Show All Answers

1. Where is the Engineering Office located?

The Engineering Office is located at the Northwest Annex:
5280 Northwest Drive
Suite C
Bellingham, WA 98225

For directions, please see the map to the Northwest Annex. For additional information, please contact our office.

2. How do I obtain publications and copies from your office?

• In person at:
  5280 Northwest Drive
  Suite C
  Bellingham, WA 98225
  
  Monday - Friday
  8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., except holidays


• Via mail. Payment must be received before copies can be mailed. Simply call our office at 360-778-6220 with your order. The cost of postage will be added to mail-in orders. Please allow 7 to 10 days for delivery upon receipt of payment in our office. Orders of 5 copies or more may take longer.

3. Is there a survey of my property?

The Engineering Division is the repository for all recorded surveys starting in 1972. Long plats, short plats, and binding site plans are also available and may provide useful survey information. Some historical mapping and surveying information is also available for inspection.

4. How can I find my property line?

Some parcels are already surveyed. Most are not. Property is bought and sold by deeds referencing a legal description. The legal description is sometimes shown on a subdivision map or a record of survey, if it has been surveyed. A new survey is provided by private land surveyors and costs from several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on the size and difficulty of the parcel.

1. Obtain a copy of the deed
2. Visit the County Engineer and research existing maps and surveys at the office on Northwest Drive
3. Try and find or recover any existing corners
4. Contact a Professional Land Surveyor for a survey

5. How do I obtain a parcel number?

For new parcel numbers, please contact the Whatcom County Assessor at 360-778-5050. Maps of existing parcel numbers can be obtained from the County Assessor or our office. However, you must provide either the owner’s full name or a site address in order for us to research.

6. How do I get access to my property?

Access from a county road or county right-of-way is by permit from the Engineering office. Construction, use, or maintenance of private easements are regulated by Whatcom County Planning and Development Services at 360-778-5900.

7. What can you tell me about an easement?

Unless easements are granted to the public, such as utilities, drainage, and other roadway facilities, and are declared or shown on a recorded subdivision, the Engineering Office cannot help with easements. Easements are a private issue of title that require the original deeds and documents available from the recording section of the Auditor’s Office or a title company.

8. What constitutes a legal ingress / egress of record?

It is an easement and/or a deed that has been created specifically for ingress/egress (access and any other uses specified). It has been acknowledged (notarized) and recorded with the County Auditor’s Office.

9. Is there water / sewer service to my property?

Whatcom County does not provide or administer water or sewer service. Please seek assistance from the County Health Department, at 360-778-6000, for information from the appropriate water association, district or municipality.

10. How do I obtain an address for my property?

The Engineering Division is the only agency that may assign addresses in unincorporated Whatcom County. To have an address assigned to your property, you must complete an application form and return it, along with the $35 fee, to the Engineering office. The application form (PDF) is available online or by contacting the Engineering Office.

11. What are the rules for having a road named?

Private easements that are used to access at least 3 homes may be eligible to be named, if all property owners agree to the change. Whatcom County requires that a private easement be named if it is used to access 5 homes, or if it is used to access 3 homes and is more than 1,000 feet long. The name of the private road must be approved by Emergency Services. A Road Name Proposal application (PDF) is available online or by contacting the Engineering Office.

12. How do I find out the width of a county road?

Research is required to determine the width of the right-of-way in front of your individual property. Please provide your parcel number and any other pertinent property information.

13. How are county rights-of-way established?

County rights-of-way can be deeded, dedicated or established by prescriptive rights and condemnation.

14. Do you have any job vacancies?

Please contact Whatcom County Human Resources at 360-778-5300.