Chapter 16.20
FINAL PLATS

Sections:

16.20.010    Final plat submittal.

16.20.020    Specific requirements.

16.20.030    Permanent control monuments.

16.20.040    Survey of subdivision and preparation of plat.

16.20.050    Drafting standards.

16.20.060    Approval.

16.20.065    Duration of approval.

16.20.070    Plats within flood zone.

16.20.080    Plats containing private streets.

16.20.090    Filing for record.

16.20.100    Filing by subdivider.

16.20.110    Dedication, acknowledgments, and certifications.

16.20.010 Final plat submittal.

Within the effective period for the preliminary plat authorized in SMC 16.15.140(1) or at the end of the extension period granted in SMC 16.15.140(2), the subdivider shall prepare a final plat in conformance with the preliminary plat (or portion thereof), as approved, and submit it to the community development director. The application shall consist of the application form and other materials as required by the associated application checklist provided by the community development department. (Ord. 1266 § 3, 2010; Ord. 1110 § 2, 2002).

16.20.020 Specific requirements.

The following shall be shown on or accompany the final plat at the time it is submitted to the planning director:

(1) A certificate of title by a recognized title insurance company, dated not to exceed 30 days prior to submitting a plat for final approval, showing the names of all persons whose consent is necessary to dedicate roads, streets and other easements shown upon the map;

(2) Names, addresses and phone numbers of the owner, subdivider, engineer and/or surveyor;

(3) A copy of any deed restrictions applicable to the subdivision;

(4) A copy of any dedication requiring separate documents;

(5) A certificate by the public works director that the subdivider has complied with one of the following:

(a) All improvements have been installed in accordance with the requirements of these subdivision regulations and with the conditions of approval of the preliminary plat;

(b) An agreement has been executed as provided for in SMC 16.30.010 and 16.30.020 to assure completion of required improvements;

(6) The date, scale, north arrow, legend, controlling topography and existing features such as highways and railroads;

(7) Legal description of the tract boundaries;

(8) Reference points and lines of existing surveys identified, related to the plat as follows:

(a) Stakes, monuments or other evidence found on the ground and used to determine the boundaries of the subdivision;

(b) Adjoining corners of adjoining subdivisions;

(c) City or county boundary lines when crossing or adjacent to the subdivision;

(d) Section and donation land claim lines within and adjacent to the plat;

(e) Whenever the county or the city of Stanwood has established the centerline of a street adjacent to or within the proposed subdivision, the location of this line and monuments found or reset;

(f) All other monuments found or established in making the survey of this subdivision or required to be installed by provisions of these regulations;

(9) Mathematical boundary closures of the subdivision showing the error of closure, if any;

(10) The mathematical lot closures and street centerline closures and square footage of each parcel;

(11) The exact location and width of streets and easements intersecting the boundary of the tract;

(12) Tract, block and lot boundary lines and street rights-of-way and centerlines, with dimensions, bearings or deflection angles, radii, arcs, points of curvature and tangent bearings. Tract boundaries, lot boundaries and street bearings shall be shown to the nearest second with basis of bearings. All distances shall be shown to the nearest one-hundredth of a foot;

(13) The width of the portion of streets being dedicated, the width of any existing right-of-way and the width of each side of the centerline. For streets on curvature, curve data shall be based on the street centerline. In addition to the centerline dimension, the radius and central angle shall be indicated;

(14) Easements denoted by fine dotted lines, clearly identified, and, if already of record, their recorded reference. The width of the easement, its length and bearings, and sufficient ties to locate the easement with respect to the subdivision must be shown. If the easement is being dedicated by map reference, it shall be properly referenced in the owner’s certificate of dedication;

(15) Addresses assigned to lots and lot numbers beginning with number “1” and numbered consecutively without omission or duplication throughout the plat. The numbers shall be solid, of sufficient size and thickness to stand out, and so placed as not to obliterate any figure. Lot numbers in an addition to a subdivision of the same name shall be a continuation of the numbering in the original subdivision;

