USA Statutes : washington
Title : Boundaries and plats
Chapter : Washington coordinate system
RCW 58.20.130Plane coordinates adopted Zones.The system of plane coordinates which has been established by the national geodetic survey for defining and stating the positions or locations of points on the surface of the earth within the state of Washington is designated as the "Washington coordinate system of 1983."  For the purposes of this system the state is divided into a "north zone" and a "south zone."  The area now included in the following counties shall constitute the north zone: Chelan, Clallam, Douglas, Ferry, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Stevens, Whatcom, and that part of Grant lying north of parallel 47° 30' north latitude.  The area now included in the following counties shall constitute the south zone: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz, Franklin, Garfield, that part of Grant lying south of parallel 47° 30' north latitude, Grays Harbor, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, Skamania, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, Whitman and Yakima.[1989 c 54 § 11.] RCW 58.20.140Designation of system Zones.As established for use in the north zone, the Washington coordinate system of 1983 shall be named, and in any land description in which it is used it shall be designated, the "Washington coordinate system of 1983, north zone."  As established for use in the south zone, the Washington coordinate system of 1983 shall be named, and in any land description in which it is used it shall be designated, the "Washington coordinate system of 1983, south zone."[1989 c 54 § 12.] RCW 58.20.150Designation of coordinates "N" and "E.""N" and "E" shall be used in labeling coordinates of a point on the earth's surface and in expressing the position or location of such point relative to the origin of the appropriate zone of this system, expressed in meters and decimals of a meter. These coordinates shall be made to depend upon and conform to the coordinates, on the Washington coordinate system of 1983, of the horizontal control stations of the national geodetic survey within the state of Washington, as those coordinates have been determined, accepted, or adjusted by the survey.[1989 c 54 § 13.] RCW 58.20.160Tract in both zones Description.When any tract of land to be defined by a single description extends from one into the other of the coordinate zones under RCW 58.20.130, the positions of all points on its boundaries may be referred to either of the zones, the zone which is used being specifically named in the description.[1989 c 54 § 14.] RCW 58.20.170Zones Technical definitions.For purposes of more precisely defining the Washington coordinate system of 1983, the following definition by the national geodetic survey is adopted:  The Washington coordinate system of 1983, north zone, is a Lambert conformal conic projection of the GRS 80 spheroid, having standard parallels at north latitudes 47° 30' and 48° 44', along which parallels the scale shall be exact. The origin of coordinates is at the intersection of the meridian 120° 50' west of Greenwich and the parallel 47° 00' north latitude. This origin is given the coordinates: E = 500,000 meters and N = 0 meters.  The Washington coordinate system of 1983, south zone, is a Lambert conformal conic projection of the GRS 80 spheroid, having standard parallels at north latitudes 45° 50' and 47° 20', along which parallels the scale shall be exact. The origin of coordinates is at the intersection of the meridian 120° 30' west of Greenwich and the parallel 45° 20' north latitude. This origin is given the coordinates: E = 500,000 meters and N = 0 meters.[1989 c 54 § 15.] RCW 58.20.180Recording coordinates Control stations.Coordinates based on the Washington coordinate system of 1983, purporting to define the position of a point on a land boundary, may be presented to be recorded in any public land records or deed records if the survey method used for the determination of these coordinates is established in conformity with standards and specifications prescribed by the interagency federal geodetic control committee, or its successor. These surveys shall be connected to monumented control stations that are adjusted to and published in the national network of geodetic control by the national geodetic survey and such connected horizontal control stations shall be described in the land or deed record. Standards and specifications of the committee in force on the date of the survey shall apply. In all instances where reference has been made to such coordinates in land surveys or deeds, the scale and sea level factors shall be stated for the survey lines used in computing ground distances and areas.  The position of the Washington coordinate system of 1983 shall be marked on the ground by horizontal geodetic control stations which have been established in conformity with the survey standards adopted by the committee and whose geodetic positions have been rigorously adjusted on the North American datum of 1983, and whose coordinates have been computed and published on the system defined in RCW 58.20.110 through 58.20.220 and 58.20.901. Any such control station may be used to establish a survey connection with the Washington coordinate system of 1983.[1989 c 54 § 16.] RCW 58.20.200Term Limited use.The use of the term "Washington coordinate system of 1983" on any map, report of survey, or other document, shall be limited to coordinates based on the Washington coordinate system of 1983 as defined in this chapter.[1989 c 54 § 18.] RCW 58.20.210United States survey prevails Conflict.Whenever coordinates based on the Washington coordinate system of 1983 are used to describe any tract of land which in the same document is also described by reference to any subdivision, line or corner of the United States public land surveys, the description by coordinates shall be construed as supplemental to the basic description of such subdivision, line, or corner contained in the official plats and field notes filed of record, and in the event of any conflict the description by reference to the subdivision, line, or corner of the United States public land surveys shall prevail over the description by coordinates.[1989 c 54 § 19.] RCW 58.20.220Real estate transactions Exemption.Nothing contained in this chapter shall require any purchaser or mortgagee to rely on a description, any part of which depends exclusively upon the Washington coordinate system of 1927 or 1983.[1989 c 54 § 20.]