FAQ - Signing & Sealing Requirements
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The documents must be signed and sealed whenever they are presented to a client, or user, or any public or governmental agency.
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Preliminary engineering or land surveying documents must be clearly marked with the following or an equivalent statement “This document is preliminary in nature, and is not a final signed and sealed document.”
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Yes, unless marked preliminary in nature, as stated above.
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Contact Bruce Pitts at bpitts@pels.ok.gov or 405-521-2874 ext 22 Link Title 59 O.S. 475.15 and OAC 245:15-17
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The documents must be signed and sealed whenever they are presented to a client, a user, or any public or governmental agency.
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Preliminary engineering or land surveying documents must be clearly marked with the following or an equivalent statement “This document is preliminary in nature, and is not a final signed and sealed document.” Otherwise they must be signed and sealed.
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Yes, unless marked preliminary in nature, as stated above.
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No, because you were not in direct control and personal supervision of the engineering design work. There is no provision in the state laws or rules that allow an engineer to simply review and sign and seal the plans prepared by a non-licensee.
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All final engineering and land surveying papers or documents, including drawings, specifications, plans, reports, land surveys, plats, land descriptions, design information, construction documents, calculations, addenda, change orders, field orders and other documents of service involving the practice of engineering or land surveying. See OAC 245:15-17-1(a)
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Each separate document, the first page of a bound document, and in the case of multiple licensees, the portion of the work for which each firm is responsible, shall also show the name of the firm, the firm's Certificate of Authorization number, and the renewal date of the Certificate of Authorization.
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Land surveying documents produced by a firm shall bear the name, address, telephone number and Certificate of Authorization number of the firm issuing the document, along with the name, license number, seal, signature and date of signature of the surveyor.
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A licensee not practicing as or through a firm shall also include personal contact information to include address and phone number along with seal, signature and date of signature of the licensee. OAC 245: 15-17-2 (b).
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Yes, however the digital signature must be: a. Unique to the person using it; b. Capable of verification; and c. Under the sole responsibility and control of the licensee affixing it.
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Yes, but ONLY if it incorporates a scanned image of the licensee's original handwritten date. In this case, a licensee may scan their signature and date together and apply to a specific project. In no case may the licensee scan their original signature to be stored and used in lieu of a digital/electronic signature. NOTE: A digital signature having an electronic authentication process attached to or logically associated with the electronic document may also be used and does not need to include the handwritten date, but must be dated. In this instance, the digital signature shall be linked to a document in such a manner that the data in the document can be verified as being unaltered since the time that the digital signature was affixed.
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A successor licensee may correct or complete a project if the original licensee is unavailable to complete the work or the work is a site adaptation of a standard design plan. Examples of such situations could encompass a wide range of scenarios, such as the original licensee may have been terminated from the project by the owner or client; the original licensee may have retired, become incapacitated or deceased; the original licensee no longer works for the firm; or the firm contracted to perform the work may no longer be in business.
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A licensee shall perform or have responsible charge over all professional engineering or land surveying services to include development of a complete design file including work or design criteria, calculations, code research, field notes, and any necessary and appropriate changes to the work. The burden is on the successor licensee to demonstrate such compliance. The successor licensee shall perform sufficient review and calculation to ensure that all standards of practice required of licensees are met and shall take professional and legal responsibility for documents which he/she signs and seals.
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The original licensee's seal and signature shall not be removed by the successor licensee from the original work provided to the successor licensee by the client. Any work altered, completed, corrected, revised or added to shall have a seal, date and signature affixed by the successor licensee. The successor licensee shall clearly indicate on the work what alterations, additions, or deletions he/she has made and then becomes responsible for such changes to the original work including any effect or impact of those changes on the original work.
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No, but the work must clearly and accurately reflect the successor licensee's professional work.
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Yes. In the case of an existing structure, the engineering for modification to the existing structure and any of its systems shall be under the responsible charge of persons licensed in this state.
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A site adaptation shall not include a licensee taking responsible charge over work designed for construction on a specific site in this state that was prepared by a person not licensed in this state.
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The standard prototypical design plan must be marked "This document in preliminary in nature and is not a final, signed and sealed document." until such time as an Oklahoma licensee has taken responsible charge of the work and the work is dated and issued under the seal and signature of an Oklahoma licensee.
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No, this is deemed a drafting service and shall not be required to be dated, signed and sealed by a licensed engineer.
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No.
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No. The only time you would ever use an out of state seal on an Oklahoma project is if you hold a Temporary Permit in Oklahoma. In this case you would use the seal of the state on which the issuance of the Temporary Permit was based and directly under the seal the following information would be provided: Oklahoma Temporary Permit Number, Date of Issue, Date of Expiration, Signature of Holder.
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No, all surveying offices must have a professional land surveyor physically present in the workplace to provide direct control and personal supervision over any work in which that land surveyor is in responsible charge.
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No.
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Only when the professional land surveyor in direct control and supervision of the work is personally directing the crew and the work is performed concurrent with the supervision.
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Yes, as long as the engineer who signs and seals the work meets the following requirements. 1. The licensee supervises the preparation of the document and has input into the preparation of the final document prior to signing and sealing the work; 2. The licensee has the authority to make any necessary and appropriate changes to the final document; 3. An engineer who signs and seals work must be capable of answering questions as to the engineering decisions made during the work on the project in sufficient detail as to leave little doubt as to the engineer’s direct involvement in the project.
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No.
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Only when the professional engineer is personally directing the individual and the work is performed concurrent with the supervision.
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