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Similar to an adjustment, but typically this involves properties under different ownership and often this is a reference to the quasi-legal process of averting a lawsuit or other civil disagreements.

FEMA has a process by which a portion of property, or the structure thereon can be exempted (removed) from its national maps database. One such commonly used process and application is called a letter Of Map Amendment (LOMA) In some circumstances it is generated in conjunction with the previously mentioned 'Elevation Certificate'. Often times, this application can be filed independently. Once removed, the portion of property or structure will no longer be scrutinized by the mapping clearing house which provide the insurance company with the red-flag of being subject to flood insurance. This is often recommended for the average, residential property. This process can often take three to six weeks to be processed. These forms require specific information to be gathered both on site and 'of record' in order to be processed and accepted by FEMA and related agents.

This application will allow you to divide your property into 2-4 or 2-9 1ots depending on your zoning and the jurisdiction you are dealing with. These are the most common methods of dividing property and are fairly standard practices within a particular city or county. As such, we are usually able to advise you upfront on many of the criteria and point you to the proper ancillary professionals such as a civil engineer, a private planner, or an attorney.

Short plats are considered 'administrative applications' which means they are reviewed and considered only by staff of the city or county. Though neighbors do have a short period of appeal, in general they have little or no input on the conditions of approval.

This application will allow you to divide your property into 2-4 or 2-9 lots depending on your zoning and the jurisdiction you are dealing with. These are the most common methods of dividing property and are fairly standard practices within a particular city or county. As such, we are usually able to advise you upfront on many of the criteria and point you to the proper ancillary professionals such as a civil engineer, a private planner, and an attorney.

Short plats are considered 'administrative applications' which means they are reviewed and considered only by staff of the city or county. Though neighbors do have a short period of appeal they, in general, they have little or no input on the conditions of approval.

A long plat is a means of dividing property into an unlimited number of lots. In general, though, that number is usually greater than what is allowed by a short plat since a short plat is (typically) cheaper and quicker to complete.

Long plats are NOT considered administrative reviews like a short plat. Therefore they have to go through public hearing wherein your neighbors are allowed to speak for or against your project and which may result in additional conditions of approval to satisfy their concerns. Long plats will almost always require engineering of the proposed road system, water, sewer, power, cable, and other amenities pertinent to the project. These are long, involved, and complicated applications which can take years to get approved, designed and finally built. In general, the more lots and area you are considering platting, the more expensive and timely and convoluted will be the process.

A division of land into any number of lots (2+) whereby ALL lots are larger than 5 acres (nominal).

This is a good way to break up large parcels of rural land where zoning will allow. Again, each jurisdiction will have differing requirements and procedures for this type of application for land use. It is typical that roads to all lots are designed or even constructed but often they can be gravel, and built to a lesser standard than those of a long plat.

Large lots are considered administrative applications meaning they are reviewed and considered only by staff of the city or county. Though neighbors do have a short period of appeal they, in general, they have little or no input on the conditions of approval.

A Binding Site Plan is an alternative method, provided under State law, for the division for sale or lease of commercially or industrially zoned property, mobile home parks or trailer parks. It is a type of Site Plan that typically requires a review involving physical details related to the site and the type of use proposed and addresses such things as landscaping, design, parking location, and other site-specific issues.

An often under-utilized but effective method of dividing land. Yes, condominiums can be used to subdivide land as well as buildings. The best way to understand a condominium is to think of it as a corporation wherein all of the occupants of the condo are like shareholders of a company. Each participant of a condo has their own defined boundary (horizontal and vertical) of which they can typically exercise similar rights provided to other types of property owners. A condominium will have 'common spaces' which are to be enjoyed or utilized by all or certain members of the condo association (hallways, road access, foyers and play yards). They also contain 'limited common space' of which is utilized by all members but with restrictions on the type of use and access (area between walls, paths of utilities). It is required that you engage an attorney as part of this process, and preferably one who is well versed in Condominium law.

This is a fairly basic product displaying rough site contours, critical elements such as wells, tops or toes of slopes, shorelines, and landscaping. Since these are mainly used by septic designers, architects and home-owners where the site contains few restrictions on area and use, accuracies and tolerances are low but costs are usually relatively affordable. We can usually work within a client's budget and time constraints.

A much more complex project, this product usually involves gathering information from local utility providers and municipalities in order to determine all potential and real encumbrances upon the property. We create a highly detailed map (where site conditions demand} in order that new buildings and improvements and their appurtenant infrastructure (storm runoff, water and sewer, power, etc} are located properly, and import and export of dirt and other materials is kept to a minimum.

If planning a new home or commercial project it is often very helpful for design professionals to have access to a semi-detailed map of site conditions. This product falls somewhere between a Site Plan and a full Engineered Site Design Survey. Often these maps can be very basic, showing land contours, site corridors, zoning setbacks, and critical areas.

Often required when expanding an existing commercial structure, or complicated residence where setbacks are critical. This product usually more often than not, requires some amount of boundary work in order to determine ownership - a main concern when expanding a floor plan, creating more parking or moving a septic field.

Many municipalities and counties designate building height restrictions in a particular zone. This may also be a covenant or easement placed upon a particular property in order to protect views. The definitions and process vary, but in general these heights are based upon the average of the lot(s) and as such, it is a fairly straight forward process. How this 'average' is determined is often defined by municipal code.

Proposals for the use of state-owned aquatic lands, with a few exceptions, require prior authorization from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). One of the requirements of authorization is a survey of the leased lands delineating any water dependent physical features as well as the extent of the lease.

Often times in the process of completing a survey of aquatic lands it is necessary to know the shape or contour of the submerged lands. This is most easily obtained through the use of equipment specificity designed for this purpose. Sounding equipment combined with GPS signals gives us a complete picture of the site and how it can be surveyed or developed.

The DNR application for the installation of a buoy requires a vicinity map, marked with the position of the buoy or boatlift, acquired either by a differentially corrected Global Positioning System (GPS) measurement or by conventional surveying methods. A licensed surveyor must provide this information, or you must document it as follows:

A. List the anchor position coordinate, with a state plane grid coordinate or a latitude and longitude.

B. Detail the survey method used to mark the position of the buoy or boatlift.

Tideland owners are often concerned about what it is that they actually own since in most cases they are described simply as "Tidelands Abutting". There can be questions as to the extent of the tidelands side to side (laterally) as well as in extent, that is, how far out. These issues are complex and not easily delineated. The rules for resolving these issues are likewise complex and can involve every tool at a surveyors disposal.

In conjunction with establishing high and mid level precision location of site improvements, we are also armed with several state-of-the-art instruments to monitor movement, both vertical and horizontal during and after completion. These include our laser scanner, robotic total station with remote measuring capability, electronic level, and static GPS for high-precision network control. Providing a base-line and benchmarks for on-site control, usable by other contractors can usually be done on a tight budget.