The following requirements apply to survey maps and plans required by law to be filed or recorded with the county.

(1) All such documents filed or recorded must conform to the following:

(a) They must display information blocks which must be located along the bottom or right edge of the document unless there is a local requirement specifying this information to be displayed in a different format. The required information blocks must include:

(i) The title block, which must be on all sheets of maps, plats or plans, and must identify the business name, phone number, and address of the firm and/or land surveyor that performed the survey. For documents not requiring the surveyor's certificate required by RCW 58.09.080, the title block must show the firm name, phone number, and business address of the preparer and the date prepared. Every sheet of multiple sheets must have a sheet identification number, such as "sheet 1 of 5";

(ii) The auditor's certificate, where applicable, which must be on the first sheet of multiple sheets; however, the county recording official must enter the appropriate book and page and/or the county recording official's file number on each sheet of multiple sheets;

(iii) The surveyor's certificate, where applicable, which must be on the first sheet of multiple sheets and must show the name, license number, signed seal of the land surveyor who had responsible charge of the survey portrayed, and the date the land surveyor approved the map or plat. Every sheet of multiple sheets must have the signed seal of the land surveyor and the date signed;

(iv) The following indexing information must be written out, either full text or abbreviated, on the first sheet of multiple sheets:

(A) The section-township-range and quarter-quarter(s) of the section in which the surveyed parcel lies, except that if the parcel lies in a portion of the section officially identified by terminology other than aliquot parts, such as government lot, donation land claim, homestead entry survey, townsite, tract, and Indian or military reservation, then also identify that official subdivisional tract and call out the corresponding approximate quarter-quarter(s) based on projections of the aliquot parts. Where the section is incapable of being described by projected aliquot parts, such as the Port Angeles townsite, or elongated sections with excess tiers of government lots, then it is acceptable to provide only the official GLO designation;

(B) Additionally, if appropriate, the lot(s) and block(s) and the name and/or number of the filed or recorded subdivision plat or short plat with the related recording data;

(b) They must contain:

(i) A north arrow;

(ii) The vertical datum when topography or elevations are shown;

(iii) The basis for bearings, angle relationships or azimuths shown. The description of the directional reference system, along with the method and location of obtaining it, must be clearly given (such as "North by Polaris observation at the SE corner of section 6"; "Grid north from azimuth mark at station Kellogg"; "North by compass using twenty-one degrees variation"; "None"; or "Assumed bearing based on..."). If the basis of direction differs from record title, that difference should be noted;

(iv) Bearings, angles, or azimuths in degrees, minutes and seconds;

(v) Distances in feet and decimals of feet;

(vi) Curve data showing the controlling elements;

(vii) A legend containing line types and symbols that are not otherwise identified by notations;

(c) They must show the scale for all portions of the map, plat, or plan provided that details not drawn to scale must be so identified. A graphic scale for the main body of the drawing, shown in feet, must be included. The scale of the main body of the drawing and any enlargement detail must be large enough to clearly portray all of the drafting detail, both on the original and reproductions;

(d) The document filed or recorded and all copies required to be submitted with the filed or recorded document must, for legibility purposes:

(i) Have a uniform contrast suitable for scanning or microfilming;

(ii) Be without any form of cross-hatching, shading, or any other highlighting technique that to any degree diminishes the legibility of the drafting detail or text;

(iii) Contain dimensioning and lettering no smaller than 0.08 inches, vertically, and line widths not less than 0.01 inches (equivalent to pen tip 000). This provision does not apply to vicinity maps, land surveyors' seals and logos.

(e) They must not have any adhesive material affixed to the surface;

(f) For the intelligent interpretation of the various items shown, including the location of points, lines and areas, they must:

(i) Reference record survey documents that identify different corner positions;

(ii) Show deed calls that are at variance with the measured distances and directions of the surveyed parcel;

(iii) Identify all corners used to control the survey whether they were calculated from a previous survey of record or found, established, or reestablished;

(iv) Give the physical description of any monuments shown, found, established or reestablished, including type, size, and date visited;

(v) Show the record land description of the parcel or boundary surveyed with a reference to the instrument of record;

(vi) Identify any ambiguities, hiatuses, and/or overlapping boundaries;

(vii) Give the location and identification of any visible physical appurtenances such as fences or structures which may indicate encroachment, lines of possession, or conflict of title.

(2) All signatures and writing must be made with permanent black ink or ink capable of being imaged.

(3) The following criteria must be adhered to when altering, amending, changing, or correcting survey information on previously filed or recorded maps:

(a) Such maps filed or recorded must comply with the applicable local requirements and/or the recording statute under which the original map was filed or recorded;

(b) Alterations, amendments, changes, or corrections to a previously filed or recorded map must only be made by filing or recording a new map;

(c) All such maps filed or recorded must contain the following information:

(i) A title or heading identifying the map as an alteration, amendment, change, or correction to a previously filed or recorded map along with, when applicable, a cross-reference to the book and page and/or county recording official's file number of the original map;

(ii) Indexing data as required by subsection (1)(a)(iv) of this section;

(iii) A prominent note itemizing the change(s) to the original map. Each item must explicitly state what the change is and where the change is located on the original;

(d) The county recording official must file, index, and cross-reference all such maps received in a manner sufficient to provide adequate notice of the existence of the new map to anyone researching the county records for survey information;

(e) The county recording official must send to the department of natural resources, as per RCW 58.09.050(3), a legible image of any map filed or recorded which alters, amends, changes, or corrects survey information on any map that has been previously filed or recorded pursuant to the Survey Recording Act.

(4) Survey maps filed with the county must be an original that is legibly drawn in black ink and is suitable for producing legible prints through scanning, microfilming or other standard copying procedures. The following are allowable formats for the original that may be used in lieu of the format stipulated above:

(a) Any standard material as long as the format is compatible with the auditor's recording process and records storage system. Provided, that records of survey filed pursuant to chapter 58.09 RCW are subject to the restrictions stipulated in RCW 58.09.110(5);

(b) An electronic version of the original if the county has the capability to accept a digital signature issued by a licensed certification authority under chapter 19.34 RCW or a certification authority under the rules adopted by the Washington state board of registration for professional engineers and land surveyors, and can import electronic files into an imaging system. The electronic version must be a standard raster file format acceptable to the county.