Blog · October 13, 2026 · South Dakota
Using the Codington County Plat Map
The free official plat map for Codington County, how to search it, and what the parcel data does and doesn't tell you about owners, acreage and property lines.
Main page: Codington County, SD GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, Codington 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.
If you're pricing land, checking a fence line or tracking down an owner for hunting permission, start with the Codington County plat map. The official parcel map for Codington County, South Dakota is free and opens without a login.
The sections below cover the map itself, the towns from Watertown to Waverly, and the deeds and surveys that settle what the map can't.
Codington County at a glance: towns and land
Florence, Henry, Kranzburg, and South Shore fill out the town list, and Watertown is where the county seat sits. Smaller places such as Waverly, Appleby, and Grover show up as clusters of lots along the roads. By Census Bureau figures, the county had roughly 28,971 residents in 2023, spread over about 688 square miles of land. Zoom out from South Shore and the lots turn into fields and timber quickly; a few acreage homesites break up the larger tracts. Public ground such as Pelican Lake Recreation Area and Sandy Shore Recreation Area appears as large unbroken blocks, and the private parcels around them draw hunters and recreation buyers.
Work and land use in Codington County
The Census Bureau's County Business Patterns counted 1,202 business establishments in Codington County in 2022, and the largest groups were retail trade, construction, and other services. Relative to the U.S. as a whole, Codington County is heavy on machinery manufacturing, fabricated metal product manufacturing, and transportation equipment manufacturing. Small acreage near Kranzburg can appeal to buyers who work at the county's plants and want room outside town. For a land buyer in Codington County, that mix hints at who your neighbors and competing bidders are likely to be.
Getting into the Codington County parcel viewer
Go straight to the Codington County parcel viewer, the county's own public parcel viewer. For land around Kranzburg with no street number, zoom to the road and click the tract to open its record. Bookmark the Platbookmapper page for Codington County too; we update it when the official map moves.
Acreage and vacant lot search
Five steps for vacant land in Codington County:
- Zoom out over the countryside around Kranzburg with the aerial layer on, and look for parcels with no structures.
- A tax bill mailed far from Waverly usually means an absentee owner, so note the mailing address on each record.
- Compare the record's land value against similar parcels on the same road out of Kranzburg.
- Measure the road frontage on the map; a sliver of frontage on a road outside Florence may not be enough for a driveway permit.
- Check the flood layer and ask about septic and permits; open land in Codington County isn't automatically buildable.
Who uses the Codington County parcel map
Homesteaders eyeing the country near Waverly use acreage and frontage on the record to narrow a long list to a few tracts worth visiting. Raw-land buyers scan Codington County imagery for empty tracts and check the owner records behind them. A small builder looking for spec lots around South Shore can scan the map for vacant parcels in already-platted subdivisions. Bowhunters and waterfowlers around Watertown use the parcel layer to see which owners control a creek bottom, a woodlot or a field edge.
Reading property lines on the Codington County plat map
A lot line on the Codington County plat map near Watertown is a drawing based on deeds, not a measurement taken on site. Legal descriptions in South Dakota usually lean on the section grid, so learning to read 'NE 1/4 of Section 12' pays off quickly around Watertown. Planning a fence or shed on a lot in Watertown? Have a South Dakota licensed surveyor mark the corners first.
Where Codington County deeds and plats are kept
The map near South Shore is only as good as the deeds behind it, and those are kept in the county's recording office. The office title varies by state (register of deeds, recorder, county clerk or clerk of court), so check the Codington County government website for the right one. Rural tracts near Waverly may go back through several deeds; the instrument number on the record is the first link in that chain.
Near the county line
If your land is near the edge, check the next county over too: Clark County, Day County, Deuel County, Grant County, and Hamlin County border Codington County. All of them are listed on our South Dakota page.
Codington County parcel map FAQ
Can hunters use the Codington County, South Dakota parcel map to find landowners?
The map tells you who owns the woods near Waverly; the owner decides whether you can hunt there.
How do I look up a property owner in Codington County, SD?
Owner names for parcels from Watertown to Kranzburg are on the Codington County parcel viewer; search by address or click the map.
How can I see my lot lines in Codington County?
The Codington County parcel viewer gets you to the parcel; the recorded plat or deed gives the dimensions; a licensed surveyor marks the corners.
What is the county seat of Codington County?
The county seat is Watertown.
Who records deeds in Codington County, South Dakota?
Recorded deeds for land near Watertown are kept by the county's recording office. The Codington County government site lists which office that is.
Open the official Codington County, SD parcel map Codington 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.