A PE stamp is the seal of a Professional Engineer licensed by a state board. When it appears on a drawing along with a signature and date, it means that engineer prepared or directly reviewed the work and takes professional responsibility for it. Building departments treat the seal as the assurance that the design was checked by a qualified, accountable professional.

You need them whenever the building department says so — and they usually say so when the work affects structure, life safety or occupancy. Typical triggers include removing a load-bearing wall, adding floor or roof loads, new foundations, retaining walls, decks above a certain height, solar arrays, commercial fit-outs and any change of use.

Both are sealed by a licensed professional; the difference is the licence. Engineers seal engineering design — structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, civil — and in most states may also seal building plans for single-family and light commercial work. Certain building types and jurisdictions require an architect’s seal. We tell you which applies to your project before you order.

Only after review. State boards prohibit sealing work you did not prepare or supervise without a thorough review. In practice we check the engineering, redo any calculations that are missing or wrong, mark up what must change, and then seal the corrected set.

Single sealed letters are often same-day or next-day. A structural sheet with calculations typically takes one to three business days. Full permit sets run five to ten business days. Every quote carries a committed delivery date.

Price follows scope. A single-condition engineering letter is the lowest tier, a structural sheet with calculations sits in the middle, and a coordinated architectural, structural and MEP permit set is priced as a package. All quotes are fixed before work begins and include responses to plan-review comments.

The project address, a description of the work, and whatever documentation exists — photos, a sketch, an old survey, existing plans, or the city’s plan-review comments. We identify anything else that is needed at quote stage.

Usually not, and usually not necessary. Clear photographs and dimensions cover most residential scopes. Where a condition cannot be verified remotely, we note the field-verification requirement directly on the drawings so the inspector knows what to confirm.

In nearly all U.S. jurisdictions, yes — and many now require electronic submittal. If your department still wants wet-signed originals, say so at quote stage and we will arrange it.

You forward the comments and we respond in writing, revise the affected sheets, and re-issue them sealed at no additional cost when the comments concern our scope. Changes you initiate are quoted as a revision.

Yes. Sealed calculation packages are included whenever the scope or the jurisdiction requires them, showing design criteria, load takedown, member checks and demand-capacity ratios.

All 50. Every project is matched to an engineer holding an active licence in the state where the work is being built, and designed to that jurisdiction’s adopted code edition and amendments.

Yes. Live chat connects you to our team during working hours, and once your project is underway you have direct email access to the engineer responsible for your set.

Yes. Contractors, solar installers and design firms with recurring work get standing pricing, a consistent point of contact and faster turnaround on repeat scopes.