Every Georgia professional engineer is required, under the regulations set out by the state board, to have a Georgia professional engineer stamp or embossed seal in accordance with their certificate of registration. You acquire this seal at your own expense and affix it to all documents and drawings that you submit. It must be fully compliant with the Georgia seal requirements set out by the Georgia state board for professional engineers and land surveyors.
Georgia Engineering Seal Requirements
According to the Georgia state board, you can use either an embossing seal or a rubber stamp, which can also be a self-inking stamp or a pre-inked stamp. You can also use an electronic seal. The seal should be 1-1/2" in diameter, and it must include your name or the name of your company, your license number, and the phrase “Registered Professional Engineer.” The seal will be circular, and the diameter of the inner circle should be 1". You can use “PE” in front of the license number on your professional seal if you like but it is not required by the laws. You can use a crimp-type seal, or it can be computer generated PDF with a white or transparent background.
Use of the Georgia Professional Engineer Stamp
You are required to affix your Georgia professional engineer stamp and your signature to any reports, plans, plats or specifications that are issued by you as a Georgia engineer. If you use the seal on any document after your certificate of registration has expired or been revoked, or while you are suspended by the Board for any reason, you will be in violation of the law.
Unless you have personally performed the engineering work involved, you could again be in violation of the law. You may not use your Georgia professional engineer stamp or seal on any specifications, plans, plats or reports unless you have personally performed the work. You can also affix it with your professional seal if it has been performed by persons under your direct daily supervision, and then only if you have thoroughly reviewed the work and satisfied yourself that it is up to acceptable standards.
This cannot be overstated – you must not affix your engineer stamp to any reports, plans, specifications or plats unless you are fully prepared to guarantee that the work is adequate. If you do so, and the work is found to be inadequate, or if it is determined that you did not thoroughly proof the work, the Board will consider you to have committed professional misconduct – in short, fraud.
Security
This brings us to our next topic, which is ensuring the security of your seal. We don’t believe that an engineer would affix their stamp and signature to substandard work. But if your Georgia PE stamp or seal isn’t properly secured, it could be misused. When it’s important to get plans in on time, a well-meaning person in your office could use your seal. There might not be any consequences. But if something goes wrong, the results in terms of your liability and professional accreditation could be catastrophic. Always make sure that your engineer stamp is in a place where only you have access to it.
If your seal is ever lost or stolen, report the loss to the Board immediately. You will not be held liable for any use of your seal from the point where you report that it is missing.
Types of Stamp Products for Professional Engineers
Pre-inked Stamps
This is the most popular type of stamp for engineers. It offers a clean, precise impression every time, and it’s very easy to use. These stamps also last much longer than self-inking stamps – you can get up to 50,000 impressions before you need to re-ink them.
Self-Inking Stamps
A Self-inking stamp is also popular, and they’re a bit less expensive than pre-inked stamps. They’re easy to use, and they offer a clean, precise impression. Self-inking stamps will last for several thousand impressions before you need to re-ink them.
Electronic Seals
An electronic seal is a digital version of your traditional Georgia professional engineer stamp. These seals can be used with PDF documents, and they’re perfect for engineers who work mainly in the virtual world. You can create an unlimited number of impressions, and they’re always ready to use.
When Should You Use Your Georgia Professional Engineer Stamp?
You should use your Georgia professional engineer stamp on any reports, specifications, plats or plans that you have prepared. If you have supervised the preparation of these documents, you can also affix your stamp.
You should only use your engineer stamp on documents that you are prepared to guarantee. If you use your stamp on a document, and it is later found to be substandard, you could be held liable. Only use your Georgia professional engineer stamp on documents that are up to your standards. If you’re not sure, don’t stamp it.
About ESS
ESS is a leading producer of professional seals and stamps for engineers and architects. All stamp products that we produce are done to the rules of the state laws. A free electronic comes with a stamp purchase (jpg format) and is typically sent via email within one business day.
