Blog · September 24, 2026 · North Carolina
Brunswick County, North Carolina GIS Parcel Map Guide
The Brunswick County GIS Data Viewer is the free parcel map for Leland, Southport, Oak Island, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle, Sunset Beach, Shallotte and the rest of the county’s coast.
Main page: Brunswick County, NC GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, Brunswick County facts and neighboring maps).
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Brunswick County has been one of North Carolina’s fastest-growing counties, with new neighborhoods around Leland and a string of beach towns along the Atlantic. Marsh, wetlands and flood zones shape what can be built, and the Brunswick County GIS Data Viewer shows those layers next to every parcel.
Open the official Brunswick County parcel viewer
The county’s GIS department publishes the Data Viewer, an Esri web app with a search box for addresses and parcel numbers and a long list of layers. Beyond parcel lines you can turn on parcel dimensions, building footprints, contours, school districts, fire districts, sanitary districts, voluntary agricultural districts, future land use, county and municipal zoning, soils, wetlands and flood hazards. A stack of aerial photo years, going back more than a decade, lets you watch a lot change.
The viewer’s notice warns that the map is assembled from public documents such as deeds and plats, and that you should confirm anything important against those originals. Links to the Data Viewer sit on our North Carolina page under Brunswick, and the southern coast is clickable on our county map.
Search by parcel number or address
The county’s search guide recommends the tax parcel ID shown on your tax bill or property record card. Addresses work too, but beach cottages and condos can share an address pattern. Once you find a parcel, the Tax Office’s property record card search gives values, sales and building details.
- Turn on parcel dimensions to see the lot lengths drawn on each side.
- Use the older aerial years to see whether a lot was cleared, filled or rebuilt.
How to find property lines in Brunswick County
- Click the parcel for its deed book and page.
- Go to the Register of Deeds online records, choose the combined real property and maps search, and pull the deed and plat.
- Walk the lot and look for iron pipes or concrete monuments at the corners, which can be buried in sand.
- Hire a North Carolina professional land surveyor for fences, additions or any boundary question.
The Register of Deeds and the Tax Office are both at the county government complex in Bolivia, the county seat. If a plat is old or hard to read, the Register of Deeds staff can help you find the right map book and page, although they cannot interpret the boundary for you.
Beach towns, marsh and the lines that move
On the barrier islands, the ocean side of a lot can shift with erosion and beach nourishment, and the marsh side may follow a line that the state treats differently from dry land. North Carolina coastal rules, administered through the Division of Coastal Management, affect building setbacks near the ocean and estuaries. The parcel map will show your lot, but a surveyor and the local permit office will tell you what you can build and where.
Flood zones and wetlands
Flood hazards and wetlands cover large parts of the county, not just the beaches. Low ground along the Cape Fear, Lockwood Folly and Shallotte rivers can carry flood insurance requirements too. Turn on both layers before you make an offer, and read our guide to flood zones in a parcel viewer.
Leland and the growth corridor
Leland and the US 17 corridor absorb much of the growth spilling over from Wilmington. Large planned communities there have their own covenants and fees on top of town rules. The zoning layer shows whether a parcel falls under the county or one of the many municipalities, which include the beach towns, Leland, Southport, Shallotte and others. The future land use layer hints at what the county expects nearby.
Brunswick County plat book and old maps
Brunswick does not appear to have a printed commercial atlas on the market right now. Subdivision maps recorded with the Register of Deeds are the official versions, and the Data Viewer adds current ownership. Historic maps of the Cape Fear region are held by the State Archives of North Carolina and university collections.
Is the Brunswick County GIS map accurate?
Good enough for finding a lot and its neighbors, but lines drawn from deeds do not replace a survey, and shorelines move. The viewer itself points users to the recorded documents. Our page on assessor maps versus surveys has more.
Data Viewer not loading?
Use a current browser and give the aerial layers a moment to draw. If the viewer stays blank, clear the cache or try a private window. Crossing into South Carolina? Our Horry County guide covers the Myrtle Beach side, and our North Carolina hub links all 100 counties.
Frequently asked questions
Where are deeds recorded in Brunswick County, NC?
At the Register of Deeds in Bolivia. Its online records include a combined real property and maps search for deeds and plats.
Does the Brunswick County map show flood zones?
Yes. The Data Viewer includes flood hazard and wetland layers, though flood insurance decisions should use the current FEMA map and an elevation certificate.
Is there a free Brunswick County plat book?
The GIS viewer serves that role at no cost, and plats are recorded at the Register of Deeds.
Can I see older aerial photos of my lot?
Yes. The viewer includes several years of aerial and oblique imagery you can switch between.
Open the official Brunswick County GIS viewer Brunswick 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.