Title 58 — Title 58 BOUNDARIES AND PLATS

The purpose of this chapter is to provide alternative procedures for fixing boundary points or lines when they cannot be determined from the existing public record and landmarks or are otherwise in dispute. This chapter does not impair, modify, or supplant any other remedy availa…

As used in this chapter, "surveyor" means every person authorized to practice the profession of land surveying under the provisions of chapter 18.43 RCW.[ 1996 c 160 s 2.]

Whenever a point or line determining the boundary between two or more parcels of real property cannot be identified from the existing public record, monuments, and landmarks, or is in dispute, the landowners affected by the determination of the point or line may resolve any dispu…

Any surveyor authorized by the court and the surveyor's employees may, without liability for trespass, enter upon any land or waters and remain there while performing the duties as required in RCW 58.04.001 through 58.04.007 and this section. The persons named in this section may…

A person who intentionally disturbs a survey monument placed by a surveyor in the performance of the surveyor's duties is guilty of a gross misdemeanor and is liable for the cost of the reestablishment.[ 1996 c 160 s 5.]

(1) Whenever the boundaries of lands between two or more adjoining proprietors have been lost, or by time, accident or any other cause, have become obscure, or uncertain, and the adjoining proprietors cannot agree to establish the same, one or more of the adjoining proprietors ma…

Said court may, in its discretion, appoint commissioners, not exceeding three competent and disinterested persons, one or more of whom shall be practical surveyors, residents of the state, which commissioners shall be, before entering upon their duties, duly sworn to perform thei…

The proceedings shall be conducted as other civil actions, and the court, on final decree, shall apportion the costs of the proceedings equitably, and the cost so apportioned, shall be a lien upon the said lands, severally, as against any transfer or incumbrance made of, or attac…

Any person or persons, who may hereafter lay off any town within this state, shall, previous to the sale of any lots within such town, cause to be recorded in the recorder's office of the county wherein the same may lie, a plat of said town, with the public grounds, (if any there…

Every donation or grant to the public, or to any individual or individuals, religious society or societies, or to any corporation or body politic, marked or noted as such on the plat of the town, or wherein such donation or grant may have been made, shall be considered, to all in…

Every person hereinafter laying off any lots in addition to any town, shall, previous to the sale of such lots, have the same recorded under the like regulations as are provided for recording the original plat of said town, and thereafter the same shall be considered an addition …

Every person whose duty it may be to comply with the foregoing regulations shall at or before the time of offering such plat for record, acknowledge the same before the auditor of the proper county, or any other officer who is authorized by law to take acknowledgment of deeds, a …

All streets, lanes, and alleys, laid off and recorded in accordance with *the foregoing provisions, shall be considered, to all intents and purposes, public highways, and any person who may lay off any town or any addition to any town in this state, and neglect or refuse to compl…

Whenever any city or town has been surveyed and platted and a plat thereof showing the roads, streets and alleys has been filed in the office of the auditor of the county in which such city or town is located, such plat shall be deemed the official plat of such city, or town, and…

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a method for preserving evidence of land surveys by establishing standards and procedures for monumenting and for recording a public record of the surveys. Its provisions shall be deemed supplementary to existing laws relating to surveys,…

As used in this chapter:(1) "Land surveyor" shall mean every person authorized to practice the profession of land surveying under the provisions of chapter 18.43 RCW, as now or hereafter amended.(2) "*Washington coordinate system" shall mean that system of plane coordinates as es…

Any land surveyor engaged in the practice of land surveying may prepare maps, plats, reports, descriptions, or other documentary evidence in connection therewith.Every map, plat, report, description, or other document issued by a licensed land surveyor shall comply with the provi…

After making a survey in conformity with sound principles of land surveying, a land surveyor may file a record of survey with the county auditor in the county or counties wherein the lands surveyed are situated.(1) It shall be mandatory, within ninety days after the establishment…

The records of survey to be filed under authority of this chapter shall be processed as follows:(1)(a) The record of survey filed under RCW 58.09.040(1) shall be an original map, eighteen by twenty-four inches, that is legibly drawn in black ink on mylar and is suitable for produ…

(1) The record of survey as required by RCW 58.09.040(1) shall show:(a) All monuments found, set, reset, replaced, or removed, describing their kind, size, and location and giving other data relating thereto;(b) Bearing trees, corner accessories or witness monuments, basis of bea…

When coordinates in the *Washington coordinate system are shown for points on a record of survey map, the map may not be recorded unless it also shows, or is accompanied by a map showing, the control scheme through which the coordinates were determined from points of known coordi…

Certificates shall appear on the record of survey map as follows:SURVEYOR'S CERTIFICATEThis map correctly represents a survey made by me or under my direction in conformance with the requirements of the Survey Recording Act at the request of . . . . . . . . . in . . . . . ., (yea…

(1) A record of survey is not required of any survey:(a) When it has been made by a public officer in his or her official capacity and a reproducible copy thereof has been filed with the county engineer of the county in which the land is located. A map so filed shall be indexed a…

The charge for filing any record of survey and/or record of corner information shall be fixed by the board of county commissioners.[ 1973 c 50 s 10.]

