diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index fd2c10c..e019023 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 20. [Known Constraints & Hard Rules](#20-known-constraints--hard-rules)
 21. [Change Philosophy](#21-change-philosophy)
 22. [Object Storage Migration (R2)](#22-object-storage-migration-r2)
+23. [Photo Capture-Time / Geo Overlay](#23-photo-capture-time--geo-overlay)
 
 ---
 
@@ -163,6 +164,7 @@ part of the tree — see §7. Device registration on the API side lives in
 | `REDIS_URL` | Optional. When set, Flask-Limiter uses Redis for shared rate-limit counters across Gunicorn workers. |
 | `GROQ_API_KEY` | Optional. When set, enables the AI chatbot at `/support/chat`. Absent → chat input disabled; customers see a "Submit to Support" fallback only. |
 | `GROQ_MODEL` | Optional. Groq model ID. Defaults to `llama-3.3-70b-versatile`. |
+| `PHOTO_STAMP_ENABLED` | Optional, default `true`. Burns a capture-time + geo overlay into photos uploaded via `POST /api/v1/photos/upload`. Set `false` to store raw uploads. |
 
 ### Email SSL Auto-Detection
 
@@ -577,7 +579,7 @@ The last eight styles (`SummaryTitle` through `TableCell`) were added for the fa
 | `POST /api/v1/inspections` | jwt_required | Create inspection; idempotent via `mobile_local_id` |
 | `PATCH /api/v1/inspections/<id>` | jwt_required | Update inspection (draft → completed) |
 | `POST /api/v1/issues` | jwt_required | Create issue; idempotent via `mobile_local_id`; accepts `result_photos` list stored in `mobile_photo_paths` |
-| `POST /api/v1/photos/upload` | jwt_required | Multipart photo upload; returns `server_path` |
+| `POST /api/v1/photos/upload` | jwt_required | Multipart photo upload; returns `server_path`, `stamped`, `captured_at`, `capture_source`. Optional form fields `captured_at` (ISO-8601), `latitude`, `longitude` drive the burned-in timestamp/geo overlay — see §23. |
 
 ### Phase C Endpoints
 
@@ -1351,6 +1353,7 @@ timeout = 30
 | 78 | **`PATCH /api/v1/issues/<id>/handler` allows the inspector on purpose — do NOT align it to the web form's admin/director/PM restriction** | The iPad lets the assigned inspector set "Handled By" from the field, scoped via `get_inspector_scope()` (403 if the issue's facility isn't contracted). This is a deliberate divergence from the web form. `_issue_payload()` must keep returning all handler fields (`handler_type`, `handler_label`, `facility_handler_*`, `vendor_*`, `internal_handler_name`, `internal_handler_contact`) or the iPad's "Handled By" panel silently blanks — same failure mode as rule 40. |
 | 79 | **`auditor` = `project_manager` access + issue management, minus delete — keep the two decorators distinct** | Auditor is added to `@project_manager_required` (PM baseline) and to every `project_manager` role check in routes/templates. Its *extra* issue powers (verify/bulk-verify/verification-queue) go through the separate `@issue_manager_required` (admin/director/auditor). Issue **delete** stays `@supervisor_required` — never add auditor there. When adding a new PM-level gate, include `auditor`; when adding a director-only or delete-level gate, do not. The three issue **delete** template gates (spaced `['admin', 'director']` in `issues/list.html` + `issues/view.html`) are deliberately left without auditor. Auditor is also in the `_ALLOWED_ROLES` set of every `app/api/*` module — a **new** API blueprint's `_ALLOWED_ROLES` must include `auditor` for PM parity. |
 | 80 | **Assignee dropdowns are `director`/`inspector`/`auditor` (admin removed, auditor added)** | The issue/inspection assignee `<select>`s query `User.role.in_([...])` — admin was removed and auditor added (the inspection flag-issue list also keeps `project_manager`). These lists control who can be *assigned*, distinct from who can *edit*. The issue-update route (`issues.view`) defensively appends any current `assigned_to` who is not in the set (e.g. a legacy admin assignment) to `form.assigned_to.choices` so saving the form never silently unassigns them. Do not remove that guard. |
+| 81 | **Photo timestamp/geo overlay is burned at UPLOAD, never on `PATCH /issues/<id>/photos`** | That PATCH receives only path strings — the bytes are already in storage and the payload carries no capture metadata. Burning there would need a read-modify-write per key plus an overwrite-in-place primitive (`storage.save()` mints a NEW uuid key, and §22 requires key == DB path), and would risk a **double burn** since the endpoint is deliberately idempotent/retry-safe (rule 45). Stamp in `POST /photos/upload`, where the raw bytes + EXIF are in hand and each call writes exactly one already-stamped object. Stamping failures must always fall back to storing the ORIGINAL bytes — never lose a photo to a stamping bug. See §23. |
 
