South Carolina · Land Surveyor seal requirements
South Carolina Land Surveyor seal requirements: size, wording, and the rule that sets them
As of
Land surveyors in South Carolina seal under S.C. Code Regs. R.49-207(A) (Seals: Individuals and Firms); S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270, administered by the South Carolina State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors. The rule allows “Professional Land Surveyor” or “Professional Land Surveyor—TIER B” or “Professional Photogrammetric Surveyor” or “Professional GIS Surveyor”. At least 1 1/2 inches in diameter and similar to that prescribed for the Board. The regulation states no maximum.
The statute and the regulation disagree on one legend. For an engineer licensed after July 1, 2001, S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1) prescribes "Professional Engineer" while R.49-207(A)(1)(b) prescribes "Licensed Professional Engineer". The Board has published no ruling resolving it. Separately, the Chapter 49 heading still reads "Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors"; the board's name under § 40-22-10(A) is "Professional Engineers and Surveyors".
South Carolina Land Surveyor seal
- Legend (any one)
- “Professional Land Surveyor” · “Professional Land Surveyor—TIER B” · “Professional Photogrammetric Surveyor” · “Professional GIS Surveyor”
- Diameter
- At least 1 1/2 inches in diameter and similar to that prescribed for the Board. The regulation states no maximum.
- Expiration date
- The center carries the license number and the tier/type legend; the statute adds the name and the tier designation. No license date.(S.C. Code Regs. R.49-207(A)(1)(d)-(g); S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1))
- Signature date
- Same rule as engineers: signature and the date the document was prepared go under or across the face and beyond the circumference of the seal.(S.C. Code Regs. R.49-207(C)(2); S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(6))
- City on seal
- The center carries only the license number and the tier/type legend; the statute adds the name and tier designation. "South Carolina" itself is required only on the firm's Certificate of Authorization seal under R.49-207(B)(1), and no place of business appears on either.(S.C. Code Regs. R.49-207(A)(1), (B)(1); S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1))
- The legend follows the tier and type of surveying license: "Professional Land Surveyor" for TIER A land boundary surveyors, "Professional Land Surveyor—TIER B" for TIER B land surveyors, "Professional Photogrammetric Surveyor" for photogrammetric surveyors, and "Professional GIS Surveyor" for geographic information systems surveyors.(R.49-207(A)(1)(d)-(g))
- The statute requires the seal to bear the tier designation for professional surveyors, in addition to the licensee's name and license number.(S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1))
- Each map, plat and chart for land surveying practice shall be sealed and signed by the licensee preparing it or in responsible charge of its preparation.(R.49-207(C)(2))
- Surveyors are licensed by the same board as engineers, under the same seal regulation.(S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-10(A))
South Carolina land surveyor seal questions
Which legend goes on a South Carolina land surveyor's seal?▾
It depends on your tier and type of license, and the two sources do not agree on the words. R.49-207(A)(1) gives four surveyor legends: "Professional Land Surveyor" for TIER A land boundary surveyors, "Professional Land Surveyor—TIER B" for TIER B land surveyors, "Professional Photogrammetric Surveyor" for photogrammetric surveyors, and "Professional GIS Surveyor" for geographic information systems surveyors. The statute instead prescribes the legend "Professional Surveyor", except for licenses issued before July 1, 2001, which may read "Registered Land Surveyor", and then requires the seal to bear the tier designation for professional surveyors. Either way the tier rides on the seal, but in different places: the regulation writes it into the legend itself, while the statute makes it a separate required element sitting alongside a plain "Professional Surveyor". (S.C. Code Regs. R.49-207(A)(1)(d)-(g); S.C. Code Ann. § 40-22-270(1))
Does a South Carolina plat need the firm's seal as well as the surveyor's?▾
Where the surveying practice is provided through a firm, yes. R.49-207(C)(2) requires each sheet of maps, plats and charts for land surveying practice to be sealed and signed by the licensee preparing them or in responsible charge of their preparation, and adds that such documents shall also carry the Certificate of Authorization seal. That firm seal is a different device with different contents: at least 1½ inches in diameter, with the certificate holder's name and the assigned Certificate of Authorization number in the center, and the words "South Carolina" and "Certificate of Authorization" in the space between the circle and the outside of the seal. "South Carolina" is expressly required there and nowhere on the individual seal. (S.C. Code Regs. R.49-207(B)(1), (C)(2))
Can a South Carolina surveyor seal only the title sheet of a plat set?▾
No. R.49-207(C)(2) requires each sheet of maps, plats and charts for land surveying practice to be sealed and signed. The title-sheet shortcut in (C)(3) is written for more than one page bound together in one volume of documents, specifications or reports, and even there it applies only if the signed sheet clearly identifies all of the other sheets in the volume and any sheet prepared by another licensee is separately sealed, dated and signed — and its closing sentence pulls design drawings and construction plans back out of it. On each sheet the signature and the date the document was prepared go under or across the face and beyond the circumference of the seal, without obliterating or rendering illegible the licensee's name and number. (S.C. Code Regs. R.49-207(C)(2)-(3))
Generate a South Carolina Land Surveyor seal to this specification
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