In Ontario, shop drawings do not automatically need an engineer's stamp. The rule comes from the regulation under the Professional Engineers Act: a professional engineer must seal, sign and date any engineering document whose engineering content they prepared or took responsibility for. So shop drawings that include engineering design by the fabricator's engineer, such as delegated connections or a steel stair, carry that engineer's seal. Shop drawings that simply detail the engineer of record's design are usually not sealed. They're reviewed and stamped with a review stamp, which is a different thing.
The specification can also require sealed shop drawings, and when it does, that requirement governs your project.
Seal vs review stamp: two different marks
People say "stamped shop drawings" for two separate things, and mixing them up causes confusion on site.
| Professional engineer's seal | Shop drawing review stamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Who applies it | The engineer who prepared, or took responsibility for, engineering content in the drawing | The engineer of record or architect reviewing the submittal |
| What it means | The engineer takes professional responsibility for that engineering content | The reviewer has checked the drawing for general conformance with the design |
| Where it comes from | Ontario's regulation under the Professional Engineers Act | Contract practice and the specification |
| Typical content | The engineer's seal, signature and date | A status, the reviewer's initials, a date and a disclaimer |
A review stamp usually has check boxes like reviewed, reviewed as noted, revise and resubmit, or not reviewed. It almost always includes wording that the review is for general conformance with the design concept only, and that the contractor remains responsible for dimensions, quantities, fabrication methods, coordination with other trades and safe construction. If you're looking for a "shop drawing review stamp PDF", that's the mark you mean, and each firm uses its own wording.
What Ontario law says about sealing
Section 53 of Regulation 941 under the Professional Engineers Act sets out when an engineer must seal a document. In plain terms:
- An engineering document is a document (including a drawing, specification, plan, design or model, on paper or electronic) that contains engineering content and is intended for a purpose that involves professional engineering.
- An engineer must sign, date and seal an engineering document if they prepared its engineering content or otherwise assumed responsibility for part of it.
- If the engineer is responsible for only part of a document, the document has to show clearly which part.
- The intended purpose of the engineering content has to be stated on or in the document.
- An engineer must not seal a document that is incomplete or in draft form.
- Electronic seals and signatures are allowed, provided the seal image is legible and shows the licence number.
The Ontario Building Code points readers to Professional Engineers Ontario's guideline on the use of the engineer's seal for guidance on proper sealing. That guideline and the regulation are the place to go for edge cases.
When steel shop drawings carry a seal
Apply the regulation to typical structural steel work and a pattern appears.
Usually sealed:
- Delegated connection design. When the structural drawings give member forces and leave connection design to the fabricator, the fabricator's engineer designs the connections and seals the connection design, or the shop drawings that show it. See steel detailing services in Canada for how delegated design works.
- Components designed by the supplier, such as steel stairs, guards and some miscellaneous steel, where the architect's drawings show only the layout and the specification asks the supplier to design the structure. Our article on Ontario Building Code rules for steel stairs covers what those designs must meet.
- Temporary works designed by an engineer, such as erection bracing on larger frames.
Where design is delegated, the specification often asks for the calculations as well as the drawings, sealed by the same engineer. The engineer of record then reviews them to confirm the delegated design meets the loads and criteria they set, but responsibility for the delegated engineering stays with the engineer who sealed it.
Usually not sealed:
- Detailing only. If the engineer of record designed everything, including the connections, the shop drawings translate that design into fabrication information. No new engineering content is added, so there's nothing for a fabricator's engineer to take responsibility for. These drawings are reviewed rather than sealed.
- Draft or "issued for review" sets that are still being revised. Even where a seal is required in the end, an engineer can't seal an incomplete document.
The difference between shop drawings and fabrication drawings also matters here; see shop drawings vs fabrication drawings.
Rebar placing drawings
Reinforcing steel follows the same principles, with an industry practice that settles most questions. The RSIC Manual of Standard Practice notes that standard practice is for the fabricator not to provide a professional engineer's stamp on placing drawings prepared by the reinforcing steel detailer. The placing drawings show the quantity, length, mark, grade, location and spacing of the bars, all taken from the engineer's design. The engineer of record reviews them for conformance.
If your specification asks for sealed rebar drawings, raise it at the quote stage, since it changes the scope. For more on how placing drawings move through review, see rebar placement drawings: what contractors need and how to read rebar shop drawings.
Who can make shop drawings?
Shop drawings are prepared by detailers: steel detailers for structural steel and rebar detailers for reinforcing. They work for the fabricator or for an independent detailing firm. Drafting shop drawings doesn't require a professional engineering licence, but two lines must not be crossed:
- A detailer can't design structural elements or connections. If the drawings need engineering decisions that the structural drawings don't give, the detailer sends a question (an RFI) to the engineer of record, or the work goes to a licensed engineer under delegated design.
- Nobody can seal drawings except the licensed engineer who prepared or took responsibility for their engineering content.
What this means for your project
- Read the specification. It will say whether connection design is delegated and whether shop drawings, or calculations, must be sealed. That requirement is part of your contract.
- Settle connection design before pricing. It's the single biggest reason one fabricator's quote includes an engineer and another's doesn't.
- Don't treat a review stamp as approval of everything. It records a review for general conformance. Dimensions, fit and coordination stay with the contractor and fabricator.
- Don't fabricate from unreviewed drawings. Changes after fabrication cost far more than a short wait for review.
- For permit questions, ask your building department and designer what must be submitted. On engineered jobs, the sealed structural design is what supports the permit, and the engineer's general review checks that construction conforms to it.
Shop drawings and engineering at Procut
Procut Steel prepares shop drawings in-house, and engineering services are available for projects that need them, such as delegated connection design. Tell us what your specification requires for review and sealing when you send your drawings, and we'll include it in the scope we price. Send us your structural or architectural drawings and we'll prepare a detailed take-off and quote, free of charge.
Request a quote, or see our shop drawing, engineering and fabrication services.
Frequently asked questions
Do shop drawings need to be stamped by an engineer in Ontario?
Not always. A professional engineer must seal documents containing engineering they prepared or took responsibility for, such as connections or stairs designed by the fabricator's engineer. Shop drawings that only detail the engineer of record's design are usually not sealed, unless the specification asks for it.
What is a shop drawing review stamp?
It is the mark the engineer of record or architect puts on submitted shop drawings to record the result of their review, such as reviewed, reviewed as noted, or revise and resubmit. It is not a professional seal, and it normally says the contractor stays responsible for dimensions, quantities and coordination.
Who can make shop drawings?
Steel detailers and rebar detailers, working for the fabricator or for a detailing firm. Drafting shop drawings doesn't require an engineering licence, but any engineering design shown on them, such as delegated connection design, has to be done by a licensed engineer.
Are rebar placing drawings stamped by an engineer?
Normally not. The RSIC Manual of Standard Practice notes that standard industry practice is for the fabricator not to provide a professional engineer's stamp on placing drawings prepared by the reinforcing steel detailer. The engineer of record reviews them instead.
