diff --git a/css/app.css b/css/app.css
index e4fcec85a..256b7c91b 100644
--- a/css/app.css
+++ b/css/app.css
@@ -39,6 +39,13 @@ body {
     height: 100%;
 }
 
+#defs {
+    /* Can't be display: none or the clippaths are ignored. */
+    position: absolute;
+    width: 0;
+    height: 0;
+}
+
 .spacer {
     height: 40px;
     margin-right: 10px;
diff --git a/index.html b/index.html
index 9f0c7a6f5..4fd3ffbaf 100644
--- a/index.html
+++ b/index.html
@@ -59,14 +59,15 @@
 
         <script src="js/id/svg.js"></script>
         <script src="js/id/svg/areas.js"></script>
+        <script src="js/id/svg/defs.js"></script>
+        <script src="js/id/svg/labels.js"></script>
         <script src="js/id/svg/lines.js"></script>
         <script src="js/id/svg/midpoints.js"></script>
         <script src="js/id/svg/points.js"></script>
+        <script src="js/id/svg/restrictions.js"></script>
         <script src="js/id/svg/surface.js"></script>
         <script src="js/id/svg/tag_classes.js"></script>
         <script src="js/id/svg/vertices.js"></script>
-        <script src="js/id/svg/labels.js"></script>
-        <script src="js/id/svg/restrictions.js"></script>
 