(16) Land parcels to be dedicated for any purpose, public or private, shall be distinguished from lots intended for sale;

(17) The following certificates may be combined where appropriate:

(a) A certificate signed and acknowledged by all parties with any recorded title interest in the land subdivided, consenting to the preparation and recording of the plat;

(b) A certificate signed and acknowledged as above, dedicating all parcels of land shown on the final map intended for any public use, except those parcels that are intended for the exclusive use of the lot owners in the subdivision, their licensees, visitors, tenants and servants;

(c) A certificate with the seal of and signed by the engineer or the surveyor responsible for the survey and final map;

(d) Other certifications now or hereafter required by law;

(18) Lots containing one acre or more shall show net acreage to nearest hundredth, whenever possible;

(19) Each and every plat or replat of any property filed for record shall:

(a) Contain a statement of approval from the public works director or by a licensed engineer acting on behalf of the city as to the survey data, the layout of streets, alleys and other rights-of-way, design of bridges, sewage and water systems, and other structures. No engineer who is connected in any way with the subdividing and platting of the land for which subdivision approval is sought shall examine and approve such plats on behalf of the city.

(b) Be accompanied by a complete survey of the section or sections in which the plat or replat is located, or as much thereof as may be necessary to properly orient the plat within such section or sections. The plat and section survey shall be submitted with complete field and computation notes showing the original or re-established corners with descriptions of the same and the actual traverse showing error of closure and method of balancing. A sketch showing all distances, angles and calculations required to determine corners and distances of the plat shall accompany this data. The allowable error of closure shall not exceed one foot in 5,000 feet.

(c) Be acknowledged by the person filing the plat before the auditor or any other officer who is authorized by law to take acknowledgment of deeds, and a certificate of the acknowledgment shall be enclosed or annexed to such plat and recorded therewith.

(d) Contain a certification from the Snohomish County treasurer that all taxes and delinquent assessments for which the property may be liable as of the date of certification have been duly paid, satisfied or discharged. (Ord. 1110 § 2, 2002).

16.20.030 Permanent control monuments.

Permanent control monuments shall be established at each and every controlling corner on the boundaries of the parcel of land being subdivided. The city shall determine the number and location of permanent control monuments within the plat, if any. (Ord. 1110 § 2, 2002).

16.20.040 Survey of subdivision and preparation of plat.

The survey of the proposed subdivision and preparation of the plat shall be made by or under the supervision of a registered land surveyor who shall certify on the plat that it is a true and correct representation of the lands actually surveyed. (Ord. 1110 § 2, 2002).

16.20.050 Drafting standards.

All final plats shall be drawn in accordance with the following:

(1) The final plat shall be clearly and legibly drawn in permanent black ink upon mylar.

(2) The scale of the plat shall be not less than one inch equals 200 feet. The perimeter of the plat or subdivision being recorded shall be depicted with heavier lines wider than the remaining portion of the plat or subdivision.

(3) The size of each sheet shall be 18 by 24 inches.

(4) A marginal line shall be drawn completely around each sheet, leaving an entirely blank margin of three inches on the left side and one-half inch on each of the other three sides.

(5) If more than two sheets are used, an index of the entire subdivision showing the arrangement of all sheets shall be included. Each shall be appropriately numbered.

(6) The plat title, date, scale and north arrow shall be shown on each appropriate sheet of the final plat.

(7) All signatures placed on the final plat shall be original signatures written in permanent black ink. (Ord. 1110 § 2, 2002).

16.20.060 Approval.

(1) Upon receipt of the final plat and accompanying data, the public works director and planning director shall review the final map and documents to determine that the plan conforms with the approved preliminary plat, and that there is compliance with provisions of the law and of this code. The staff may make checks in the field to verify that the map is sufficiently correct on the ground, and may enter the property for this purpose.

