Chapter 16.08
PROCEDURE

Sections:

Article I. Procedure

16.08.010    Application and fees.

16.08.020    Plats and plans required.

16.08.030    Adequacy and distribution of plats and plans.

16.08.040    Planning commission hearing date.

16.08.050    Notice of hearing.

Article II. Hearing

16.08.060    Scope and continuance.

16.08.070    Road, sewer, water and fire system recommendations.

16.08.080    Appropriate facilities and improvements.

16.08.090    Conformance to comprehensive plan.

16.08.100    Report to board.

16.08.110    Records.

Article III. Board Action

16.08.120    Date.

16.08.130    Acceptance or rejection.

16.08.140    Public hearing on rejected preliminary plat.

16.08.150    Records.

Article IV. Preliminary Plat Approval

16.08.160    Authorization for subdivider.

16.08.170    Expiration.

16.08.180    Standards.

Article V. Final Plat

16.08.190    Filing period.

16.08.200    Review by administrator.

16.08.210    Submission to board.

16.08.220    Board determinations—Approval or disapproval.

16.08.230    Standards.

Article I. Procedure

16.08.010 Application and fees.

Any person desiring to subdivide land in an unincorporated area of the county shall submit an application therefor to the administrator. The application shall be accompanied by a filing fee for each lot of the subdivision:

A.    All fees and charges associated with this title are to cover reasonable administrative costs only and shall be set in the building and planning department’s master fee schedule and established by resolution by the board of county commissioners.

B.    Subdivision fee rates shall be adjusted periodically to reflect changes in administrative costs. Such adjustments shall only become effective upon adoption by the board of county commissioners of a modification to the building and planning master fee schedule; provided, that the master fee schedule may contain a provision for automatic revision of fees no more often than annually to reflect the varying changes in administrative costs. (Ord. O-05-23 § 1; Ord. 77-3 § 5)

16.08.020 Plats and plans required.

A subdivider shall submit with his application five copies of a preliminary plat and five copies of plans, profiles and specifications for streets, utilities and other proposed improvements to be constructed in the proposed subdivision. Plans and profiles shall be drawn upon standard twenty-three by thirty-nine inch federal aid plan profile sheets or such other sheets as may be acceptable to the county engineer. (Ord. 77-3 § 6)

16.08.030 Adequacy and distribution of plats and plans.

If the administrator determines that the preliminary plat contains sufficient elements and data to furnish a basis for its approval or disapproval, and the plans, profiles and specifications are adequate to allow the county engineer to approve or disapprove the construction of future improvements, the administrator shall affix a file number and date of receipt to the application and promptly forward all copies of the plans, profiles and specifications of roads, utilities, and other proposed improvements to the county engineer. The administrator shall promptly forward copies of the preliminary plat to the county engineer, public works director, health director, park director, fire protection official, planning director, superintendent of schools, assessor, and all other quasi-legal jurisdictions with a direct interest in area to be platted, including the conservation district and the irrigation district. (Ord. 77-3 § 7)

16.08.040 Planning commission hearing date.

The administrator shall set a date for public hearing before the planning commission. (Ord. 77-3 § 8)

16.08.050 Notice of hearing.

The administrator shall give notices of the public hearing as follows:

A.    Through the United States mail, postmarked at least ten days before the date of hearing, to the following:

1.    Every owner of property, whose name appears as such on the records of the assessor, situated within three hundred feet of the boundaries of the proposed subdivision;

2.    The legislative authority of any city or town adjacent to or within one mile of the proposed subdivision, or the public utilities of which are contemplated for use in the proposed subdivision;

3.    The State Department of Highways, or its successor, if the proposed subdivision is adjacent to the right-of-way of any state highway;

4.    The State Department of Ecology, or its successor, if the proposed subdivision lies within a flood control zone designated pursuant to Chapter 86.16 RCW.

