Survey Advisory Board

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources is the official state agency for surveys and maps. The Commissioner of Public Lands, DNR, and the Survey Advisory Board are authorized to cooperate with and advise governmental agencies, and registered land surveyors and engineers for the following purposes:

Recovering and monumenting land boundary marks.
Maintaining suitable indexes of survey records to prevent duplication of efforts.
Collecting, preserving and providing readily available survey records.
Facilitating and encouraging the use of the Washington Plane Coordinate System.
Establishment of professional standards of accuracy and methods of procedure.
Issuing permits for the temporary removal of survey monuments.

Additionally, the general role of the board is to:

Advise the department and the Commissioner on the functions that is authorized to perform.
Recommend changes in legislation that further enhance the goals of the department in its role as the agency for surveys and maps.
Advise the department on policy and procedures that would improve the efficiency or deliverables of the Public Land Survey Office.
Contact user groups as agreed between the department and the board.
Testify before the legislature of the Board of Natural Resources on issues or legislation as requested by the department of the Commissioner.