Find the recorded packet, not just the approval letter. Snohomish County’s boundary-line adjustment instructions say a County BLA becomes effective upon recordation with the Auditor. Recording numbers or recorded documents then return to Planning and Development Services (PDS) to complete the process. That return is not a new effective date.
This is a guide to County PDS and Auditor records. If the property is within an incorporated city or the old file names a different planning agency, confirm the responsible custodian before using the County route. No particular property’s jurisdiction has been determined here.
Keep the decision, recording and return together
Make one short record list instead of treating an “approved” label as the entire history. Separate the dates and references on the documents you actually obtain:
| Record to reconcile | What to preserve |
|---|---|
| Written PDS decision | Case reference, decision date and property identifiers |
| Auditor-recorded packet | Recording numbers and dates; the attached documents |
| Survey or conveyance, if applicable | Its own recording reference and connection to the packet |
| References returned to PDS | Evidence showing which recorded documents PDS received |
The County’s required packet includes the affidavit, certified legal descriptions and maps. A Record of Survey and conveyance documents are included when applicable. Do not assume that every BLA has the same additional instruments, or that a loose map is the complete recorded packet.
An application number, PDF filename and recording number serve different purposes. Preserve each exactly as labeled. If an attachment is listed but missing from the copy you have, write down its name; a later request for that item is more precise than asking whether the entire adjustment was “done.”
Locate the County file before asking for a missing instrument
The PDS public-records page presents Tax Parcel, Permit and Address search types. Its help documents an asterisk wildcard for parcel searching. Start with the strongest identifier already supported by your paperwork, and keep any earlier parcel or project reference beside the current one.
Those are observed blank labels and published instructions, not a successful BLA lookup. No terms were accepted and no search was submitted for this guide. PDS warns that the system does not contain every permitting record; age, format, quality and accessibility can affect what is online. No start year or BLA completeness date was verified.
For the recorded instrument, the Auditor’s Document Format Requirements identify document title, party names, legal-description information, parcel/account number and related-document references. Preserve those details when asking for a copy. They are recording-document identifiers, not verified fields in an online Recorder search. Recording Division assistance is available at 425-388-3483.
Keep former and current identifiers when you later trace building work. The Phoenix parcel-change example shows how an identity change can complicate permit recovery; obtain the Snohomish documents through the County routes described here.
An approval date without a matching recording
Imagine a fictional County folder containing a May 2022 decision and an affidavit scan named “approved.” Neither the scan nor the folder list supplies an Auditor recording reference. The careful description is decision found; recorded packet not yet identified. It is not evidence that recording never occurred.
First ask for the recorded version and its associated references. If a later copy bears an Auditor number, compare its document title, property identifiers and attachments with the earlier file. A matching current parcel number alone may leave an older identifier or an omitted page unexplained. Record the discrepancy for staff instead of deciding where the boundary lies.
Suppose the packet is found but the PDS file still contains no evidence of its return. Ask PDS whether it received those exact recording references. Keep that administrative gap separate from the recording date. Do not substitute the later date of a scanned copy, a staff email or your own retrieval for the event documented on the instrument.
Name the missing stage in the records request
The PDS Information Request Form has published fields for address, parcel and project or permit number, a Land Use File choice, and a detailed request. Identify the missing decision, attachment, recorded version or return reference. The Records Room number is 425-388-3622.
The form warns that a paper, microfiche or electronic file may not include every responsive document and distinguishes the separate Public Records Act inspection/copy process. Receiving one file is therefore a reason to check its contents against your request, not to assume every related item has been delivered.
- No online match: retain the identifier and search type you used; ask for the named Land Use File or missing item.
- A reference but no copy: carry the recording number, date and document title to the Auditor inquiry.
- The page did not load: report an access problem, not a completed search with no records.
A missing result does not prove the absence of a recorded BLA. These records do not establish ownership, boundary location or present building safety. A boundary adjustment also does not prove permit issuance, inspection approval or a Certificate of Occupancy; the permit-versus-occupancy-certificate guide explains those separate records.
If an adjustment moved a lot line near a well, how to match a Snohomish well report to the right parcel and the county water-supply rules covers the well records.
Last checked October 6, 2026 (2026-10-06 UTC). Official guidance and blank record/request labels were reviewed. No property search, form submission, staff contact or recorded document retrieval was performed.