Land Survey Services
Land Survey provides surveying services to City Departments, advises City Departments on survey related issues, provides survey data that is accessible to the citizens of the City of Seattle and to all City Departments, maintains and expands the City's infrastructure of horizontal and vertical monumentation, and advocates for improving survey issues that affect the citizens of Seattle.
These services are for city or public properties or support of engineering projects only. For boundary or other surveys of private property, you will need to contact private land surveyors and/or surveying/engineering firms. Search the web yourself, as city surveyors are prohibited from recommending private firms.
We provide the following services:
- Boundary surveys (public lands only)
- Topographic surveys (a survey showing ground contours and utilities - for public lands and assets only)
- Bathymetric surveys (a survey showing the depths of bodies of water for public projects only)
- Construction surveys (for public projects only)
- Monitoring surveys (a survey showing any movement or lack thereof on any structure or point – for public projects and assets only)
- Right-of-way surveys (for public lands and assets only)
- Support for aerial photogrammetry surveys (for public lands and assets only)
- Control surveys (for public lands and assets only)
- GPS surveys and others (for public lands and assets only)
Land Survey also provides the following services for city departments: advice on surveying matters, write and check land descriptions, and act as a contact for negotiations with other surveying departments or surveying consultants. The City Survey Manager is Chris Royak at (206) 684-0560 or Christopher.Royak@seattle.gov.
We also maintain the Land Surveying records of the old Seattle Engineering Department, the old Seattle Water Department, and Seattle City Light. These records can be accessed through the Engineering Records Center on the 47th Floor of the Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 5th Ave, Seattle, with the phone number of (206) 684-5132. Note that the land property records for your private property are not recorded with the city; land and real property records are filed with King County.
Additional Information
Real Time GPS Network
The Washington State Reference Network (WSRN) is a Regional Cooperative of Real Time GPS Reference Stations and data that enables cost savings solutions for public and private sectors in the fields of survey mapping, and other high accuracy location technology needs. The WSRN provides correction streams for high precision GPS/GNSS equipment to improve results. (Consumer GPS devices are not able to utilize this data; typically only engineering and surveying grade GPS can utilize such data.) For GPS network questions, contact Gavin Schrock at (206) 684-5630 or gavin.schrock@seattle.gov.
Vertical and Horizontal Datums
You should use the vertical and horizontal datums on properties and/or infrastructures owned, funded or maintained by the City of Seattle, or requiring City of Seattle permits or applicants. For more information please visit: the Seattle City Clerk's Office Legislative Databases. Follow the instructions to search for ordinance #125781.
Survey Consultant Guidelines
These guidelines apply to survey consultants for Seattle Public Utilities.