 ---
 
@@ -1455,3 +1458,35 @@ timeout = 30
 
 ### Rollback (any phase after cutover)
 - [ ] `STORAGE_BACKEND=local` → restart. Instant revert; local files were never touched.
+
+---
+
+## 23. Photo Capture-Time / Geo Overlay
+
+**Goal:** evidence photos carry a visible, tamper-evident record of *when* and *where* they were taken. Implemented in `app/utils/photo_stamp.py`, applied in `POST /api/v1/photos/upload`.
+
+**Why upload-time and not `PATCH /issues/<id>/photos`** (rule 81): that PATCH only receives path strings — the bytes are already stored and it carries no capture metadata. Stamping there would require a read-modify-write per key, a new overwrite-in-place storage primitive (`storage.save()` mints a new uuid key; §22 requires key == DB path), and would risk a **double burn** on retry since the endpoint is intentionally idempotent (rule 45). At upload the raw bytes and camera EXIF are in hand and exactly one already-stamped object is written.
+
+### Metadata resolution order
+1. **Client fields** — `captured_at` (ISO-8601, offsets and `Z` accepted), `latitude`, `longitude` multipart form fields. Preferred: the app is offline-first, so a photo taken at 09:14 may not sync until 16:00 — only the client knows the true capture moment.
+2. **EXIF** — `DateTimeOriginal` → `DateTimeDigitized` → `DateTime`; GPS from the GPS IFD (DMS rationals → signed decimal, honouring N/S/E/W refs).
+3. **Server receipt time** — last resort, no geo.
+
+`resolve_metadata()` returns `(dt, lat, lng, source)` where `source` ∈ `client|exif|server`; it is echoed back as `capture_source` in the response and logged, so you can tell how much to trust a given stamp.
+
+### Rendering
+- Translucent black bar across the bottom; line 1 `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS EDT`, line 2 `lat, lng` (omitted when unknown).
+- Font/padding scale off the image's **short edge**, so portrait and landscape look the same. TrueType is probed at the usual Linux/Windows paths with a graceful fall back to Pillow's default.
+- White text with a 1px dark outline stays legible over bright surfaces.
+- **`ImageOps.exif_transpose()` runs before drawing** — the re-encode drops EXIF, so without it an iPhone photo would come out visibly rotated and the bar would land on the wrong edge.
+- JPEG (q88) and PNG are stamped; **GIF and anything else passes through untouched** rather than risking a broken re-encode.
+
+### Hard guarantees
+- **Never lose a photo.** Every failure path (corrupt bytes, unsupported format, missing Pillow, font problems) returns the ORIGINAL bytes with `stamped: False` and logs a warning — it never raises.
+- **No storage/schema change.** `stamp_file_storage()` returns a `werkzeug` `FileStorage` with the same filename/content-type, so `storage.save()` derives the same key and both the `local` and `s3` backends work unchanged.
+- Toggle with `PHOTO_STAMP_ENABLED=false` (default `true`) to store raw uploads.
+
+### Not covered (deliberate)
+- Web-form uploads (`_save_photo` in `routes/inspections.py`) are **not** stamped — browsers rarely supply reliable capture/GPS metadata. The helper is reusable if that changes.
+- Only the stamped image is stored; no pristine original is retained. Since the burn happens *before* the first write, nothing stored is ever destroyed.
+- EXIF is not re-written into the output (the overlay is the record). Add it here if a machine-readable copy is ever needed.
diff --git a/app/api/photos.py b/app/api/photos.py
index 394323d..a212677 100644
--- a/app/api/photos.py
+++ b/app/api/photos.py
@@ -47,13 +47,26 @@ def upload_photo():
     ---------------------
     file        — binary image data (jpg / png / gif)
     entity_type — "inspection" | "issue" | "issue_result"  (controls subfolder)
+    captured_at — OPTIONAL ISO-8601 capture time (e.g. 2026-07-20T09:14:22-04:00)
+    latitude    — OPTIONAL decimal degrees at capture
+    longitude   — OPTIONAL decimal degrees at capture
+
+    A capture-time + geo overlay is burned into the image before it is stored
+    (see app/utils/photo_stamp.py). Metadata is taken from the client fields
+    above, falling back to the image's EXIF, then to server receipt time.
+    Sending captured_at/latitude/longitude is strongly preferred for an
+    offline-first client: a photo taken at 09:14 but synced at 16:00 would
+    otherwise be stamped with the sync time.
 
