A boundary survey determines where an existing parcel’s lines and corners are. Subdivision surveying supports the process of creating new lots. A development project may need both, but commissioning a boundary survey does not authorize a land division.
Which question are you trying to answer?
| Project question | Work to discuss |
|---|---|
| Where is the existing property line? | Boundary research and field surveying to evaluate deeds, recorded maps, monuments and other evidence. |
| Can the property become several lots? | Planning and civil feasibility alongside boundary work, followed by the applicable subdivision or short plat process. |
| Can a shared line move without adding a lot? | A possible boundary line adjustment, subject to local requirements. |
A boundary survey supplies the starting geometry
The surveyor reconciles documentary and physical evidence to locate existing boundaries. This is more than tracing the assessor’s parcel map. A fence, driveway edge or aerial-image line may not occupy the legal boundary.
That distinction matters before the team places a building near a setback or calculates the space available for new lots. If the parent parcel’s dimensions are uncertain, the proposed lot layout is uncertain too.
Washington’s Survey Recording Act governs recording requirements for specified survey work. A recorded survey documents survey information; it does not itself grant subdivision approval or transfer ownership.
New lots require an approval process
Chapter 58.17 RCW provides Washington’s subdivision framework, with cities and counties administering local requirements. The proposed division must meet the applicable rules; fitting new lines inside the existing boundary is only the geometric starting point.
Access, utility service, drainage, critical areas and zoning can change the layout. The planner evaluates the approval path, the civil engineer evaluates infrastructure and grading needs, and the surveyor develops the boundary and plat information. A geometry that fits on paper may still need substantial changes to become an approvable project.
The final plat or short plat must reflect the approved configuration and required conditions before approval and recording. Include that later work in the project plan rather than treating the initial boundary survey as the complete assignment.
If you only want to move a line
A boundary line adjustment is a separate possibility when the objective is to change an existing shared boundary without creating additional lots. It is subject to its own local review and cannot be used to bypass subdivision requirements. Our boundary line adjustment versus short plat guide helps distinguish the two paths.
At kickoff, state the intended outcome plainly: locate the line, move the line or create new lots. Bring the parcel information and a sketch of the proposal. That gives the surveyor and planning team a much better starting point than a request for “a subdivision survey” without a defined property outcome.
