Sealing drawings in another state: comity, out-of-state seals and the firm COA

Updated Sep 29, 2026. State counts come from SealBench’s rule tables, which cite each board and aren’t yet confirmed with the boards.

1. A license in the project’s state (comity)

Licenses don’t travel. An engineer licensed in Ohio can’t seal a Georgia sheet on the Ohio license; they need a Georgia license, usually by comity (also called endorsement). In our data, 6 jurisdictions require an NCEES Record for comity (Alaska, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nevada and Rhode Island); elsewhere it usually speeds things up. Filed isn’t issued: until the board issues the license, that engineer can’t seal there.

2. The right discipline

8 jurisdictions in our data tie sealing to the discipline on the license (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Vermont). The rest issue one PE license and expect engineers to seal only work within their competence. Separately, Hawaii and Illinois require a structural engineer license for structural work, and Alaska, California, Georgia, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington require one for some structures. See sealing outside your discipline.

3. Active on the issue date

A license that’s active today but expires before the set goes out doesn’t help. Check the license against the planned issue date, not today’s date. See what an expired license means for the firm.

4. The firm’s COA

37 of the 51 jurisdictions in our data expect an engineering firm to hold its own certificate of authorization or registration. Where one is required, a fully licensed engineer still can’t put the sheet out under an unregistered firm. Many COAs also depend on one named person; see COA and qualifier tracking.

The engineer of record

“Engineer of record” usually means the licensed engineer in responsible charge of a project’s engineering, who seals the documents. States define responsible charge and the seal rules in their own words, and a set with several disciplines may carry several seals. The seal is the person’s, not the firm’s: SealBench can suggest who may seal, but the licensed professional decides and applies it.

Check a whole set at once

Set Check takes one permit set in one state and gives each sheet a suggested sealer, or the reason nobody on your roster can seal it: a license in the project’s state, the right discipline, a license still active on the issue date, and the firm’s COA. Architectural sheets need an architect. The answer is saved as a dated PDF record. For a free first check, send one permit set and your roster.

For each state’s rules in a table, see who can seal drawings, by state, and the four checks in who can seal this sheet.

SealBench suggests who may seal each sheet and shows why. The licensed professional takes responsible charge and applies the seal. SealBench is not a law firm, does not give legal advice, and does not file anything with any board. Questions or corrections: support@sealbench.com.