New Jersey: Properly digitally signed surveys are only valid in electronic form. The moment it is printed, it needs a raised seal.
In the court case I referenced above, it was when during deposition the surveyor was asked, "Is this a copy of your survey?". The surveyor answering, "Yes", was all it took legally to tie the surveyor to the unsigned map. A surveyor of questionable integrity might have given the Hillary answer, "I can't recall", and been clear of any problems with the unsigned map.
The moment it is printed, it needs a raised seal.
Steven,
Logically it would seem this has to be the case in any state which allows "digital signature" on maps., since it is only in electronic form that the validity of the signature can be verified. On the printed map a human's handwriting can be investigated and likely verified to be his/hers especially in states (re Florida) where original signatures are required on non digitally signed maps. The "digital signature", since it is not an actual human's written signature, in printed form would provide no way to investigate the surveyor's handwriting in the case of repudiation (of the signature).
I don't think integrity has much to do with it. If I open autocad, start a new drawing and do a save-as naming it "Smith Property 2019" without even drawing a line I could answer the lawyer the same way. It seems absurd. However, if the lawyer was simply asking this stuff to establish who created the map before going on to establish whether it was signed or not then that's a different matter.
I would think questions in a courtroom would be highly technical. If asked "Is this a copy of your survey?" perhaps an appropriate answer would be "A survey is a process. That's a piece of paper. A piece of paper isn't a process."
Possible reworded question: "Does this piece of paper represent the results of your survey?"
Possible answer: "No, that's a draft. If it represented the results of my survey it would have been signed and sealed to show it was a final result."
It's threads like "After years of higher education, experience, and testing to achieve the status of a professional, how does your state regulate signing your name" that reinforce my decision to turn my back on "day to day" surveying and spend the last decade or so of my career in business development and management.?ÿ