Blog · October 14, 2026 · Pennsylvania
Centre County Flood Zone Map in Pennsylvania
FEMA's free flood maps and the Centre County parcel viewer, used together for property near Bellefonte.
Main page: Centre County, PA GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, Centre 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 you buy a house in Millheim, add on to a barn near Ferguson Township, or price a lot along the creek bottoms near Boalsburg, check the Centre County flood zone map. For any tract in Centre County, Pennsylvania, the answer affects insurance, permits and resale.
The sections below go from the FEMA search to the Centre County parcel record, then cover insurance, permits and map changes near Ferguson Township.
How to check the Centre County flood zone map
Open the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and type a county street address, say one in Centre Hall. If a property near Ferguson Township has no street number yet, search the nearest road and pan to it. For an interactive view of Centre County, FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer viewer draws the zones over aerial imagery, which displays how much of a Centre County parcel sits inside the zone. Then open the PASDA Pennsylvania Tax Parcels viewer for Centre County to confirm the parcel near Centre Hall. Match the Centre County lines and acreage to the FEMA view, since flood maps don't draw property lines in detail.
The county map you'll pair it with
For Centre County, the free public parcel layer is state-run: open the PASDA Pennsylvania Tax Parcels viewer and pan to Millheim. Use the search box for an address in Centre Hall or a parcel number, or simply zoom in and click a property near Millheim. Bookmark our Centre County page too; it tracks the official Pennsylvania link if it moves and lists the maps around Centre Hall.
Zone A, AE and X in plain English
For a lot in Centre Hall, the label matters more than the color: A and V zones are Special Flood Hazard Areas, meaning FEMA estimates a 1-percent annual chance of flooding. Where a Centre County tract displays Zone AE, there's a base flood elevation to compare a building against; in Zone A there isn't one. Shaded Zone X around Centre Hall sits in the moderate band between the 100-year and 500-year floods. Clear, unshaded X near Centre Hall is outside the 500-year floodplain.
Tracts that cross the Centre County line
Near the edge of the county, check the next map over: Blair County, Clearfield County, Clinton County, Huntingdon County, and Mifflin County all border it. Our Pennsylvania page links each map neighboring Centre County.
Unmapped creeks in Centre County
A low spot on a Centre County tract outside any mapped zone can still flood; FEMA says moderate- and low-risk areas still carry risk.
Getting oriented in Centre County, PA
Bellefonte is the county seat, and Ferguson Township, Centre Hall, Howard, and Milesburg are among the other towns on the county map. Smaller places such as Aaronsburg, Baileyville, and Blanchard appear on the Centre County map as little clusters of lots. Roughly 1,109 square miles of land and about 157,795 residents (2023 estimate) make up Centre County. Platted neighborhoods near Centre Hall give way to rural acreage elsewhere in the county.
When the map affects a deal
Here's why the zone matters at a closing in Centre Hall. If a house near Ferguson Township is mapped in a high-risk zone and carries a federally backed mortgage, federal rules call for flood insurance under the Flood Disaster Protection Act, wherever the community joins the NFIP. Outside the A zones around Ferguson Township, insurance is a choice, not a mandate; pricing a policy for land near Ferguson Township is still worth a call. When a Centre County homesite is on a rise inside a mapped zone, the titleholder can ask FEMA for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA), generally backed by an elevation certificate from a surveyor who works in Centre County. Building or filling inside a mapped zone near Centre Hall has to meet local floodplain rules; the county floodplain administrator can say what applies.
Centre County land records
The parcel layer for Centre County points back to recorded deeds and plats, kept by the county's recording office (its title varies by state). Copy the parcel identifier and legal description from the county record before you request a deed for land near Howard.
Quick answers for Centre County
My house near Ferguson Township is in Zone X. Is insurance required?
FEMA doesn't require it for a Zone X lot in Bellefonte, but coverage is available and some lenders ask for it.
How can I check a Centre County, PA flood zone?
Look it up at FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, then match the parcel lines in the PASDA Pennsylvania Tax Parcels viewer; for land near Ferguson Township, a zone starting with A or V is high risk.
Where do I get an elevation certificate in Centre County?
A licensed land surveyor or engineer prepares it, and the building office serving Bellefonte may already have one on file for newer construction.
What does 100-year flood mean for Centre County land?
No; land near Ferguson Township in the 100-year floodplain faces a 1-percent annual chance, so floods can come in back-to-back years.
Can I build in a flood zone in Centre County?
Often, but local floodplain rules apply; ask the county or town building office in Bellefonte before you buy.
Can I see flood zones on the Centre County GIS map?
Check the layer list in the PASDA Pennsylvania Tax Parcels viewer; if Centre County includes a floodplain layer, confirm the zone on FEMA's map anyway.
Open the official Centre County, PA parcel map Centre 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.