         <script src="js/id/ui.js"></script>
         <script src='js/id/ui/intro.js'></script>
diff --git a/js/id/svg/defs.js b/js/id/svg/defs.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ad9182a41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/js/id/svg/defs.js
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+/*
+    A standalone SVG element that contains only a `defs` sub-element. To be
+    used once globally, since defs IDs must be unique within a document.
+*/
+iD.svg.Defs = function(context) {
+    function autosize(image) {
+        var img = document.createElement('img');
+        img.src = image.attr('xlink:href');
+        img.onload = function() {
+            image.attr({
+                width: img.width,
+                height: img.height
+            });
+        };
+    }
+
+    function SpriteDefinition(id, href, data) {
+        return function(defs) {
+            defs.append('image')
+                .attr('id', id)
+                .attr('xlink:href', href)
+                .call(autosize);
+
+            defs.selectAll()
+                .data(data)
+                .enter().append('use')
+                .attr('id', function(d) { return d.key; })
+                .attr('transform', function(d) { return 'translate(-' + d.value[0] + ',-' + d.value[1] + ')'; })
+                .attr('xlink:href', '#' + id);
+        };
+    }
+
+    return function (selection) {
+        var defs = selection.append('defs');
+
+        defs.append('marker')
+            .attr({
+                id: 'oneway-marker',
+                viewBox: '0 0 10 10',
+                refY: 2.5,
+                refX: 5,
+                markerWidth: 2,
+                markerHeight: 2,
+                orient: 'auto'
+            })
+            .append('path')
+            .attr('d', 'M 5 3 L 0 3 L 0 2 L 5 2 L 5 0 L 10 2.5 L 5 5 z');
+
+        var patterns = defs.selectAll('pattern')
+            .data([
+                // pattern name, pattern image name
+                ['wetland', 'wetland'],
+                ['construction', 'construction'],
+                ['cemetery', 'cemetery'],
+                ['orchard', 'orchard'],
+                ['farmland', 'farmland'],
+                ['beach', 'dots'],
+                ['scrub', 'dots'],
+                ['meadow', 'dots']
+            ])
+            .enter()
+            .append('pattern')
+            .attr({
+                id: function (d) {
+                    return 'pattern-' + d[0];
+                },
+                width: 32,
+                height: 32,
+                patternUnits: 'userSpaceOnUse'
+            });
+
+        patterns.append('rect')
+            .attr({
+                x: 0,
+                y: 0,
+                width: 32,
+                height: 32,
+                'class': function (d) {
+                    return 'pattern-color-' + d[0];
+                }
+            });
+
+        patterns.append('image')
+            .attr({
+                x: 0,
+                y: 0,
+                width: 32,
+                height: 32
+            })
+            .attr('xlink:href', function (d) {
+                return context.imagePath('pattern/' + d[1] + '.png');
+            });
+
+        defs.selectAll()
+            .data([12, 18, 20])
+            .enter().append('clipPath')
+            .attr('id', function (d) {
+                return 'clip-square-' + d;
+            })
+            .append('rect')
+            .attr('x', 0)
+            .attr('y', 0)
+            .attr('width', function (d) {
+                return d;
+            })
+            .attr('height', function (d) {
+                return d;
+            });
+
+        var maki = [];
+        _.forEach(iD.data.featureIcons, function (dimensions, name) {
+            if (dimensions['12'] && dimensions['18'] && dimensions['24']) {
+                maki.push({key: 'maki-' + name + '-12', value: dimensions['12']});
+                maki.push({key: 'maki-' + name + '-18', value: dimensions['18']});
+                maki.push({key: 'maki-' + name + '-24', value: dimensions['24']});
+            }
+        });
+
+        defs.call(SpriteDefinition(
+            'sprite',
+            context.imagePath('sprite.svg'),
+            d3.entries(iD.data.operations)));
+
+        defs.call(SpriteDefinition(
+            'maki-sprite',
+            context.imagePath('maki-sprite.png'),
+            maki));
+    };
+};
diff --git a/js/id/svg/surface.js b/js/id/svg/surface.js
index cac731c69..3b11461dd 100644
--- a/js/id/svg/surface.js
+++ b/js/id/svg/surface.js
@@ -1,114 +1,5 @@
-iD.svg.Surface = function(context) {
-    function autosize(image) {
-        var img = document.createElement('img');
-        img.src = image.attr('xlink:href');
-        img.onload = function() {
-            image.attr({
-                width: img.width,
-                height: img.height
-            });
-        };
-    }
-
-    function SpriteDefinition(id, href, data) {
-        return function(defs) {
-            defs.append('image')
-                .attr('id', id)
-                .attr('xlink:href', href)
-                .call(autosize);
-
-            defs.selectAll()
-                .data(data)
-                .enter().append('use')
-                .attr('id', function(d) { return d.key; })
-                .attr('transform', function(d) { return 'translate(-' + d.value[0] + ',-' + d.value[1] + ')'; })
-                .attr('xlink:href', '#' + id);
-        };
-    }
-
-    return function drawSurface(selection) {
-        var defs = selection.append('defs');
-
-        defs.append('marker')
-            .attr({
-                id: 'oneway-marker',
-                viewBox: '0 0 10 10',
-                refY: 2.5,
-                refX: 5,
-                markerWidth: 2,
-                markerHeight: 2,
-                orient: 'auto'
-            })
-            .append('path')
-            .attr('d', 'M 5 3 L 0 3 L 0 2 L 5 2 L 5 0 L 10 2.5 L 5 5 z');
-
-        var patterns = defs.selectAll('pattern')
-            .data([
-                // pattern name, pattern image name
-                ['wetland', 'wetland'],
-                ['construction', 'construction'],
-                ['cemetery', 'cemetery'],
-                ['orchard', 'orchard'],
-                ['farmland', 'farmland'],
-                ['beach', 'dots'],
-                ['scrub', 'dots'],
-                ['meadow', 'dots']])
-            .enter()
-            .append('pattern')
-                .attr({
-                    id: function(d) { return 'pattern-' + d[0]; },
-                    width: 32,
-                    height: 32,
-                    patternUnits: 'userSpaceOnUse'
-                });
-
-        patterns.append('rect')
-            .attr({
-                x: 0,
-                y: 0,
-                width: 32,
-                height: 32,
-                'class': function(d) { return 'pattern-color-' + d[0]; }
-            });
-
-        patterns.append('image')
-            .attr({
-                x: 0,
-                y: 0,
-                width: 32,
-                height: 32
-            })
-            .attr('xlink:href', function(d) { return context.imagePath('pattern/' + d[1] + '.png'); });
-
-        defs.selectAll()
-            .data([12, 18, 20])
-            .enter().append('clipPath')
-            .attr('id', function(d) { return 'clip-square-' + d; })
-            .append('rect')
-            .attr('x', 0)
-            .attr('y', 0)
-            .attr('width', function(d) { return d; })
-            .attr('height', function(d) { return d; });
-
-        var maki = [];
-        _.forEach(iD.data.featureIcons, function(dimensions, name) {
-            if (dimensions['12'] && dimensions['18'] && dimensions['24']) {
-                maki.push({key: 'maki-' + name + '-12', value: dimensions['12']});
-                maki.push({key: 'maki-' + name + '-18', value: dimensions['18']});
-                maki.push({key: 'maki-' + name + '-24', value: dimensions['24']});
-            }
-        });
-
-        defs.call(SpriteDefinition(
-            'sprite',
-            context.imagePath('sprite.svg'),
-            d3.entries(iD.data.operations)));
-
-        defs.call(SpriteDefinition(
-            'maki-sprite',
-            context.imagePath('maki-sprite.png'),
-            maki));
-
+iD.svg.Surface = function() {
+    return function (selection) {
         var layers = selection.selectAll('.layer')
             .data(['fill', 'shadow', 'casing', 'stroke', 'oneway', 'hit', 'halo', 'label']);
 
diff --git a/js/id/ui.js b/js/id/ui.js
index 678c55ca4..01f8ed6df 100644
--- a/js/id/ui.js
+++ b/js/id/ui.js
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@ iD.ui = function(context) {
             map.centerZoom([-77.02271, 38.90085], 20);
         }
 
+        container.append('svg')
+            .attr('id', 'defs')
+            .call(iD.svg.Defs(context));
+
         container.append('div')
             .attr('id', 'sidebar')
             .attr('class', 'col4')