DNR Public Land Survey Office (PLSO) is reaching out to you to make you aware of our success in updating the Auditor’s Checklist in WAC 332-130-050.
Your representatives on the DNR Survey Advisory Board relayed your requests for updates and improvements to the Checklist. While the checklist may never satisfy everyone’s desires, several positive changes have been made.
First, all references to Mylar have been removed from the rule. The requirement concerning media for filing has been replaced by any standard compatible with the recording office’s processes. You need to know what media and format the recording office can process under the current statutes and therefore you will have to check with them.
Second, is the issue of surveyors’ signatures. You are now provided with options for placing your signature on the final map. Your surveyor’s signature must be over your stamp and in black. These are the only signature requirements for surveyors going forward. Recorders ARE NOT advised to reject surveys related to signatures unless they are in a color other than black. Surveyors are professionals and as such are expected to know and follow the statutes and rules. The PLSO and other professionals will monitor this issue as necessary.
Third, to make the recording office’s job easier the Auditor’s liaison on the SAB submitted the following language for the Checklist “The documents submitted must be legible and reproducible by the auditor’s recording system regardless of media used for recording.” We were pleased to be able to add this language to the update.
Fourth, all survey maps must include written index data as well as a graphic representation of quarter-quarters in which the surveyed parcel lies. Discussion is taking place to consider changing this requirement by removing the graphic index altogether. We will keep you informed should this or any other changes come about.
The following link includes a copy of the updated WAC which takes effect on Monday12/07/2020.
As always, we thank you for your continuing efforts to keep the land surveying records of our State legible and free from error.
Respectfully,
Patrick J. Beehler, PLS, CFedS
State Surveyor
Engineering Division, Geomatics
Dept. of Natural Resources
1111 Washington St. SE
Olympia, Washington 98504-7030
Office (360) 902-1181
