Blog · October 14, 2026 · North Dakota
Bowman County Flood Zone Map, North Dakota: a practical guide
Flood zones are set by FEMA, and checking one near Hart takes a few minutes.
Main page: Bowman County, ND GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Weighing a property around Scranton? The Bowman County flood zone map tells you whether the lot falls inside a mapped floodplain, and the lookup is free. What this Bowman County guide covers: finding the address on FEMA's map, reading the zone codes, and pairing it with the Bowman County parcel viewer.
The Bowman County flood zone map: start here
If you'd rather pan and zoom, try the National Flood Hazard Layer viewer, which lets you click a spot and read its zone, whether the land is near North Fork Grand River or elsewhere in the county. Rural land near Scranton with no street number can still be found: pan from the closest town and click the spot.
Where the parcel data lives
Go first to the Bowman County parcel viewer; it covers every assessed parcel in the county, North Fork Grand River included. Near North Fork Grand River, type a street address, an owner's name or a parcel number, and the viewer zooms to the match. If the land is near West Bowman, save the parcel ID while you have it open; each records desk in the county asks for it first.
Getting answers from the right desk
Anything recorded against property around Little Missouri River come from the County Recorder, usually searchable by name or document number. Questions about what you can build around Rhame are for the local planning and health departments, town or county, depending on location.
Reading A, AE and X
In and around Scranton, A and V zones mark the Special Flood Hazard Area, meaning a 1% or greater chance of flooding each year. If you're looking near Little Missouri River, shaded Zone X is moderate risk, roughly the 100- to 500-year range; plain X, or C on older maps, is minimal risk.
How land is described here
North Dakota follows the Public Land Survey System, so deeds around Rhame reference sections and townships. A standard section is about one square mile, roughly 640 acres, and a township holds 36 of them, though corrections make some sections near Gascoyne odd-sized. Write down the legal description for the tract near Hart before you request a deed or survey.
A quick look at the area
Bowman holds the county offices, which is where the courthouse records live. Other places on the map include Gascoyne, Rhame, Scranton, and Hart, each with its own cluster of lots. Around 2,867 people call Bowman County home (Census estimate, 2023) across some 1,162 square miles. Bowman County was organized in 1883, so old deeds can run back a long way. Features like Little Missouri River and North Fork Grand River help you orient on the aerial.
A short flood checklist
In and around West Bowman, request whether the home has flooded before closing; getting a quote early keeps the budget honest.
Matching the zone to the lot lines
FEMA doesn't draw property lines, so pair it with the Bowman County parcel viewer to see exactly which lot near West Bowman you're looking at.
The paper trail behind a parcel
Before you sign anything, pull the recorded deed from the County Recorder; the parcel line is a drawing of it, for land near North Fork Grand River included. Long-held tracts near Little Missouri River can go back through many deeds, so a title company earns its fee on a real sale.
Land on the county line
The county borders Fallon County, MT, Adams County, Slope County, and Harding County, SD; every one of them runs a separate parcel map for land near Scranton. Ground near West Bowman that runs to the line can show up across two assessors' files, so check the neighboring map before you assume the acreage. If you're looking near Hart, the Platbookmapper state page lists every neighboring county map across North Dakota.
Low spots and local drainage
Creeks and ditches near Hart may not have detailed mapping, so walk the land after rain. Wet ground around North Fork Grand River is a separate issue from flood zones; the National Wetlands Inventory mapper shows mapped wetlands.
Money questions tied to the zone
Near Rhame, get the Elevation Certificate if one exists: it records the building's elevation against the base flood. Building or adding on near West Bowman in a mapped zone often needs a floodplain permit; check with the county or town building office before you plan.
Frequently asked
What is a base flood elevation around Scranton?
Usually, a BFE near Gascoyne tells builders how high the lowest floor should be; surveyors near North Fork Grand River use it often.
Do I need flood insurance around Hart?
Good question; lenders generally require it for buildings near Rhame in a Special Flood Hazard Area when the loan is federally regulated or insured; elsewhere it's optional.
What is a LOMA around North Fork Grand River?
For a tract near Scranton, a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) from FEMA can remove a structure on naturally high ground; a surveyor's elevation data supports it.
Is Zone X safe from flooding for land near North Fork Grand River?
With a lot near West Bowman, shaded X is moderate risk and unshaded X is minimal risk; FEMA notes that a large share of claims come from these areas.
What's a legal description near Gascoyne?
For a parcel near Little Missouri River, it's the formal description of the land in the deed, and the parcel record often summarizes it.
Open the official Bowman County, ND 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.