Blog · October 14, 2026 · Vermont
Using the Burlington Flood Zone Map
The zone on FEMA's map affects insurance, building and resale near Shelburne.
Main page: Chittenden County, VT GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Weighing a property around Shelburne? Checking the Burlington flood zone map reveals whether FEMA puts it in a high-risk zone, and no account is needed. This Burlington guide covers: locating a parcel on FEMA's map, reading the zone codes, and pairing it with the Vermont Parcel Viewer.
The Burlington flood zone map: start here
Flood zones come from FEMA's Flood Map Service Center: search an address around Shelburne, and pick the FIRMette or map view. Rural land near Essex Junction with no street number is still easy to locate: pan from the closest town and click inside the land.
The free map to start with
The official parcel map for this area is the Vermont Parcel Viewer, and anyone can open it without signing up. For acreage around South Burlington, type a street address, an owner's name or a parcel number, then pick the result to center the map on it. With a lot near Milton, the record panel typically gives the owner of record, acreage on the tax roll, the parcel number and sometimes recent sales.
Burlington, VT: the basics
Burlington sits in Chittenden County, Vermont, so its parcels are on the county's map. Burlington is also the county seat, so deeds and plats are filed in town. For land near St. George, city or town hall handles things like zoning, permits and utilities within town limits, while the county keeps the tax map. Land beyond the city limits toward St. George often answers to county rules instead.
Which office to call
If the acreage or value on a parcel near Shelburne looks off belong with the town listers or assessor, which maintains the tax roll. Zoning, permits and septic questions near Shelburne go to planning, building or health offices, depending on whether the land is inside town limits.
What the zone letters mean
Zone AE comes with a base flood elevation, which plain A zones lack; that elevation drives building rules near Shelburne. Near St. George, a low-risk label isn't a guarantee: FEMA notes that many claims come from moderate- and low-risk areas.
Where the recorded documents are
The map is an index, not the title: recorded deeds, plats and easements for land near Shelburne sit with the town clerk. Long-held tracts around South Burlington may go back through several deeds, so a title company is worth hiring before a purchase.
Neighboring parcel maps
Chittenden County borders Clinton County, NY, Essex County, NY, Addison County, Franklin County, and Grand Isle County, all with their own assessor records. Acreage along the edge near Shelburne may be split across two assessors' files, so check the adjacent map before you assume the acreage. Our state page lists each bordering county map across Vermont.
What to request from a seller
Ask the seller about past flood claims for the house near Essex Junction; getting a quote early keeps the budget honest.
Water near South Burlington
Low-lying fields near Shelburne may not have detailed mapping, so ask neighbors about past flooding. Marshy spots near Milton can limit building too; the National Wetlands Inventory mapper shows mapped wetlands.
Places you'll see on the map
The city is the county seat, home to the main records offices around Colchester. Other places on the map include Winooski, South Burlington, Essex Junction, and Shelburne, each with its own cluster of lots. About 169,481 people live in Chittenden County (Census estimate, 2023) across about 537 square miles. Chittenden County was formed in 1787, and some chains of title near Milton are long.
Use the county map alongside FEMA
FEMA doesn't draw property lines, so pair it with the Vermont Parcel Viewer to see exactly which lot near St. George you're looking at.
Reading the legal description
Tracts outside towns near South Burlington commonly use metes-and-bounds descriptions, a series of courses and distances from a starting point. Platted lots around Winooski are typically described by lot and block, making them easier to find. Write down the legal description for the tract near Shelburne for any title or survey request.
Before you lean on the lines
Listed acreage is an assessed number; only a licensed surveyor establishes the real lines on land around Shelburne. Around Milton, records update in batches, so a deed recorded last month can take weeks to appear.
Lenders and permits
Closer to St. George, get the Elevation Certificate if one exists: it compares the building to the BFE. New construction in a floodplain near Essex Junction can trigger elevation rules; check with the county or town building office before you plan.
Quick answers
Is my property near Winooski in a flood zone?
FEMA's free map shows the zone for any spot near St. George, which takes a couple of minutes.
When is flood insurance required around Shelburne?
For most people, for a building near Milton in an A or V zone with a federally backed or regulated mortgage, it's generally required; elsewhere it's optional.
Do I need to worry about flooding in Zone X near St. George?
Good question; X zones around Essex Junction are lower risk, not no risk, and floods still happen outside high-risk zones.
What is a LOMA around St. George?
FEMA's LOMA process is the usual route when a building near Essex Junction sits above the base flood elevation; it starts with an elevation survey.
Does the parcel map work on a phone near Winooski?
Most viewers run in a mobile browser; load it before you lose coverage near Shelburne.
Open the official Chittenden County, VT 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.