2.2 Seals, Signatures & Responsible Charge

The statutory seal (§ 73-13-29)

Before practicing, each licensee must obtain a seal of the design authorized by the Board, bearing the licensee's name and the legend "Licensed Professional Surveyor." A person licensed as both PE and PS may use a single seal reading "Professional Engineer and Professional Surveyor." Plats, maps, and reports prepared by a licensed surveyor are sealed during the life of the license. It is unlawful to seal any document after the license has expired or been revoked or suspended, and unlawful for anyone other than the licensee to use the seal.

Seal specifications (Rule 6.2)

The Board's seal guidance page adds several practical points. The seal format may be embossed, rubber-stamped, or digital. Mississippi does not prohibit digital seals and signatures. There is no rule on where the signature goes (across, under, or beside the seal) or where the date goes. The seal need not show the licensee's full legal name; it may show the name the licensee normally uses in practice. New licensees no longer have to send proof of their seal to the Board unless asked.

What sealing certifies (Rule 6.2 "Seal on Documents")

• The seal, signature, and date constitute a certification that the document was prepared by the licensee or under their Responsible Charge. The Board has final authority over whether work was prepared under Responsible Charge.
• Each sheet of maps, plats, charts, documents, and reports for land surveying practice must be signed, sealed, and dated by the licensee in Responsible Charge.
• For a bound volume, the licensee in Responsible Charge may sign, seal, and date only the title or index sheet if it identifies all sheets. Sheets prepared under another licensee's Responsible Charge must carry that licensee's seal.
• Sealing final documents signifies compliance with the Statute and the Board's rules.
• Revisions affecting public health and safety or codes must be signed, sealed, and dated by the licensee who made them or under whose Responsible Charge they were made.
• Care and custody: the licensee must use due care in keeping possession of the seal and must not willingly let others possess or use it.

Responsible Charge (§ 73-13-3(8); Rule 1.2) means direct control and personal supervision. The licensee must have and use authority to review, change, reject, or approve the work in progress and the final product; be personally aware of the scope, needs, and limits; be able to answer detailed questions about the surveying decisions; and accept full responsibility. Reviewing and stamping a finished drawing prepared by someone the licensee did not direct does not meet that standard. The Code separately bars sealing documents not prepared under the licensee's responsible charge (Rule 6.3).

Electronic and digital signatures

Rule 1.2 defines an electronic or digital signature as an electronic sound, symbol, process, or secure digital code that uniquely identifies and authenticates the sender and is attached to or logically associated with the record. Rule 6.2 permits electronic signatures and seals on drawings, reports, and digitally delivered products if the signature has an electronic authentication process and is:

1. Unique to the individual using it.
2. Capable of verification.
3. Under the sole control of the individual using it.
4. Linked to the document so that the digital signature is invalidated if any data in the document is changed.

A hard copy printed from the signed file carries a facsimile of the signature and seal. It confirms the file was not altered after signing; any alteration voids the facsimile. A pasted image of a signature or seal on an unsecured PDF does not meet the four criteria.

Preliminary documents

The Board's guidance is that "generally a document that is not final should not be sealed." In the rare case where a preliminary document must be sealed, the licensee should add bold, clear language that it is preliminary and not intended to be final. The rules prescribe no exact wording.

Which surveys must be sealed, and by whom (Rule 7.2)

Rule 7.3's last requirement (item 19) applies regardless of survey type. The plat or survey bears the name, address, date of field survey, signature, and seal of the licensee in responsible charge. That signature and seal certify that the survey meets the Standards of Practice. The Manual of Instructions for the Survey of U.S. Public Lands and Mississippi's subdivision laws must also be followed. The rules do not prescribe a standard certificate text, so firms write their own. What the certificate means comes from Rule 7.3 and Rule 6.2 whatever the wording.

Exam traps

• "The seal must show the licensee's full legal name." False: the Board allows the name normally used in practice.
• "A PE may seal a boundary plat if the PE supervised the crew." False: boundary, route, easement, and lease plats require the PS in responsible charge.
• "Sealing during a late-renewal grace period is fine." False: sealing after expiration is unlawful under § 73-13-29, and the license is invalid from its expiration date until renewed.