If you are a professional engineer living in the state of Virginia, then you know that you are required to have a stamp and seal on all of your engineering final documents, especially those you have exercised direct control over. In this blog post, we will go over the specific requirements for the Virginia PE Seal, as well as what type of products can be used to comply with sealing and stamping your documents.
Why You Need a Virginia Professional Engineer Stamp
As a professional engineer in the state of Virginia, you are required by law to have a Virginia engineer seal. This seal or stamp is a physical stamp or embosser that is embossed or inked with your name and professional engineer license number. The device must be used on all engineering documents that you sign and seal.
The seal is a way for the Board for Professional and Occupational Regulation to ensure that only licensed professional engineers are practicing engineering in the state of Virginia. This seal also helps to protect public health, safety, and welfare by ensuring that only those who are licensed and qualified are practicing engineering.
Virginia Engineer Seal State Requirements
Virginia requires that all engineering work be performed by a licensed engineer and that those documents be sealed with the engineer's Virginia stamp. The Virginia Engineer Seal must be a Rubber Stamp or Self Inking Stamp. The size of the Virginia Engineer Stamp or Seal must be 2" in diameter.
Leading zeros may be omitted from the State of Virginia Engineer Stamp if desired but the format must have 'Lic. No.' in front of the number. The '402' is typically dropped from the number but is allowed to be on it if desired. The top arc of the engineer seal reads Commonwealth of Virginia and the bottom arc of the seal reads "Professional Engineer". All engineering work performed in Virginia must follow these requirements.
Virginia is one of the many states that require a professional engineer to have an engineer seal. The Commonwealth of Virginia requires any Professional Engineer who offers their services to the public to be licensed by the state in order to ensure that only those with the proper education, experience, and skills are performing engineering work. There is no requirement for stamp type or ink color, so you can get one of our pre-inked stamps in your favorite ink color for your professional seal. You can also grab an extra bottle of ink if you plan on sharing it with the other professional engineers in your office!
Maintaining Your Virginia Engineer Seal
You can obtain your State of Virginia PE Seal through any number of vendors that sell engineering stamps and seals. When you are choosing a vendor, be sure to choose one that is reputable and that sells high-quality stamps. There are various types of products available such as stamps that will use an ink pad to an electronic seal for digital signing.
Once you have obtained your Virginia engineer seal, it is important to take steps to maintain it. Virginia engineer seal state code of regulations defines the term “stamp” to mean “a physical embodiment of the Virginia seal imprinted with the name of the licensee and the words ‘Professional Engineer’. There are a few things you can do to keep your stamp in good condition such as storing your stamp in a place where it will not be damaged, such as a locker or fireproof safe.
Do not lend your seal to anyone. Virginia Code of Regulations states that “the use of another person’s professional engineer licensure stamp by any person other than the licensee is grounds for disciplinary action.” If your seal is lost or stolen, you should report it to the Virginia Board for Professional and Occupational Regulation immediately. You will also need to obtain a new seal from a supplier. Your State of Virginia professional engineer seal expires on June 30th of even-numbered years. If you allow your seal to expire, you will need to pay a reinstatement fee and submit a new application for licensure to the State Board.
State of Virginia PE Stamp Options for Professional Engineers
There are quite a few different stamp and seal options available for the professional engineer below
Self Inking
A self-inking stamper works in a press and print manner, these are reinkable when the impressions start fading and are available in 11 different ink colors. If you plan on doing a lot of stamping consider purchasing an extra bottle of ink at the time of purchasing.
Pre-Inked
Pre-Inked Stamps work similarly as the self-inking stamp, however, the ink is built into a die plate and typically you can get up to 15,000 impressions before the reinking is needed, again if a lot of stamping is planned an extra bottle of ink is recommended.
About ESS
ESS is a lead producer of seals and stamps for certified interior designers, landscape architects, and land surveyors. Each professional seal purchase comes with a free electronic stamp that is typically sent in email messages within one business day of the order being submitted. Check out our website for special deals, If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact us or leave a comment below.
