Land Surveyors in Kirkland, WA

A City That Doubled in 2011

On June 1, 2011, Kirkland annexed Finn Hill, North Juanita and Kingsgate, adding more than 31,000 residents and taking the city from under 49,000 people to nearly 80,000. Everything in those neighbourhoods was platted and permitted under unincorporated King County rules, and it now answers to Kirkland's Planning and Building department. That shift matters on the ground: setbacks, lot coverage and critical-area buffers measured for a county permit in the 1970s or 1980s are now read against a different code, and an owner planning an addition often finds the existing house does not fit the current rules as neatly as expected.

Creeks, Wetlands and the Totem Lake Basin

North Kirkland drains through Juanita Creek and Forbes Creek into Juanita Bay, and much of the Totem Lake and Forbes Lake perimeters meet the definition of wetland. Lots backing onto those drainages carry stream and wetland buffers that shrink the buildable area, and the edge of a buffer is only as accurate as the survey that locates the stream or the delineated wetland line. Totem Lake itself is the city's main redevelopment district, where older commercial parcels are being rebuilt as mixed use.

The Lakefront Slope

Kirkland's comprehensive plan identifies erosion-hazard slopes running along the Lake Washington shoreline, including through the Market neighbourhood west of Market Street. Grading, clearing, irrigation and new building loads can all set those slopes moving. Waterfront lots from Houghton up through Market and Juanita combine that slope with shoreline setbacks, so the house, the bank and the water line all need to appear on a single drawing.

What Kirkland Projects Need

In the annexed neighbourhoods the starting point is usually a boundary survey to confirm county-era lines, and larger Finn Hill and Kingsgate lots are regular short plat candidates. Neighbours squaring off an awkward shared line apply for a lot line adjustment. Slope and waterfront work starts with a topographic survey. Totem Lake redevelopment brings the ALTA/NSPS survey for financing, construction staking during building and an as-built survey at handover. Low ground near Juanita Bay and the creek mouths is where an elevation certificate is requested. Next door are Redmond and Bellevue.

Kirkland Survey FAQs