     Response 200
     ------------
     {
         "ok": true,
         "data": {
-            "server_path": "uploads/inspection_photos/abc123.jpg"
+            "server_path": "uploads/inspection_photos/abc123.jpg",
+            "stamped": true,
+            "captured_at": "2026-07-20T09:14:22",
+            "capture_source": "client"
         }
     }
     """
@@ -85,12 +98,35 @@ def upload_photo():
     else:
         subfolder = 'inspection_photos'
 
+    # Burn the capture-time + geo overlay before the bytes are ever stored, so
+    # exactly one (already-stamped) object is written and nothing has to be
+    # read back out of R2. Any stamping failure returns the original bytes.
+    meta = {'stamped': False, 'captured_at': None, 'source': None}
+    if current_app.config.get('PHOTO_STAMP_ENABLED', True):
+        from app.utils.photo_stamp import stamp_file_storage
+        file_obj, meta = stamp_file_storage(
+            file_obj,
+            captured_at = request.form.get('captured_at'),
+            latitude    = request.form.get('latitude'),
+            longitude   = request.form.get('longitude'),
+        )
+
     # Write via the active storage backend (local disk or R2). Key format
     # 'uploads/<subfolder>/<uuid>.<ext>' is unchanged across backends.
     from app.utils import storage
     server_path = storage.save(file_obj, subfolder)
 
-    logger.info('API PHOTOS | uploaded | entity_type=%s | path=%s | user=%s',
-                entity_type, server_path, user.username)
+    logger.info(
+        'API PHOTOS | uploaded | entity_type=%s | path=%s | user=%s | '
+        'stamped=%s | capture_source=%s',
+        entity_type, server_path, user.username,
+        meta.get('stamped'), meta.get('source'),
+    )
 
