The Proper Use of New York Professional Seals

Randall W. Whitesides, P.E.

Course Outline

The sealing and certification of technical documents can be deceptively complex. For example, certain work products of the professions may require qualifying statements; in special circumstances, sealing work products prepared by other professionals may be lawful; and professional practice overlap may be problematic with regards to sealing. The New York licensed professional is required to be knowledgeable of these and many other sealing and certifying specifics. This course assembles the various rules and regulations related to this subject.

This course includes a multiple choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this two-hour course, the student will learn that

• The sealing and certification process is strictly controlled and at the same time subject to change;
• Overlap or common practice activities among the professions exists and must be appropriately conducted;
• There are incorrect methods for sealing and signing technical documents;
• Qualified and special certifications are sometimes required;
• Certain types of projects are exempt from the sealing regulations;
• Exemptions are subject to revision and can be superseded by other authority.
  
  

Intended Audience

The course content is applicable to all of the New York design professions because the State's acceptable sealing protocol is very consistent across disciplines. References and examples are primarily given for Architects and Engineers, and to a lesser extent licensed Land Surveyors. Registered Landscape Architects are covered to the extent that their practice relates to the other professions. The course material is limited to New York laws and practices. However, there is remarkable similarity in the laws among the various States. This is because most States closely adhere to model laws and model rules adopted by the national affiliations. Therefore, professional practitioners licensed in other States may find this course content informative and useful.

Benefits for Attendees

This course will review the various aspects of the sealing and certification process for technical documents. Students of this course will find, in a single presentation, an integration of this subject, which is normally jointly covered in numerous State Articles, State Rules, and Board practice guidelines.

Course Content

The course content is in a PDF file (582 KB) NewYorkSeals.pdf.

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study.

Additional Resources

A comprehensive list of New York regulatory agencies and national non-profit consensus organizations, including their websites, is offered in the main course content under the heading Additional Resources. These are the resources the student should use to obtain excellent supplemental information on the legally correct methods of sealing and certification of technical documents. These resources should be continually consulted to insure up-to-date information.

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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