Signing & Sealing — A 2025 Field Guide for Florida’s Professional Engineers

By Veronica Bayó Clifford, Esq., Grossman, Furlow & Bayó, LLC

Signing, dating and sealing your work isn’t just paperwork; it is the moment you tell building officials, clients and the public, I stand behind these plans. Florida gives engineers three recognized ways to convey that message, and once you understand what each path really asks of you, the procedure feels much less complicated.

THE CLASSIC ROUTE - Pen, Ink and a Physical Seal (§ 61G15-23.003)

If you prefer the traditional approach, place a handwritten signature, the date and your raised or stamped seal on every sheet that lies within your scope of responsibility. Scanned, copied or “pasted-in” signatures do not count, and the paper originals—not any scanned convenience copy—remain the legal “signed and sealed” set.

This method remains explicitly recognized under State rules, and although most Florida building departments will still accept properly sealed paper originals, nearly all now prefer electronic files for storage.

DIGITAL SIGNING — Third-Party Verification with a Single Click (§61G15-23.004)

A certification authority, the online equivalent of a notary, vets your identity and issues a password-protected digital certificate file. Drop that certificate onto the first page of your PDF and the software locks the document, so any later tweak breaks the seal. Reviewers appreciate the added certainty, and many Florida jurisdictions now list digitally sealed PDFs as their preferred, though not exclusive, submittal format.

When you use this route, remember two small details that help prevent red tags: place the required disclaimer box (“This item has been digitally signed and sealed by…”) somewhere visible on each sheet, and wait to lock the file until the moment you sign so reviewers can still add comments.

FIVE KEY TAKE-AWAYS FROM RULE 61G15-23.004, F.A.C.

A digital seal carries the same legal weight as ink. Subsections (1) and (2) of the Rule confirm that a compliant digital signature is the full equivalent of a handwritten signature and embossed seal.

Printed copies of digitally signed plans are not sealed. A printed copy breaks the digital link and therefore is not considered signed and sealed unless the engineer adds a traditional ink signature and seal.

Multi-engineer projects require precise responsibility language. The rule requires each licensee on a shared document to spell out exactly which sheets or calculation sets fall under their seal; blanket language remains insufficient.

FBPE strongly urges hardware or multifactor protection. While not mandated in the text, Board workshops and many permitting portals recommend storing the private key on a USB token, smart card, or equivalent secure device to satisfy the rule’s “sole control” requirement.

Always retain the locked PDF alongside project records. Although the rule does not spell out audit-trail retention, FBPE guidance and Rule 61G15-30.009 on document retention make clear that the digitally signed file itself is part of the record set you must keep for at least three years.

ELECTRONIC SIGNING — The SHA “Signature Report” (§ 61G15-23.005)

Some clients or agencies still ask for the older electronic method. To comply, convert the project into a single PDF, run a free SHA generator to create a unique code, list that code— and every file name it covers— in a signature report, and then hand-sign, date and seal that report before transmitting both the PDF and the report together. Again, keep in mind that a paper print-out of an electronically signed document is not considered signed and sealed.

EVERYDAY HABITS THAT PREVENT HEADACHES

Seasoned engineers share a handful of golden rules. They label drafts clearly, so no one mistakes preliminary plans for a final deliverable. They reserve the language of §61G15-23.004 for a genuine digital certificate and use §61G15-23.005 terminology only when the hash-and-report workflow applies, because mixing labels and methods is a quick ticket to rejection. On shared projects they add a concise parenthetical— “Sheets E-1–E-12,” for example—next to each seal so responsibilities are unmistakable.

They archive the locked PDF (or the SHA file plus its report) alongside any paper originals for the full statutory minimum retention period of three years and echoed in FBPE guidance. And, finally, they ask the authority having jurisdiction about its preferred format before hitting “Submit,” because local quirks still abound. See also Florida Board of Professional Engineers, Signing and Sealing Tips & Tricks (rev. 2024). Seasoned engineers share a handful of golden rules. They label drafts clearly, so no one mistakes preliminary plans for a final deliverable. They reserve the language of §61G15-23.004 for a genuine digital certificate and use §61G15-23.005 terminology only when the hash-and-report workflow applies, because mixing labels and methods is a quick ticket to rejection. On shared projects they add a concise parenthetical— “Sheets E-1–E-12,” for example—next to each seal so responsibilities are unmistakable. If the answer to all three is yes, your plans will usually glide through the inbox without delay—no cryptography degree required.

THE TAKE-AWAY

For most projects, the practical flow boils down to three checks. First, is the document final? If so, sign, date and seal it. Second, which format does the submission portal demand—hand, digital or electronic—and are you following the rule that matches that format, and only that rule? Third, can a reviewer recognize at a glance who is responsible for each part of the work?

Quick Rule Reference

For convenience, see § 61G15-23.001 (documents that must be signed and sealed); § 61G15-23.003 (physical signing procedure); § 61G15-23.004 (digital signing procedure); and § 61G15-23.005 (electronic signing procedure). All citations refer to the Florida Administrative Code as amended through 22 April 2025