-    return api_ok({'server_path': server_path})
\ No newline at end of file
+    captured_at = meta.get('captured_at')
+    return api_ok({
+        'server_path':    server_path,
+        'stamped':        bool(meta.get('stamped')),
+        'captured_at':    captured_at.isoformat() if captured_at else None,
+        'capture_source': meta.get('source'),
+    })
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/utils/photo_stamp.py b/app/utils/photo_stamp.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7abc8e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/utils/photo_stamp.py
@@ -0,0 +1,332 @@
+"""
+app/utils/photo_stamp.py
+------------------------
+Burn a capture-time + geolocation overlay into uploaded evidence photos.
+
+Applied at UPLOAD time (``app/api/photos.py``) rather than on
+``PATCH /issues/<id>/photos``. At upload the raw bytes and any camera EXIF are
+in hand, so nothing has to be read back out of R2, and each upload writes
+exactly one already-stamped object. That also keeps stamping clear of the
+retry/double-burn hazard the PATCH endpoint would have — it is deliberately
+idempotent and re-runnable (CLAUDE.md rule 45), so burning there could stack a
+second bar onto an already-stamped image.
+
+Metadata resolution order
+-------------------------
+1. Client-supplied ``captured_at`` / ``latitude`` / ``longitude`` — most
+   reliable for an offline-first app: the iPad knows when and where the shot
+   was taken even if it syncs hours later.
+2. The image's own EXIF ``DateTimeOriginal`` / ``GPSInfo``.
+3. Server receipt time (last resort; no geo).
+
+FAILURE POLICY
+--------------
+Stamping must never cost us the photo. Every failure path falls back to
+storing the original bytes unmodified — an unstamped photo beats a lost one.
+"""
+
+import io
+import logging
+from datetime import datetime
+
+import pytz
+
+from app.utils.time_utils import EASTERN, now_eastern
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+# Only these are stamped. GIF (possibly animated) and anything exotic passes
+# through untouched rather than risking a broken re-encode.
+_STAMPABLE_FORMATS = {'JPEG', 'PNG'}
+
+# Candidate TrueType fonts, in preference order. Pillow does not reliably ship
+# a TTF, and the bitmap default is unreadably small on a 4000px photo, so we
+# probe the usual Linux locations and degrade gracefully.
+_FONT_CANDIDATES = (
+    '/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu/DejaVuSans-Bold.ttf',
+    '/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu/DejaVuSans.ttf',
+    '/usr/share/fonts/truetype/liberation/LiberationSans-Bold.ttf',
+    '/usr/share/fonts/truetype/freefont/FreeSansBold.ttf',
+    'C:/Windows/Fonts/arialbd.ttf',
+    'C:/Windows/Fonts/arial.ttf',
+)
+
+_EXIF_DATETIME_ORIGINAL = 36867   # 0x9003
+_EXIF_DATETIME_DIGITIZED = 36868  # 0x9004
+_EXIF_DATETIME = 306              # 0x0132
+_EXIF_GPS_IFD = 34853             # 0x8825
+
+
+# ── Font ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def _load_font(size):
+    """Return a TrueType font at *size*, or Pillow's bitmap default."""
+    from PIL import ImageFont
+    for path in _FONT_CANDIDATES:
+        try:
+            return ImageFont.truetype(path, size)
+        except Exception:
+            continue
+    try:
+        # Pillow >= 9.2 can scale the default font.
+        return ImageFont.load_default(size=size)
+    except Exception:
+        return ImageFont.load_default()
+
+
+# ── Metadata extraction ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def _parse_client_datetime(value):
+    """Parse a client ISO-8601 timestamp into naive Eastern, or None.
+
+    Accepts offsets and a trailing 'Z'. An offset-aware value is converted to
+    Eastern; a naive value is taken as already-Eastern wall time.
+    """
+    if not value:
+        return None
+    text = str(value).strip()
+    if not text:
+        return None
+    if text.endswith(('Z', 'z')):
+        text = text[:-1] + '+00:00'
+    try:
+        dt = datetime.fromisoformat(text)
+    except ValueError:
+        return None
+    if dt.tzinfo is not None:
+        dt = dt.astimezone(EASTERN).replace(tzinfo=None)
+    return dt
+
+
+def _parse_exif_datetime(raw):
+    """Parse an EXIF 'YYYY:MM:DD HH:MM:SS' string into a naive datetime."""
+    if not raw:
+        return None
+    try:
