Blog · October 14, 2026 · Idaho
The Bannock County Plat Book: an Idaho guide
Printed plat books and the free online map for owners around Lava Hot Springs.
Main page: Bannock County, ID GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, Bannock County facts and neighboring maps).
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Old copies of the Bannock County plat book turn up at auctions and in kitchen drawers around McCammon, and new ones are harder to track down. We'll cover what's in one, where Bannock County copies turn up, and how the county's free map fills the gaps.
What's inside a county plat book
Private publishers compile plat books from county records, so a county edition is a snapshot of who owned land near Downey the year it was printed. Deeds and recorded plats, not the atlas, still govern land near Virginia in the county.
Step one: the free Bannock County viewer
For land around Arimo, open the Bannock County ArcGIS parcel map (an Esri ArcGIS web map); it is the map Bannock County itself publishes. Use the search box for an address in Inkom or a parcel number, or simply zoom in and click a tract close to Arimo. Bookmark our Bannock County page too; it tracks the official Idaho link if it moves and lists the maps around Inkom.
Finding a printed Bannock County plat book
Try the library in Downey or a local historical society for older Bannock County editions; libraries sometimes keep past atlases for reference. Collectors and genealogists prize old Bannock County atlases since they display farm names and owners near Virginia long before online maps.
Reading a Bannock County atlas page
Plat book pages for Bannock County typically include an index of owners, so you can locate a family name near Lava Hot Springs without knowing the township. Owner names in an older Bannock County edition may be decades out of date, so confirm on the county map before contacting anyone near Virginia. If you use a plat book for hunting permission near Pocatello, recheck the owner on the county map first.
Making your own atlas of Bannock County
Comparing two Bannock County editions side by side shows when a farm near Lava Hot Springs was split or sold. Some buyers print the county parcel map at township scale to carry on back roads near Lava Hot Springs.
Work and land use in Bannock County
Bannock County's 2022 business count was 2,379 establishments, with health care and social assistance, retail trade, and construction the largest groups.
Bannock County at a glance
Town lots cluster around Pocatello, the county seat, and Arimo, Chubbuck, Downey, and Inkom. Unincorporated communities in Bannock County, including Fort Hall, Tyhee, and Swanlake, display up as small groups of parcels along the roads. Census Bureau estimates put Bannock County at about 90,400 residents in 2023 on about 1,112 square miles of land. The Bannock County map mixes subdivision lots near McCammon with farm and wooded tracts farther out. With a founding date of 1893, Bannock County has long chains of title on some rural tracts.
Tracts that cross the Bannock County line
Bannock County borders Bingham County, Caribou County, Franklin County, Oneida County, and Power County, and each keeps its own parcel map and records. Our Idaho page links each map neighboring Bannock County.
Recorded documents in Bannock County, Idaho
For land near Lava Hot Springs, the deed itself lives in the county recording office, and the map is an index to it. Copy the parcel ID and legal description from the county record well before you request a deed for land near Arimo.
Using the Bannock County map as a modern plat book
The Bannock County ArcGIS parcel map works as a living Bannock County plat book, with owner names and parcel lines over aerial photos of Bannock County. Phone signal can be thin near Virginia, so save the parcel IDs you need well before you head out.
Bannock County, ID: common questions
Is the Bannock County, Idaho online map better than a plat book?
The Bannock County map is more current, while an atlas is handy offline near Virginia.
Where can I locate old plat books for Bannock County, Idaho?
Some libraries and historical societies keep older Bannock County atlases; ask what's available near Lava Hot Springs.
Can I use a plat book to locate lot lines near Downey?
It shows rough ownership blocks; for lines near Downey, use recorded plats and surveys.
What is the difference between a plat book and a plat in Bannock County?
No; a lot in Downey answers to its recorded plat, and the county atlas is a reference, nothing more.
Can I buy a new plat book for Bannock County, Idaho?
It depends on whether a publisher has a county edition in print; local offices in Downey typically know.
Open the official Bannock County, ID parcel map Bannock County in the Platbookmapper directory
Not a survey. County GIS and tax parcel maps are assessment and planning layers. They are not a substitute for a recorded plat, deed, or licensed survey, especially for fences, setbacks, or boundary disputes.