B.    By arranging for publication of a notice of the hearing in the official county newspaper, to appear at least ten days prior to the hearing date.

C.    By arranging for the posting of three copies of a notice of the hearing at conspicuous places on the boundaries of the proposed subdivision.

D.    By notifying the county engineer, the county health officer, and the appropriate fire protection official.

E.    By notifying the irrigation district when land is within said district boundaries.

F.    By notifying the conservation district. (Ord. 77-3 § 9)

Article II. Hearing

16.08.060 Scope and continuance.

At the public hearing the planning commission shall consider all relevant evidence to determine whether to recommend that the preliminary plat be approved or disapproved by the board. Any hearing may be continued at the discretion of the commission, within the time limits allowed by law. (Ord. 77-3 § 10)

16.08.070 Road, sewer, water, and fire system recommendations.

The county engineer, the county health officer, and the appropriate fire protection official shall certify to the planning commission their respective recommendations as to the adequacy of the proposed road system, the proposed sewage disposal and water supply systems, and fire protection facilities within the subdivision. The recommendations of the county engineer, the county health officer, and the fire protection official shall be attached to the commission’s report for transmittal to the board. (Ord. 77-3 § 11)

16.08.080 Appropriate facilities and improvements.

The commission shall determine whether the proposal includes appropriate provisions for drainage, roads, alleys, and other public ways, water supplies, sanitary wastes, parks, playgrounds, fire protection facilities, school sites and grounds and other public and private facilities and improvements including provisions for irrigation water on plats within irrigation districts. (Ord. 77-3 § 12)

16.08.090 Conformance to comprehensive plan.

The commission shall determine if the proposed subdivision conforms to the general purposes of the comprehensive plan and if the public use and interest will apparently be served by the proposal. (Ord. 77-3 § 13)

16.08.100 Report to board.

Not later than fourteen days following the conclusion of the hearing, the commission shall submit its written report and recommendations to the legislative body. The commission may recommend that the proposed plat be approved, conditionally approved, or disapproved. Conditions of approval shall be precisely recited in the commission’s report and shall include recommended protective improvements, if any. (Ord. 77-3 § 14)

16.08.110 Records.

Records of the planning commission hearings on preliminary plats shall be kept by the county planning director, and shall be open to public inspection. (Ord. 77-3 § 15)

Article III. Board Action

16.08.120 Date.

Upon receipt of the planning commission’s recommendation the board shall, at it’s next public meeting, set the date for the public meeting at which the board shall consider the recommendation. (Ord. 77-3 § 16)

16.08.130 Acceptance or rejection.

At the meeting scheduled for considering the preliminary plat the board shall, after reviewing the recommendations of the planning commission, the county engineer, the health officer, the fire protection official, and any other relevant evidence presented to it, either concur in or reject the planning commission’s recommendation. (Ord. 77-3 § 17)

16.08.140 Public hearing on rejected preliminary plat.

If the board does not summarily approve the planning commission recommendation on any preliminary plat, it shall set a date for a public hearing at which all interested persons may appear before the board and be heard on the proposal to approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the preliminary plat or a revised version thereof. At the conclusion of the said public hearing or any continued hearing the board may approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the preliminary plat or a revised version thereof. (Ord. 77-3 § 18)

16.08.150 Records.

Records of the board’s proceedings concerning a preliminary plat shall be kept by the clerk of the board and shall be open to public inspection. (Ord. 77-3 § 19)

Article IV. Preliminary Plat Approval

16.08.160 Authorization for subdivider.

Approval of the preliminary plat shall constitute authorization for the subdivider to develop the subdivision’s facilities and improvements in strict accordance with standards established by this title and any conditions imposed by the board. (Ord. 77-3 § 20)