+        return datetime.strptime(str(raw).strip(), '%Y:%m:%d %H:%M:%S')
+    except (ValueError, TypeError):
+        return None
+
+
+def _exif_datetime(exif):
+    """Best available capture time from EXIF, or None."""
+    if not exif:
+        return None
+    for tag in (_EXIF_DATETIME_ORIGINAL, _EXIF_DATETIME_DIGITIZED, _EXIF_DATETIME):
+        dt = _parse_exif_datetime(exif.get(tag))
+        if dt:
+            return dt
+    return None
+
+
+def _dms_to_decimal(dms, ref):
+    """Convert EXIF degrees/minutes/seconds rationals to signed decimal."""
+    try:
+        deg, minutes, seconds = (float(x) for x in dms)
+    except (TypeError, ValueError):
+        return None
+    value = deg + minutes / 60.0 + seconds / 3600.0
+    if str(ref).upper().strip() in ('S', 'W'):
+        value = -value
+    return value
+
+
+def _exif_gps(exif):
+    """Return (lat, lng) decimal degrees from EXIF GPSInfo, or (None, None)."""
+    if not exif:
+        return (None, None)
+    try:
+        gps = exif.get_ifd(_EXIF_GPS_IFD)
+    except Exception:
+        gps = None
+    if not gps:
+        return (None, None)
+    # 1/2 = LatitudeRef/Latitude, 3/4 = LongitudeRef/Longitude
+    lat = _dms_to_decimal(gps.get(2), gps.get(1)) if gps.get(2) and gps.get(1) else None
+    lng = _dms_to_decimal(gps.get(4), gps.get(3)) if gps.get(4) and gps.get(3) else None
+    return (lat, lng)
+
+
+def _coerce_coord(value):
+    """Parse a coordinate to float, rejecting out-of-range/garbage values."""
+    if value is None or value == '':
+        return None
+    try:
+        num = float(value)
+    except (TypeError, ValueError):
+        return None
+    if num != num or abs(num) > 180:      # NaN or impossible
+        return None
+    return num
+
+
+def resolve_metadata(exif, captured_at=None, latitude=None, longitude=None):
+    """Resolve (capture_dt, lat, lng, source) from client fields then EXIF.
+
+    ``source`` is one of 'client', 'exif', or 'server' and describes where the
+    *timestamp* came from — useful for logging and for judging trust later.
+    """
+    dt = _parse_client_datetime(captured_at)
+    source = 'client' if dt else None
+
+    lat = _coerce_coord(latitude)
+    lng = _coerce_coord(longitude)
+
+    if dt is None:
+        dt = _exif_datetime(exif)
+        source = 'exif' if dt else None
+
+    if lat is None or lng is None:
+        ex_lat, ex_lng = _exif_gps(exif)
+        lat = lat if lat is not None else ex_lat
+        lng = lng if lng is not None else ex_lng
+
+    if dt is None:
+        dt = now_eastern()
+        source = 'server'
+
+    return dt, lat, lng, source
+
+
+# ── Overlay rendering ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def _tz_abbrev(dt):
+    """EDT/EST label for a naive Eastern datetime."""
+    try:
+        return EASTERN.localize(dt).strftime('%Z')
+    except Exception:
+        return 'ET'
+
+
+def _overlay_lines(dt, lat, lng):
+    """Text lines for the overlay bar."""
+    lines = [f"{dt.strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')} {_tz_abbrev(dt)}"]
+    if lat is not None and lng is not None:
+        lines.append(f'{lat:.5f}, {lng:.5f}')
+    return lines
+
+
+def _draw_overlay(img, lines):
+    """Draw a translucent bar with *lines* across the bottom of *img*."""
+    from PIL import Image, ImageDraw
+
+    if img.mode not in ('RGB', 'RGBA'):
+        img = img.convert('RGB')
+
+    width, height = img.size
+    # Scale everything off the short edge so portrait and landscape match.
+    base = min(width, height)
+    font_size = max(14, int(base * 0.035))
+    pad = max(8, int(base * 0.018))
+    font = _load_font(font_size)
+
+    draw = ImageDraw.Draw(img)
+
+    # Measure the block.
+    heights, widths = [], []
+    for line in lines:
+        box = draw.textbbox((0, 0), line, font=font)
+        widths.append(box[2] - box[0])
+        heights.append(box[3] - box[1])
+    line_gap = max(2, int(font_size * 0.25))
+    text_h = sum(heights) + line_gap * (len(lines) - 1)
+    bar_h = text_h + pad * 2
+
+    # Translucent black bar, composited so it works on RGB too.
+    bar = Image.new('RGBA', (width, bar_h), (0, 0, 0, 150))
+    if img.mode == 'RGBA':
+        img.alpha_composite(bar, (0, height - bar_h))
+    else:
+        img.paste(Image.alpha_composite(
+            img.crop((0, height - bar_h, width, height)).convert('RGBA'), bar
