Do I Have to Remain as an Officer to a Firm if I Continue to Sign and Seal Architectural Drawings

Methods of Signing and Sealing

A Professional Engineer may use a wet seal, an embossing seal, or a digital seal. Whichever is used must be at least 1-7/8 inches in diameter and similar in design as indicated in Rule 61G15-23.002, F.A.C., Seals Acceptable to the Board.

The method you choose for signing and sealing your engineering documents will depend on the format required by the public entity with which you are filing the documents. FBPE does not have jurisdiction over how engineering documents must be filed, as long as the public entity is not asking Professional Engineers to violate engineering laws and rules.

Physically Signing and Sealing

Engineering documents can be hand signed with a pen, dated, and sealed by the Professional Engineer in responsible charge. The seal may be ink stamped, embossed, or a digital image, and placed partially overlapping — but not obscuring — your signature. The signature may not be a scanned, facsimile, digitally created, or copied image.

Scanned or electronic copies of physically signed and sealed documents are not considered signed and sealed.

See Rule 61G15‐23.003, F.A.C., Procedures for Physically Signing and Sealing Plans, Specifications, Reports or Other Documents.

Digitally Signing and Sealing

A digital signature must be unique to the Professional Engineer using it, obtained from a third-party certification authority, and capable of verification. The certification authority will vet the PE and provide a password-protected digital signature file. (FBPE does not approve or provide a list of authorities.)

You may not use the digital signature option provided in Adobe Acrobat, since it is self-authenticated and does not use a third party. However, you may use Adobe Acrobat in conjunction with the digital signature provided from a proper certification authority.

Your digital signature must be linked to the document in such a way that any change invalidates the signature and document.

A digital signature is typically placed on the first page of an engineering document. A digitally signed and sealed document may include as many sheets as necessary. Each sheet must contain a title block.

Printed copies of digitally signed, dated, and sealed documents are not considered signed and sealed.

Please note that while the formatting may be altered, the text located within the text box must remain identical to the examples, and must be placed on the electronic plan sheets and must not be a part of the digital signature itself.

An example of a digitally created seal and the required text box language:

This item has been digitally signed and sealed by C.S. Hammatt, PE, on 06/18/2021.

Printed copies of this document are not considered signed and sealed and the signature must be verified on any electronic copies.

An example of the required text box language when a digitally created seal is not used:

C.S. Hammatt, Professional Engineer, State of Florida, License No. 000000

This item has been digitally signed and sealed by C.S. Hammatt, PE, on 06/18/2021.

Printed copies of this document are not considered signed and sealed and the signature must be verified on any electronic copies.

See Rule 61G15‐23.004, F.A.C., Procedures for Digitally Signing and Sealing Electronically Transmitted Plans, Specifications, Reports or Other Documents.

Electronically Signing and Sealing

An electronic signature for a file of engineering documents is created by a piece of software called a secure hash standard (or SHA) authentication code generator.

The electronically signed and sealed file may include as many sheets as necessary. Each sheet must contain a title block.

After completing a project, you create a computer file that contains as many sheets as necessary for the engineering project. The file is run through the generator, which provides a string of numbers and letters (the SHA authentication code) that is used in your document's signature report.

The printable signature report must include your name and license number, and list all items to which the electronic signature applies. The signature report must be printed and hand signed, dated, and sealed.

The signed and sealed report must be sent along with the electronically signed and sealed file either by hardcopy or electronic scan. (If the signature report is scanned and sent electronically, you must retain the hardcopy as required in Rule 61G15-30.009, F.A.C., Retention of Engineering Documents.)

Printed copies of electronically signed, dated, and sealed documents are not considered signed and sealed.

Simply encrypting, securing, or locking an electronic file does not constitute a digital or electronic signature or seal.

Please note that while the formatting may be altered, the text located within the text box must remain identical to the examples, and must be placed on the electronic plan sheets and not a part of the electronic signature itself.

An example of an electronically created seal and the required text box language:

This item has been electronically signed and sealed by C.S. Hammatt, PE, on 06/18/2021 using a SHA authentication code.

Printed copies of this document are not considered signed and sealed and the SHA authentication code must be verified on any electronic copies.

An example of the required text box language when an electronically created seal is not used:

C.S. Hammatt, Professional Engineer, State of Florida, License No. 000000

This item has been electronically signed and sealed by C.S. Hammatt, PE, on 06/18/2021 using a SHA authentication code.

Printed copies of this document are not considered signed and sealed and the SHA authentication code must be verified on any electronic copies.

See Rule 61G15‐23.005, F.A.C., Procedures for Electronically Signing and Sealing Electronically Transmitted Plans, Specifications, Reports or Other Documents.

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Source: https://fbpe.org/legal/signing-and-sealing-engineering-documents/

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