16.08.170 Expiration.

The preliminary plat approval shall be effective for twelve months. Upon application by the subdivider, the planning commission shall review the preliminary plat and if it finds that the preliminary plat then serves the public use and interest and complies with all zoning requirements as of the date of reapplication, it may extend it’s approval for one additional twelve-month period. The fee for such reapplication shall be one-half the fee paid to the planning department for the original application. If the final plat is not recorded within two years from the date of original approval by the board, such approval of the preliminary plat shall be null and void. (Ord. 77-3 § 21)

16.08.180 Standards.

Every preliminary plat shall consist of one or more maps, the horizontal scale of which shall be one hundred feet to the inch, and the vertical scale of which, for street and sewer profiles, shall be twenty feet to the inch, together with written data in such form that when the maps and written data are considered together they shall fully and clearly disclose the following information:

A.    The name of the proposed subdivision;

B.    The legal description of the land contained within the subdivision;

C.    The names, addresses and telephone numbers of all persons, firms, and corporations holding interests in the said land;

D.    The name, address, telephone number and seal of the registered land surveyor who made, or under whose supervision was made, a survey of the proposed subdivision;

E.    The date of the said survey;

F.    The boundary lines of the proposed subdivision;

G.    All existing monuments and markers;

H.    The boundaries of all blocks and lots within the proposed subdivision, together with the numbers proposed to be assigned each lot and block;

I.    The location, names and width of all existing streets, roads and easements within the proposed subdivision and adjacent thereto;

J.    The location and, where ascertainable, sizes of all permanent buildings, wells, water courses, bodies of water, all overhead and underground utilities, railroad lines, municipal boundaries, section lines, township lines, and other important features existing upon, over or under the land proposed to be subdivided;

K.    Contour lines of sufficient intervals to show the topography of the land to be subdivided referenced to either the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey datum, county datum, or other datum acceptable to the county engineer;

L.    A layout of proposed road, alleys, utility mains, and parcels proposed to be dedicated or reserved for public or community school, park, playground or other uses;

M.    Plans of proposed water distribution systems, sewage disposal systems and drainage systems, indicating locations;

N.    A sketch of the general vicinity in which the land proposed for subdivision lies, upon which are identified owners of land adjacent to the subdivision and the names of any adjacent subdivisions;

O.    A copy of all restrictive covenants proposed to be imposed upon land within the subdivision;

P.    In subdivisions proposed to be served by individual septic tanks, the location of soil log holes together with data regarding percolation rates. (Ord. 77-3 § 62)

Article V. Final Plat

16.08.190 Filing period.

At any time within one year, or the extension of time allowed by Section 16.08.170 of this chapter, following the board’s approval of a preliminary plat the subdivider shall file the original and four copies of a proposed final plat with the administrator. (Ord. 77-3 § 22)

16.08.200 Review by administrator.

The administrator shall satisfy himself that:

A.    The final plat meets all standards established by state law and this title relating to final plats;

B.    The proposed final plat bears the certificates and statements of approval required by this title;

C.    A title insurance report furnished by the subdivider confirms the title of the land in the proposed subdivision is vested in the name of the owners whose signatures appear on the plat’s certificate;

D.    The facilities and improvements required to be provided by the subdivider have been completed, or alternatively, that the subdivider has filed with the county auditor’s office a bond in a form and with sureties acceptable to the prosecuting attorney, and in an amount commensurate with improvements remaining to be completed securing to the county the construction and installation of the improvements within a fixed time set by the board. (Ord. 77-3 § 23)

16.08.210 Submission to board.

The administrator shall acknowledge receipt of a proposed final plat which meets the requirements of Section 16.08.190 and shall forward the original and three copies thereof to the clerk of the board. (Ord. 77-3 § 24)

16.08.220 Board determinations—Approval or disapproval.

A.    The board shall, at it’s next public meeting or any continued meeting, determine:

1.    Whether conditions imposed when the preliminary plat was approved have been met;

2.    Whether the bond, if there be one, by it’s essential terms assures completion of improvements;

3.    Whether the public use and interest will be served by approving the proposed final plat;

4.    Whether the requirements of state law and this title have been satisfied by the subdivider.

B.    The board shall thereupon approve or disapprove the proposed final plat. If the board approves the plat the administrator shall forward one reproducible copy thereof to the county engineer and one paper copy to the county assessor, and shall transmit the original to the county auditor for filing. (Ord. 77-3 § 25)