(2) If the public works director and planning director determine that the final plat conforms fully with all applicable regulations and standards, they shall then affix their signatures thereto. See also SMC 17.102.080(3).

(3) After being approved as required above, the final plat shall be presented to the city council. After finding that the final plat has been completed in accordance with the provisions of this code, and that all required improvements have been completed or that arrangements or contracts have been entered into to guarantee that such required improvements will be completed, and that the interests of the city are fully protected, the mayor shall sign the final plat accepting such dedications and easements as may be included thereon, and the final plat shall be returned to the applicant for filing for record with the auditor.

(4) Final plats shall be approved, disapproved or returned to the applicant within 30 days from the date of filing with the planning director, unless the applicant consents to an extension of such time period. (Ord. 1032 § 7, 2002; Ord. 1110 § 2, 2002).

16.20.065 Duration of approval.

Any lots in a final plat filed for record shall be a valid land use notwithstanding any change in zoning laws for a period of seven years from the date of filing. A subdivision shall be governed by the terms of approval of the final plat and the statutes, ordinances, and regulations in effect at the time of approval under Chapter 16.15 SMC unless the city council finds that a change in conditions creates a serious threat to the public health or safety in the subdivision; provided, that this provision shall expire December 31, 2014, consistent with RCW 58.17.140 as amended by the 2010 State Legislature in SSB 6544, on which date the effective period for the final plat shall be five years. (Ord. 1266 § 4, 2010).

16.20.070 Plats within flood zone.

No plat shall be approved covering any land situated in a flood control zone as provided in Chapter 86.16 RCW without the proper written approval of the Department of Ecology, State of Washington. (Ord. 1110 § 2, 2002).

16.20.080 Plats containing private streets.

If the plat contains a private road, there shall be inscribed on the face of the plat the following language:

Notice: The city of Stanwood has no responsibility to build, improve, maintain or otherwise service the private roads within or providing access to property described in this plat.

(Ord. 1110 § 2, 2002).

16.20.090 Filing for record.

The original of the final plat shall be filed for record with the auditor. One reproducible copy on mylar, one paper copy, and one digital copy on diskette shall be furnished to the planning director. One paper copy shall be filed with the assessor, planning director, building department, and the fire chief. All required paper copies shall bear the auditor’s recording data.

The auditor shall refuse to accept any plat for filing and recording until approval of the plat has been given by the council. Should a plat or dedication be filed or recorded without such approval, the city attorney shall apply for writ of mandate in the name of and on behalf of the city council directing the auditor and assessor to remove from their files or records the unapproved plat or dedication of record. (Ord. 1110 § 2, 2002).

16.20.100 Filing by subdivider.

Approval of the final plat shall be null and void if the plat is not recorded within 30 days after the date the last required signature has been obtained. (Ord. 1110 § 2, 2002).

16.20.110 Dedication, acknowledgments, and certifications.

(1) Dedication. The completed plat must contain a dedication which shall read as follows or as approved by the planning director:

All streets and parcels of land shown on this plat included for public use have been dedicated to the city of Stanwood to improve, maintain, or otherwise service the streets and/or land within or providing access to property described in this plat.

(2) Acknowledgment. The completed plat must show an acknowledgment as approved by the planning director.

(3) Certificate – Land Surveyor. The completed plat must show a certificate from the engineer or land surveyor who platted the property approved by the planning director.

(4) The completed plat shall also show certificates signed by the public works director and planning director that they have examined and approved the final plat.

(5) The plat shall also contain the signatures of the mayor and the assessor, certifying that they have examined and approved the final plat.

(6) The plat shall also show a certificate signed by the treasurer that all taxes have been fully paid on the land included in the final plat.

(7) The plat shall show a certificate signed by the auditor showing the date, time, and place the final plat was filed for record.

(8) If necessary, the applicant shall also meet the requirements of SMC 17.102.080(3). (Ord. 1032 § 8, 2002; Ord. 1110 § 2, 2002).