An existing topographic survey may be reusable for a Bellevue project, but its date alone does not establish its suitability. Check the submittal requirement, what has changed on the ground, and whether the earlier survey covers the area and information the new design needs. A surveyor and designer should decide what can be retained, updated or added.
Check the requirement for this application
Bellevue’s boundary and topographic survey requirements say a survey submitted for land-use approval must be less than five years old at permit submittal. The City also specifies coverage of the subject parcel and adjacent street pavement, along with control, elevations and other mapped features. That stated age threshold applies to the covered land-use submittal; it is not a universal expiration date for every survey or design task. Confirm the current requirements for the actual application before relying on an older file.
Ask three different questions about the old survey
Has the site changed? A two-year-old survey could predate parking-lot regrading, a new wall or utility work. Its date may fit the City’s threshold while its old elevations no longer describe the design area. Terrane’s guide to survey updates after site changes explains how to identify the portions that need new measurements.
Does it reach far enough? An unchanged parcel-only survey may omit adjacent pavement, drainage structures or other off-site conditions the new proposal requires. In that case, the issue is coverage rather than age. Mark the missing area on the new project plan.
Can the files work together? The surveyor should check the earlier control and elevation references before merging old observations with new fieldwork. The revised drawing should distinguish retained information from new measurements and identify the dates of each.
If the existing measurements remain suitable, they may be reusable. If the site has changed or the new project needs additional coverage, the surveyor can determine whether an update or expansion is sufficient. If the earlier file cannot support the required submittal or design, scope a new survey. Make that call from the current application and the actual site, not from the date on the title block alone.