16.08.230 Standards.

A.    Every final plat shall consist of one or more pages, each twenty by twenty-two inches clearly and legibly drawn on tracing cloth, stable base mylar polyester film, or equivalent approved material. All drawing and lettering on the final plat shall be in permanent black ink, or an approved equivalent. The perimeter of the subdivision shall be depicted with heavier lines than appear elsewhere on the plat. The scale shall be one hundred feet to one inch. A marginal line shall be drawn completely around each sheet, leaving an entirely blank margin of three inches on the left side and one inch on the remaining sides. Each sheet of the final plat shall contain the subdivision’s name, the scale and the north point. All signatures affixed to a final plat shall be original signatures written in permanent black ink.

B.    Every final plat shall include an accurate map of the subdivided land, based upon a complete survey thereof, which map shall include:

1.    All section, township, municipal and county lines lying within or adjacent to the subdivision;

2.    The location of all monuments or other evidence used as ties to establish the subdivision’s boundaries;

3.    The location of all permanent control monuments found and established within the subdivision;

4.    The boundary of the subdivision with complete bearings and lineal dimensions;

5.    The length and bearings of all straight lines; the radii, arcs and semi-tangents of all curves;

6.    The length of each lot line, together with bearings and other data necessary for the location of any lot line in the field;

7.    The location, width, center line, and name or number of all streets within and adjoining the subdivision;

8.    The location and width, shown with broken lines, and description of all easements;

9.    Numbers assigned to all lots and blocks within the subdivision;

10.    Names of owners of land adjacent to the subdivision, and the names of any adjacent subdivisions.

C.    In addition to the map or maps, every final plat shall contain written data including:

1.    The name of the subdivision;

2.    The legal description of land contained within the subdivision;

3.    A certificate of the registered land surveyor who made, or under whose supervision was made, the survey of the subdivision in substantially the following language:

“I _____________, registered as a land surveyor by the State of Washington, certify that this plat is based on an actual survey of the land described herein, conducted by me or under my supervision, during the period of _____, 19__, through _____, 19__; that the distances, courses and angles are shown thereon correctly; and that monuments other than those monuments approved for setting at a later date, have been set and lot corners staked on the ground as depicted on the plat.”

4.    A statement of approval signed by the county engineer as to:

a.    Survey data,

b.    Layout of roads, alleys, and easements,

c.    Road names and numbers,

d.    The design and/or construction of protective improvements, bridges, sewer and drainage systems;

5.    A statement of approval as to the design and/or construction of sanitary sewage disposal systems and public water supply systems installed in the subdivision signed by the county health director; provided, however, that no such statement shall be deemed a guarantee of acceptability of individual septic tank systems contemplated for use within the subdivision;

6.    A statement of the chairman of the planning commission that the subdivision conforms to the comprehensive plan;

7.    If any portion of the subdivision lies within a flood control zone, a statement of approval signed by the Director of the State Department of Ecology, or it’s successor;

8.    A certificate bearing the typed or printed names of all persons having an interest in the subdivided land, signed by the said persons and acknowledged by them before a notary public, consenting to the subdivision of the said land and reciting a dedication by them of all land shown on the plat to be dedicated for public uses and a waiver by them and their successors of all claims for damages against any governmental authority arising from the construction and maintenance of public facilities and public property within the subdivision;

9.    A certificate signed by the county treasurer that all taxes one year in advance on all unimproved property in each proposed subdivision and delinquent assessments for which the land within the subdivision may be liable have been duly paid, satisfied or discharged;

10.    Space for approval by the county board of commissioners. (Ord. 77-3 § 64)