Blog · October 14, 2026 · Montana
Billings Flood Zone Map: checking a property's flood zone
The zone on FEMA's map affects insurance, building and resale near Broadview.
Main page: Yellowstone County, MT GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
Platbookmapper is an Amazon Associate. If you buy through an Amazon link on this page, we earn a commission. The link is a product, not the county map.
Before an offer near Broadview, pull up the Billings flood zone map: FEMA's zone label affects insurance, permits and resale. What this Billings guide covers: locating a parcel on FEMA's map, decoding A, AE and X, and confirming the outline on the county map.
Getting started with the Billings flood zone map
Start with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center: type an address near Broadview, and pick the FIRMette or map view. A tract near Laurel without an address can still be found: zoom in from Interstate 90 then click the parcel area.
Getting to the right map
Begin with the Yellowstone County parcel viewer; it maps each assessed parcel in the county, Broadview included. If you only know roughly where the land is, zoom in from Laurel and click the parcel itself. Closer to Broadview, the parcel card usually lists the owner of record, acreage on the tax roll, a parcel ID and often a sale date.
Taking the map into the field
Most viewers work in a phone browser, which helps when you're standing on land near Broadview, though signal can drop in rural spots. A screenshot of the parcel near Broadview with its ID is a good backup.
Billings and the county around it
Billings is part of Yellowstone County, Montana, which means parcel data comes from the county. It's also the county seat, which puts the County Clerk and Recorder close by. Near Laurel, the municipality handles matters such as zoning, permits and utilities for lots inside the boundary, but the county runs assessment and recording. Lots just outside the city limits toward Laurel generally answers to county rules, not municipal ones.
Legal descriptions in Montana
Montana follows the Public Land Survey System, which means a tract near Broadview is described by section, township and range. A standard section is about one square mile, roughly 640 acres, and a township holds 36 of them, though real sections near Broadview vary in size. Keep the legal description for land near Laurel before you request a deed or survey.
Deeds, plats and who keeps them
The map is an index, not the title: recorded deeds, subdivision plats and easements for land near Broadview are kept by the County Clerk and Recorder. Long-held tracts around Laurel can trace back through several deeds, so a title company earns its fee on a real sale.
Questions to ask before you buy
Request whether the home has flooded on the property near Laurel; getting a quote early keeps the budget honest.
Places you'll see on the map
Billings holds the county offices, where most land records are kept. Other places on the map include Laurel and Broadview, each with its own cluster of lots. Roughly 170,843 people call Yellowstone County home (Census estimate, 2023) across roughly 2,633 square miles. Yellowstone County was organized in 1883, and some chains of title near Broadview are long. Places such as Pompeys Pillar National Monument are easy to spot when you zoom out from Laurel.
Reading A, AE and X
An AE label carries a published BFE, while plain Zone A does not; that elevation drives building rules near Broadview. For a home near Broadview, shaded Zone X marks moderate flood hazard, between the 1% and 0.2% annual chance floods; unshaded X means minimal mapped risk.
Lining it up with the parcel map
FEMA doesn't draw property lines, so check the Yellowstone County parcel viewer too to confirm you have the right parcel near Broadview.
Beyond the mapped zones
Creeks and ditches near Laurel aren't always studied in detail, so walk the land after rain. Wetlands near Laurel can limit building even outside a flood zone; check the National Wetlands Inventory mapper for a first look.
Lenders and permits
Closer to Broadview, an Elevation Certificate from a surveyor helps: it can change the insurance price a lot. Remodeling a house in a zone near Broadview can trigger elevation rules; check with the county or town building office before you plan.
Offices that can help
Questions about value or the owner field for land near Laurel go to the Montana Department of Revenue, which maintains the tax roll. Zoning, permits and septic questions near Broadview need the planning or permitting office, and the answer depends on jurisdiction.
Quick answers
Does the county parcel map show flood zones near Broadview?
For most people, some county viewers include a FEMA flood layer; confirm a lot near Broadview on FEMA's map either way.
Where can I see the Billings flood zone map for free?
It depends, but FEMA's free map shows the zone for any spot near Broadview, and the zone code appears on the map.
Is AE a high-risk flood zone in Billings?
Short answer: both are high-risk zones, but only AE has a base flood elevation, which shapes building rules near Broadview.
Will my lender require flood insurance near Broadview?
For most people, lenders generally require it for buildings near Broadview in a Special Flood Hazard Area when the loan is federally regulated or insured; elsewhere it's optional.
What's a legal description around Broadview?
For a tract near Broadview, deeds use lot and block, metes and bounds or survey descriptions; copy it for any survey or title request.
Open the official Yellowstone 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.