+        ).convert('RGB'), (0, height - bar_h))
+
+    draw = ImageDraw.Draw(img)
+    y = height - bar_h + pad
+    for line, h in zip(lines, heights):
+        # Thin dark outline keeps the text legible over a bright photo.
+        for dx, dy in ((-1, 0), (1, 0), (0, -1), (0, 1)):
+            draw.text((pad + dx, y + dy), line, font=font, fill=(0, 0, 0))
+        draw.text((pad, y), line, font=font, fill=(255, 255, 255))
+        y += h + line_gap
+
+    return img
+
+
+# ── Public API ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def stamp_image_bytes(data, captured_at=None, latitude=None, longitude=None):
+    """Burn the capture-time/geo overlay into *data*.
+
+    Returns ``(out_bytes, meta)``. On any failure — unsupported format, corrupt
+    image, missing Pillow — returns the ORIGINAL bytes with ``meta['stamped']``
+    False rather than raising, so an upload is never lost to a stamping bug.
+    """
+    meta = {'stamped': False, 'captured_at': None, 'latitude': None,
+            'longitude': None, 'source': None}
+    try:
+        from PIL import Image, ImageOps
+
+        img = Image.open(io.BytesIO(data))
+        fmt = (img.format or '').upper()
+
+        try:
+            exif = img.getexif()
+        except Exception:
+            exif = None
+
+        dt, lat, lng, source = resolve_metadata(exif, captured_at, latitude, longitude)
+        meta.update({'captured_at': dt, 'latitude': lat,
+                     'longitude': lng, 'source': source})
+
+        if fmt not in _STAMPABLE_FORMATS:
+            logger.info('PHOTO STAMP | skipped unsupported format=%s', fmt or '?')
+            return data, meta
+
+        # Honour the camera's EXIF orientation BEFORE drawing, otherwise the
+        # bar lands on a rotated edge and the re-encode (which drops EXIF)
+        # would leave the photo visibly rotated versus the original.
+        img = ImageOps.exif_transpose(img)
+
+        img = _draw_overlay(img, _overlay_lines(dt, lat, lng))
+
+        out = io.BytesIO()
+        if fmt == 'JPEG':
+            if img.mode != 'RGB':
+                img = img.convert('RGB')
+            img.save(out, format='JPEG', quality=88, optimize=True)
+        else:
+            img.save(out, format='PNG', optimize=True)
+
+        meta['stamped'] = True
+        return out.getvalue(), meta
+
+    except Exception as exc:                                   # never lose a photo
+        logger.warning('PHOTO STAMP | failed, storing original: %s', exc)
+        return data, meta
+
+
+def stamp_file_storage(file_obj, captured_at=None, latitude=None, longitude=None):
+    """Return a FileStorage of the stamped image, plus the resolved metadata.
+
+    The result is a drop-in replacement for the incoming upload: it keeps the
+    original ``filename``/``content_type``, so ``storage.save()`` derives the
+    same key and works unchanged on both the local and s3 backends.
+    """
+    from werkzeug.datastructures import FileStorage
+
+    file_obj.stream.seek(0)
+    original = file_obj.stream.read()
+
+    out_bytes, meta = stamp_image_bytes(
+        original, captured_at=captured_at, latitude=latitude, longitude=longitude
+    )
+    if not meta['stamped']:
+        file_obj.stream.seek(0)          # hand back the untouched upload
+        return file_obj, meta
+
+    return FileStorage(
+        stream=io.BytesIO(out_bytes),
+        filename=file_obj.filename,
+        content_type=file_obj.content_type,
+    ), meta
diff --git a/config.py b/config.py
index 7d9c361..1766f4c 100644
--- a/config.py
+++ b/config.py
@@ -53,6 +53,11 @@ class Config:
     # Off by default — cutover is gated on full verification, so objects exist.
     R2_MEDIA_FALLBACK    = os.environ.get('R2_MEDIA_FALLBACK', 'false').lower() == 'true'
 
+    # ── Photo capture-time / geo overlay ────────────────────────────────────
+    # When true (default), POST /api/v1/photos/upload burns a timestamp + GPS
+    # bar into the image before storing it. Set false to store raw uploads.
+    PHOTO_STAMP_ENABLED = os.environ.get('PHOTO_STAMP_ENABLED', 'true').lower() == 'true'
+
     # ── Session / cookies ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
     PERMANENT_SESSION_LIFETIME = timedelta(hours=24)
     # Secure by default — subclasses must explicitly opt out for local dev.