The auditor shall accept for recording those records of survey and records of corner information that are in compliance with the recorder's checklist as jointly developed by a committee consisting of the survey advisory board and two representatives from the Washington state asso…

Any monument set by a land surveyor to mark or reference a point on a property or land line shall be permanently marked or tagged with the certificate number of the land surveyor setting it. If the monument is set by a public officer it shall be marked by an appropriate official …

When adequate records exist as to the location of subdivision, tract, street, or highway monuments, such monuments shall be located and referenced by or under the direction of a land surveyor at the time when streets or highways are reconstructed or relocated, or when other const…

Noncompliance with any provision of this chapter, as it now exists or may hereafter be amended, shall constitute grounds for revocation of a land surveyor's authorization to practice the profession of land surveying and as further set forth under RCW 18.43.105 and 18.43.110.[ 197…

All city or town plats or any addition or additions thereto, heretofore made and recorded in the county auditor's office of any county in Washington state, showing lots, blocks, streets, alleys or public grounds, shall be conclusive evidence of the location and size of the lots, …

A copy of any city or town plat or addition thereto recorded in the manner provided for in RCW 58.10.010, certified by the county auditor of the county in which the same is recorded to be a true copy of such record and the whole thereof, shall be received in evidence in all the c…

Whenever the recorded plat of any city or addition thereto does not definitely show the location or size of lots or blocks, or the location or width of any street or alley in such city or addition, the city council of the city in which the land so platted is located, is hereby au…

All incorporated cities in the state of Washington are hereby authorized and empowered to regulate and prescribe the manner and form of making any future survey or plat of lands within their respective limits and enforce such regulations by a fine of not exceeding one hundred dol…

The legislature finds that the process by which land is divided is a matter of state concern and should be administered in a uniform manner by cities, towns, and counties throughout the state. The purpose of this chapter is to regulate the subdivision of land and to promote the p…

As used in this chapter, unless the context or subject matter clearly requires otherwise, the words or phrases defined in this section shall have the indicated meanings.(1) "Binding site plan" means a drawing to a scale specified by local ordinance which: (a) Identifies and shows…

Every subdivision shall comply with the provisions of this chapter. Every short subdivision as defined in this chapter shall comply with the provisions of any local regulation adopted pursuant to RCW 58.17.060.[ 1974 ex.s. c 134 s 1; 1969 ex.s. c 271 s 3.]

(1) A proposed division of land, as defined in RCW 58.17.020, shall be considered under the subdivision or short subdivision ordinance, and zoning or other land use control ordinances, in effect on the land at the time a fully completed application for preliminary plat approval o…

A city, town, or county may adopt by ordinance procedures for the divisions of land by use of a binding site plan as an alternative to the procedures required by this chapter. The ordinance shall be limited and only apply to one or more of the following: (1) The use of a binding …

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 6309-S.SL) ***The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to:(1) Cemeteries and other burial plots while used for that purpose;(2) Divisions of land into lots or tracts each of which is one-one hundred twenty-eighth of a section of land or larger, o…

An assessors plat made in accordance with RCW 58.18.010 need not comply with any of the requirements of this chapter except RCW 58.17.240 and 58.17.250.[ 1969 ex.s. c 271 s 5.]

(1) The legislative body of a city, town, or county shall adopt regulations and procedures, and appoint administrative personnel for the summary approval of short plats and short subdivisions or alteration or vacation thereof. When an alteration or vacation involves a public dedi…

Each short plat and short subdivision granted pursuant to local regulations after July 1, 1974, shall be filed with the county auditor and shall not be deemed "approved" until so filed.[ 1974 ex.s. c 134 s 12.]

A preliminary plat of proposed subdivisions and dedications of land shall be submitted for approval to the legislative body of the city, town, or county within which the plat is situated.Unless an applicant for preliminary plat approval requests otherwise, a preliminary plat shal…

Notice of the filing of a preliminary plat of a proposed subdivision adjacent to or within one mile of the municipal boundaries of a city or town, or which contemplates the use of any city or town utilities shall be given to the appropriate city or town authorities. Any notice re…

(1) Upon receipt of an application for preliminary plat approval the administrative officer charged by ordinance with responsibility for administration of regulations pertaining to platting and subdivisions shall provide public notice and set a date for a public hearing. Except a…

Any notice made under chapter 58.17 or 36.70B RCW that identifies affected property may identify this affected property without using a legal description of the property including, but not limited to, identification by an address, written description, vicinity sketch, or other re…

A county, city, or town may adopt an ordinance providing for the administrative review of a preliminary plat without a public hearing by adopting an ordinance providing for such administrative review. The ordinance may specify a threshold number of lots in a subdivision above whi…

If a city, town or county has established a planning commission or planning agency in accordance with state law or local charter, such commission or agency shall review all preliminary plats and make recommendations thereon to the city, town or county legislative body to assure c…

(1) The city, town, or county legislative body shall inquire into the public use and interest proposed to be served by the establishment of the subdivision and dedication. It shall determine: (a) If appropriate provisions are made for, but not limited to, the public health, safet…

The city, town, or county legislative body shall consider the physical characteristics of a proposed subdivision site and may disapprove a proposed plat because of flood, inundation, or swamp conditions. Construction of protective improvements may be required as a condition of ap…

Local regulations shall provide that in lieu of the completion of the actual construction of any required improvements prior to the approval of a final plat, the city, town, or county legislative body may accept a bond, in an amount and with surety and conditions satisfactory to …