 et seq. and either §903.F or §909.F must also carry "Licensed by Endorsement, R.S. 37:51 et seq." on the seal.(LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.2.a.v)
Louisiana land surveyor seal questions
What date does a Louisiana land surveyor place with the seal?▾
The effective date, which is not the date you signed. LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.4.a.ii requires professional land surveyors to affix their seal, sign their name and place the effective date on all land surveying documents issued to a client or any public or governmental agency as completed work, and defines effective date as the date the professional land surveyor certifies that the document represents his or her work. Professional engineers, in the subparagraph immediately before it, place the date of execution. (LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.4.a.ii; LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.4.a.i)
Do compiled as-built drawings need a Louisiana land surveyor's seal?▾
Yes, where an engineer's do not. LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.4.a.v.(b) states that preparing compiled land surveying as-built record drawings is the practice of land surveying and that such drawings are required to be sealed, signed and dated by a professional land surveyor; they must also contain notes identifying the sources of the data and a disclaimer stating whether or not the surveyor has verified it. The subparagraph immediately above says the opposite for engineering as-builts — their preparation is not the practice of engineering and they are not required to be sealed or signed. (LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.4.a.v.(a), (b))
Can a Louisiana land surveying firm hold its own seal?▾
No. LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.1.b states flatly that firms are not authorized to possess or use seals. The seal is personal: under §2701.A.1.a each professional land surveyor obtains an official seal upon licensure, and under §2701.A.3.a it is the application of that individual's seal, signature and date that certifies the work was done by the licensee or under the licensee's responsible charge — a firm seal, or a firm name in place of the licensee's own, is not an option the rule offers. (LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.1.a, A.1.b, A.3.a)
What must a Louisiana land surveyor put on a preliminary plat?▾
Two things, and only one of them is the warning. LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.4.b.i requires preliminary documents to be marked in large bold letters with one or more of four statements — "Preliminary—Not For Construction", "Preliminary—For Permit Purposes Only", "Preliminary—For Review Only" or "Preliminary—Not For Recordation, Conveyances or Sales". A.4.b.ii then excuses the seal, signature and date but still requires the document to bear the name and license number of the licensee, and the name of the licensee's firm if applicable. (LAC 46:LXI.2701.A.4.b.i, A.4.b.ii)
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