Blog · October 14, 2026 · Idaho
Benewah County Flood Zone Map, Idaho: a practical guide
The zone on FEMA's map affects insurance, building and resale near Fernwood.
Main page: Benewah County, ID GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Before an offer near De Smet, pull up the Benewah County flood zone map: FEMA's zone label affects insurance, permits and resale. In this county guide: finding the address on FEMA's map, reading the zone codes, and pairing it with the county ArcGIS parcel map, at least around Parkline.
Checking the Benewah County flood zone map step by step
For a more interactive look, try the National Flood Hazard Layer viewer, which lets you click a spot and read its zone, for land near Emida included. A tract near Tensed without an address is still easy to locate: search the nearest road then click the parcel area.
The free map to start with
Property in and around Parkline are published on the Benewah County ArcGIS parcel map, a viewer that needs no account. If you're looking near De Smet, type a street address, an owner's name or a parcel number, and the viewer zooms to the match. For land near De Smet, copy the parcel ID from that panel; every clerk in the county asks for it first.
What the zone letters mean
With a lot near Emida, zones beginning with A or V mark the Special Flood Hazard Area, which FEMA defines as a 1% annual chance of flooding. For a tract near Heyburn State Park, shaded Zone X is moderate risk, between the 1% and 0.2% annual chance floods; plain X, or C on older maps, means minimal mapped risk.
Parcel lines plus flood zones
FEMA's map shows zones but not ownership, so pair it with the Benewah County ArcGIS parcel map to see exactly which lot near Chatcolet you're looking at.
A short flood checklist
Near Parkline, ask the seller whether the home has flooded before closing; getting a quote early keeps the budget honest.
The paper trail behind a parcel
The map is an index, not the title: deeds, subdivision plats and easements for land near Tensed are filed with the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder). For a tract near Plummer, bring the instrument number listed on the parcel record and the lookup takes minutes.
Which office to call
Anything recorded against property around Tensed are with the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder), usually searchable by name or document number. Zoning, permits and septic questions near St. Maries are for the local planning and health departments, depending on whether the land is inside town limits.
A word on accuracy
For a tract near Parkline, the acreage figure is an assessed number; just a licensed surveyor can set the real lines on the ground. For acreage around De Smet, owner names and values update on a schedule, so a deed recorded last month can take weeks to appear.
Water near Tensed
Creeks and ditches near Plummer aren't always studied in detail, so walk the land after rain. Wetlands near St. Maries can limit building even outside a flood zone; the National Wetlands Inventory mapper shows mapped wetlands.
Getting your bearings
St. Maries is the county seat, where most land records are kept. You'll also find Plummer, Tensed, De Smet, and Fernwood. Roughly 10,369 people live in Benewah County (Census Bureau estimate, 2023) across some 777 square miles. Benewah County was organized in 1915, so old deeds can run back a long way. Features like Heyburn State Park make handy reference points on the map.
Money questions tied to the zone
For a structure inside an A or V zone and the loan is federally backed or regulated, the lender will require flood insurance where the community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, for land near Parkline included. Building or adding on near De Smet in a mapped zone often needs a floodplain permit; call the permitting office before you plan.
On site with the map
Most viewers work in a phone browser, which helps when you're standing on land near Chatcolet, though signal can drop in rural spots. A screenshot of the parcel near St. Maries with its ID helps when you meet an owner or agent.
How land is described here
Idaho uses the Public Land Survey System, so deeds around Heyburn State Park reference sections and townships. A standard section is about one square mile, roughly 640 acres, with 36 sections to a township, though corrections make some sections near Parkline odd-sized. Copy the legal description from the record for the parcel near Emida for any title or survey request.
Questions about the Benewah County flood zone map
Can I see flood zones on the Benewah County ArcGIS parcel map?
Usually, a flood layer may appear in the Benewah County ArcGIS parcel map layer list, though it can lag behind FEMA's current panels.
Do I need to worry about flooding in Zone X around St. Maries?
Short answer: X zones around Tensed are lower risk, not no risk, and floods still happen outside high-risk zones.
What is a LOMA for land near De Smet?
Usually, you can ask FEMA for a LOMA if surveyed elevations show the building near De Smet is above the BFE; it starts with an elevation survey.
Where do I find the BFE for a lot near McCroskey State Park?
Short answer: a BFE near Tensed tells builders how high the lowest floor should be, and an Elevation Certificate compares the building to it.
What's the tax parcel number used for near Heyburn State Park?
Every office uses it to pull the same file for land near De Smet, and it's on the record panel and tax bills.
Open the official Benewah County, ID 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.