Blog · October 14, 2026 · Montana
Reading the Beaverhead County Flood Zone Map for a parcel
Flood zones are set by FEMA, and checking one near Beaverhead National Forest takes a few minutes.
Main page: Beaverhead County, MT GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Before an offer near Dewey, look at the Beaverhead County flood zone map: the zone on that map shapes insurance, building rules and resale. Covered here for Beaverhead County: the free FEMA tools, what each zone label means, when insurance is required and what a LOMA is.
Checking the Beaverhead County flood zone map step by step
With a lot near Argenta, flood zones come from FEMA's Flood Map Service Center: enter the street address, and choose the dynamic map. Vacant ground around Dell can still be found: zoom in from Interstate 15 and click the spot.
Pulling up a parcel
Begin with the Beaverhead County ArcGIS parcel map; it includes every assessed parcel from Dell to Dillon. Without an address in hand, follow Interstate 15 on the aerial and click the parcel itself. If the land is near Glen, the parcel card typically gives the owner of record, assessed acreage, the parcel number and often a sale date.
A quick look at the area
Dillon serves as the county seat, home to the main records offices. You'll also find Lima, Argenta, Dell, and Dewey, where town lots give way to larger tracts. About 9,885 people live in Beaverhead County (Census estimate, 2023) across some 5,543 square miles. Beaverhead County was organized in 1865, which matters when you trace an old farm's title. Places such as Big Hole River and Beaverhead National Forest are easy to spot when you zoom out.
A short flood checklist
For land near Dillon, ask the listing agent for any Elevation Certificate before closing; an insurance quote early avoids surprises.
Reading A, AE and X
Closer to Big Hole River, zones beginning with A or V mark the Special Flood Hazard Area, meaning a 1% or greater chance of flooding each year. Closer to Argenta, shaded Zone X marks moderate flood hazard, roughly the 100- to 500-year range; unshaded X means minimal mapped risk.
Beyond the mapped zones
Small streams around Lima may not have detailed mapping, so ask neighbors about past flooding. Marshy spots near Big Hole River can limit building too; the National Wetlands Inventory mapper shows mapped wetlands.
Where the recorded documents are
Before you sign anything, get the recorded deed through the County Clerk and Recorder; the parcel line is a drawing of it, whether the land is near Big Hole River or elsewhere in the county. Out toward Glen, have ready the book and page from the tax record and the lookup takes minutes.
Before you lean on the lines
If the land is near Glen, listed acreage is an assessed number; just a licensed surveyor establishes the real corners on the ground. For acreage around Grant, owner names and values update on a schedule, so a deed recorded last month may not show yet.
Parcel lines plus flood zones
FEMA's map shows zones but not ownership, so pair it with the Beaverhead County ArcGIS parcel map for the outline of the tract near Dell.
What a flood zone means for a buyer
For acreage around Beaverhead National Forest, get the Elevation Certificate if one exists: it records the building's elevation against the base flood. New construction in a floodplain near Lima often needs a floodplain permit; check with the county or town building office early.
Land on the county line
Beaverhead County borders Clark County, ID, Fremont County, ID, Lemhi County, ID, Deer Lodge County, and Madison County, and each of those keeps its own parcel map. A tract near the line by Argenta can show up in two county records, so check the adjacent map too. Around Big Hole River, the Platbookmapper state page lists every bordering county map across Montana.
Legal descriptions in Montana
Montana is laid out under the Public Land Survey System, so deeds around Argenta reference sections and townships. A standard section is about one square mile, roughly 640 acres, with 36 sections to a township, though sections near Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge can be irregular. Copy the legal description from the record for the parcel near Argenta for any title or survey request.
Taking the map into the field
The parcel map usually runs in a mobile browser, which helps when you're standing on land near Argenta, but coverage can be spotty out of town. A printout of the tract near Grant keeps working without signal.
Quick answers
Is Zone X safe from flooding for land near Big Hole River?
For a parcel near Argenta, shaded X is moderate risk and unshaded X is minimal risk; FEMA notes that a large share of claims come from these areas.
What is a base flood elevation near Lima?
For a tract near Dell, the base flood elevation is the water level expected in the 1% annual chance flood, and an Elevation Certificate compares the building to it.
Can I challenge a flood zone near Lima?
For acreage around Dewey, a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) from FEMA can remove a structure on naturally high ground; a surveyor's elevation data supports it.
Is my property near Dewey in a flood zone?
It depends, but look up the spot near Dewey in FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer viewer, and the zone code appears on the map.
Why do offices ask for the parcel ID around Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge?
Every office uses it to pull the same file for land near Lima, and it's on the record panel and tax bills.
Open the official Beaverhead County, MT parcel map See it 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.