Blog · October 14, 2026 · Vermont
Chittenden County Flood Zone Map: checking a property's flood zone
Flood zones are set by FEMA, and checking one near Essex Junction takes a few minutes.
Main page: Chittenden County, VT GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Weighing a property around Hinesburg? The Chittenden County flood zone map tells you whether the lot falls inside a mapped floodplain, and the lookup is free. Covered here for Chittenden County: locating a parcel on FEMA's map, reading the zone codes, and confirming the outline on the county map.
The Chittenden County flood zone map: start here
If you'd rather pan and zoom, open the National Flood Hazard Layer viewer, which draws the zones over aerial imagery, for land near Burlington included. Rural land near East Charlotte with no street number can still be found: zoom in from US Route 7 and click the spot.
Where the parcel data lives
Your first stop is the Vermont Parcel Viewer; it covers every tax parcel around Bolton Valley and Essex Junction. If you only know roughly where the land is, pan along US Route 7 and click the parcel itself, and that holds around South Burlington too. For a home near Winooski, copy the parcel ID from that panel; each office in the county will want it.
A short flood checklist
With a lot near Charlotte, ask the listing agent about past flood claims before closing; an insurance quote early avoids surprises.
Next door to Chittenden County
Chittenden County borders Clinton County, NY, Essex County, NY, Addison County, Franklin County, and Grand Isle County; every one of them runs a separate parcel map. A tract near the line by South Burlington can be split across two assessors' files, so look at the adjacent map before you assume the acreage. For property near Bolton, the Platbookmapper state page links each bordering county map across Vermont.
Water near Bolton Valley
Creeks and ditches near Huntington may not have detailed mapping, so look for water marks and debris lines. Wetlands near Essex Junction can limit building even outside a flood zone; the National Wetlands Inventory mapper shows mapped wetlands.
What the zone letters mean
For a home near Hanksville, any A or V zone mark the Special Flood Hazard Area, land with a 1-percent chance of flooding in any year. In and around Charlotte, a shaded X area marks moderate flood hazard, between the 1% and 0.2% annual chance floods; plain X, or C on older maps, is minimal risk.
Chittenden County in a few facts
Burlington serves as the county seat, which is where the courthouse records live. You'll also find Essex Junction, South Burlington, Winooski, and Bolton, where town lots give way to larger tracts. About 169,481 people live in Chittenden County (Census estimate, 2023) across some 537 square miles. The county dates to 1787, and some chains of title near East Charlotte are long.
Matching the zone to the lot lines
FEMA's map shows zones but not ownership, so open the Vermont Parcel Viewer next for the outline of the tract near Hinesburg.
Legal descriptions in Vermont
Tracts outside towns near Huntington are often described by metes and bounds, which trace the boundary call by call. Platted lots around Huntington usually use lot and block from a recorded plat instead, which is simpler to follow. Write down the legal description for the tract near Colchester for any title or survey request.
Using it on a phone
The parcel map usually runs in a mobile browser, handy when you're parked on a road near Hanksville, but coverage can be spotty out of town. A printout of the tract near Bolton keeps working without signal.
Lenders and permits
For a structure inside an A or V zone and a federally regulated lender is involved, mandatory purchase rules apply in communities in the NFIP, which applies near Colchester as much as anywhere. Building or adding on near East Charlotte in a mapped zone can trigger elevation rules; check with the county or town building office before you plan.
Backing up the map with records
The map is an index, not the title: recorded deeds, plats and easements covering ground around Bolton sit with the town clerk. On ground around Colchester, use the document number shown in the record panel to skip a name search.
Who handles what
Deeds, mortgages and recorded plats for land near Bolton Valley are with the town clerk, often with an online index. Zoning, permits and septic questions near Hanksville go to planning, building or health offices, town or county, depending on location.
Chittenden County: common questions
What is a LOMA near Burlington?
For acreage around Bolton, a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) from FEMA can remove a structure on naturally high ground; it starts with an elevation survey.
What is the difference between Zone A and AE for land near East Charlotte?
In most cases, both are high-risk zones, but only AE has a base flood elevation, which shapes building rules near Bolton Valley.
What is a base flood elevation for land near South Burlington?
For acreage around Bolton Valley, the BFE is printed in AE zones on FEMA's map, and an Elevation Certificate compares the building to it.
Where can I see the Chittenden County flood zone map for free?
For most people, search the address near East Charlotte on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center; no account is needed.
Does the parcel map work on a phone near Essex Junction?
No app is needed for most county viewers; load it before you lose coverage near Essex Junction.
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.