Texas PE stamp requirements are set out in Title 22 of the Texas Administrative Code and the Texas Occupations Code, and they cover three things: how the seal must look, where and how you apply it, and what happens when it’s misused. Every licensed Professional Engineer must own a compliant seal and use it on engineering documents for any project built or used in Texas.1State of Texas. Texas Occupations Code 1001.401 – Use of Seal Get the details wrong and you risk rejected submittals, board discipline, or criminal charges.
Seal Design Specifications
The seal must be circular, formed by two concentric circles, with an outer diameter between 1⅝ inches and 2 inches.2Cornell Law Institute. 22 Texas Administrative Code 137.31 – Seal Specifications The band between the two circles carries text: “State of Texas” (with the firm name optional) along the top, and “Licensed Professional Engineer” along the bottom.
Inside the inner circle go two items only: your name and your license number. The name must match the name currently on file with the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS), so a legal name change requires updating both your board registration and your seal. Whatever size you choose within the allowed range, the name and number have to remain legible after scanning or copying.
You can order either a rubber stamp or an embosser from any private vendor, as long as the finished product meets the specs above. Expect to pay roughly $25 to $75. TBPELS no longer requires new licensees to send in a seal imprint for approval, so responsibility for compliance is on you.3Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Congratulations New P.E.
What Documents Need Your Seal
Any plan, specification, plat, or report you issue for a project constructed or used in Texas must carry your seal.1State of Texas. Texas Occupations Code 1001.401 – Use of Seal Board rules add more detail: engineering work requiring seal and signature includes the title sheet of bound reports, specifications, details, calculations, estimates, and every individual sheet of plans or drawings, regardless of size or how the set is bound.4Cornell Law Institute. 22 Texas Administrative Code 137.33 – Sealing Procedures
Two situations fall outside the sealing rule. Projects built or used entirely in another state or country don’t require a Texas seal. And work covered by a statutory exemption in the Practice Act (see the industrial exemption below) doesn’t trigger the requirement.
Some engineering work products don’t need a seal but still need identifying information. Research reports, evaluations, recommendations, litigation documents, and engineering software must carry your printed name, date, signature, and the “P.E.” designation, even without a stamp.
How to Apply the Seal
Your seal and original signature go on the final version of the work before you release it. Write the date of execution across the face of the seal, and position your signature and date so they don’t obscure your name or license number.4Cornell Law Institute. 22 Texas Administrative Code 137.33 – Sealing Procedures
Placement depends on the document type. Bound sets of reports, specifications, or calculations get one seal on the title sheet. Plans or drawings get a seal on every individual sheet. Sealing a document means you accept full professional responsibility for the work in it.
Preliminary and Interim Documents
Drafts that leave your control before final release should not carry your seal. Each sheet needs a statement identifying the purpose, the engineer of record with license number, and the release date. For example: “This document is released for the purpose of interim review under the authority of Jane Smith, P.E. 12345, on [date]. It is not to be used for construction, bidding, or permit purposes.” That labeling stops anyone from treating a preliminary set as a final sealed deliverable.
Work You Can Seal
You may only seal work you performed yourself, work done under your direct supervision, or published standards and general guideline specifications you have personally reviewed and selected. Adopted standards must be clearly labeled with the publishing entity identified, and either individually sealed or referenced on a sealed title sheet with a statement authorizing their use. Sealing someone else’s unsupervised work misrepresents who is professionally responsible for it.5Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Focus on Compliance – Signing and Sealing Professional Work
Electronic Seals and Digital Signatures
Texas allows two methods for transmitting sealed work electronically. You can seal and sign a hard copy, scan it, and send the scan in a secure electronic format. Or you can create a dedicated electronic seal and electronic signature and apply them directly to files that originated in either hard copy or digital form.6Cornell Law Institute. 22 Texas Administrative Code 137.35 – Electronic Seals and Electronic Signatures
Either way, you’re required to maintain security over your electronic seal and signature files. If you use the electronic route on one project and want to revert to paper on another, you can. The underlying rule doesn’t change: before the work leaves your control, the final version has to bear a seal and signature.
Seal Security and Prohibited Uses
You are responsible for keeping your physical stamp and any electronic seal files secure. If your seal or electronic signature is lost or compromised, notify the board in writing within 30 days of discovering the loss.4Cornell Law Institute. 22 Texas Administrative Code 137.33 – Sealing Procedures The clock starts at discovery, not resolution.
Two practices are flatly prohibited. Do not preprint blank forms with your seal. Do not use decals or other replicas of your seal.3Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Congratulations New P.E. Every impression must be individually applied to a specific, completed piece of work so that anyone reviewing the document knows the named engineer deliberately stamped that particular deliverable.
The Industrial Exemption
Not every engineer working in Texas needs a license or seal. Texas Occupations Code §1001.057, commonly called the industrial exemption, lets full-time employees (and contract workers under the company’s direct control) of a private business perform certain engineering activities unlicensed. Two categories qualify:
- Reasonable modifications to existing buildings or fixtures owned, leased, or occupied by the business, provided those areas are not accessible to the general public.
- Engineering related to the research, development, design, manufacturing, assembly, integration, or servicing of products the company makes. Texas reads “products manufactured by the entity” broadly, including computer software, firmware, hardware, semiconductor devices, and oil and gas production, exploration, and transportation.7Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Policy Advisory EAOR 34 – Industrial Exemption
The exemption has a boundary that catches firms off guard. It only covers the private company’s own employees doing work exclusively for that company. Once an outside consulting firm provides engineering for the project, that work must be performed and sealed by a Texas-licensed PE, even if the end client would qualify for the exemption on its own.7Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Policy Advisory EAOR 34 – Industrial Exemption A client’s exemption does not extend to its consultants.
Keeping Your Seal Valid
A seal is only as valid as the license behind it. Texas PE licenses renew annually at a $50 fee.8Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. TBPELS Fees Each renewal cycle requires 15 hours of continuing education, at least one of which must cover ethics.9Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Continuing Education Program Top 5 Questions Miss the deadline or fall short on CE hours and your license lapses; your seal becomes invalid until reinstatement, and any documents you seal in the meantime are unauthorized.
Penalties for Misuse
Texas treats seal misuse as a criminal matter. Under the Occupations Code, it’s an offense to practice engineering without a license, to present or attempt to use another person’s seal or license as your own, or to provide false information to the board in connection with obtaining a license.10Texas Public Law. Texas Occupations Code 1001.552 – Criminal Penalty Each is a Class A misdemeanor, which in Texas carries up to one year in county jail and a fine of up to $4,000.
Alongside criminal prosecution, TBPELS can pursue administrative enforcement, including fines, mandatory additional education, probation, or license revocation. The realistic risk for most engineers is a board investigation opened after a complaint, often from a colleague, a client, or a reviewing authority who spots an irregularity on a sealed document. Keeping your seal secure, your license current, and your sealing practices matched to the rules above is the straightforward way to avoid both outcomes.