1E-1: Certification of Plans

All official plans are to be certified according to the requirements set forth by the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board.  The official plan is the final plan submitted to the Contracts and Specifications Bureau for letting.

A professional engineer or other licensed professional must certify every sheet in a plan.  This is done by indicating on the signature block which sheet numbers are covered by the professional’s seal.

Primary Signature Block

The primary signature block (see Figure 1) is placed on the title sheet and should contain:

• The seal of the engineer who is in overall charge of the project’s design. This engineer will normally be the Design Projects Engineer or Assistant for projects designed by the Department, and for projects designed by consultants, an engineer designated by the consulting firm as being in responsible charge of the design.

• The engineer’s signature and the date.

• The engineer’s name, printed or typed.

• The engineer’s license renewal date.

• The sheet numbers that are covered by the engineer’s seal.

Figure 1:   The primary signature block is placed on the title sheet.  Sheet numbers listed are those covered by the engineer’s seal.

Other Signature Blocks

Parts of the plan that are designed under the direction of other licensed professionals should have separate signature blocks that relate to their part of the project (see Figure 2).  These signature blocks are placed on the first plan sheet that is covered by the licensed professionals’ seals.  Each signature block should list the sheet numbers that are covered by the licensed professional’s seal.

 

Attention Required

	Plan information prepared under the direction of separate licensees should not be placed on the same sheet.  In other words, two licensed professionals should not be responsible for the same plan sheet.

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A separate signature block should not be used on sheet C.01, even if the quantity estimates were checked primarily by another licensed engineer. The Roadway Design block is used for sheets related to road design that are included in other types of projects (such as bridge projects).

Figure 2: Separate signature blocks are used for parts of the plan designed under the direction of other licensed professionals.

Index of Seals

If parts of the plan are being certified by other licensed professionals, the title sheet should also contain an index of seals.  This is a tabulation that identifies the sheet number where any other signature blocks are located, as well as the licensee’s name and area of design (see Figure 3).

Figure 3:   The index of seals is included on the title sheet if there are other signature blocks in the plan.  If there are revisions, the include the revision sheet number(s) in the index.

Plan Revisions

See Section 1E-3 for information on when plan revisions are required.

When sheets are revised or new sheets are added, place the signature block of the licensed professional in charge of the revision on the first sheet.  Signature blocks for revisions should be filled out in the same manner as the other blocks, with the revised sheet numbers listed that are covered by the seal.

If there is more than one plan revision, a different revision sheet should be used each time.

The sheet number of the revision sheet(s) should also be included in the index of seals on the original title sheet (see Figure 3).

Chronology of Changes