Blog · October 14, 2026 · Idaho
Using a Custer County Plat Book today
If the land is near Dickey, plat books show ownership by township; the parcel viewer shows it today.
Main page: Custer County, ID GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, 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.
Hunting for the latest Custer County plat book? It's a printed atlas of landownership, usually by township, useful for farms near Lost River. In this Custer County guide: how the atlas is organized, where to look for printed copies, and how the county viewer fills the gaps.
The Custer County plat book: start here
For a tract near Mackay, a plat book is a privately published atlas, showing rural owners and tract lines, usually township by township.
Pulling up a parcel
Property in and around Clayton appear on the Idaho statewide Parcels layer in ArcGIS Map Viewer, a viewer that needs no account. When a rural tract has no street number, pan along the nearest road and click the parcel itself, whether the land is near Lost River Range or elsewhere in the county. For a home near Goldburg, the parcel card normally shows the owner of record, acreage on the tax roll, a parcel ID and sometimes recent sales.
Editions and availability
Not every county has a current edition, so ask at the courthouse, extension office or a local library near Salmon River.
Before you lean on the lines
Closer to Stanley, acreage on the record is an estimate; only a licensed surveyor can set the real lines on the ground. For acreage around Big Lost River, records update in batches, so a deed recorded last month can take weeks to appear.
Using the parcel viewer instead
Between printed editions, the Idaho statewide Parcels layer in ArcGIS Map Viewer shows current owners, across the county, which applies near Big Lost River as much as anywhere.
Neighboring parcel maps
Custer County meets Blaine County, Boise County, Butte County, Elmore County, and Lemhi County, all with their own assessor records. Acreage along the edge near Big Lost River may show up in two county records, so check the adjacent map too. Around Lost River Range, the Platbookmapper state page lists each bordering county map across Idaho.
Printing your own
Screenshot each section of the viewer around Dickey and keep them in a binder for the truck.
A quick look at the area
Challis serves as the county seat, home to the main records offices. You'll also find Clayton, Lost River, Mackay, and Stanley, each with its own cluster of lots. Around 4,523 people call Custer County home (Census estimate, 2023) across some 4,922 square miles. Custer County was formed in 1881, and some chains of title near Ellis are long. Places such as Lost River Range, Salmon River, and Challis National Forest help you orient on the aerial.
Reading the legal description
Idaho is laid out under the Public Land Survey System, so deeds around Lost River Range reference sections and townships. A standard section is about one square mile, roughly 640 acres, and a township holds 36 of them, though real sections near Lost River Range vary in size. Copy the legal description from the record for the parcel near Dickey before you request a deed or survey.
Field tips
Most viewers work in a phone browser, which helps when you're standing on land near Lost River Range, so load it before you lose signal. A saved image of the lot near Goldburg and its lines keeps working without signal.
Why people still buy them
Farmers, hunters and appraisers near Ellis use plat books to see ownership across many tracts at once.
Who handles what
Deeds, mortgages and recorded plats for land near Ellis are with the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder), sometimes only in person. Building or septic questions for a lot near Stanley are for the local planning and health departments, and the answer depends on jurisdiction.
Backing up the map with records
The map is an index, not the title: recorded deeds, subdivision plats and easements covering ground around Clayton sit with the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder). Older tracts near Lost River Range can trace back through several deeds, and a title company can sort it out on a real sale.
Atlas or legal document
Don't confuse the atlas with a recorded subdivision plat: recorded plats near Salmon River are filed with the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder), while the atlas is a reference.
Quick answers
Is a plat book the same as a recorded plat near Big Lost River?
For a tract near Big Lost River, recorded plats are legal documents at the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder), and plat books are references.
Should I use the Idaho statewide Parcels layer in ArcGIS Map Viewer instead in Custer County?
For a parcel near Challis, the Idaho statewide Parcels layer in ArcGIS Map Viewer is free and updated more often; many people use both.
Are old plat books online near Clayton?
With a lot near Lost River Range, libraries and historical societies hold older editions; availability varies.
Where can I buy a plat book for land near Dickey?
If the land is near Lost River Range, it depends on whether a publisher has a current edition; online parcel maps fill the gaps.
Which office handles records for land near Dickey?
For land near Lost River Range, assessment goes to the County Assessor and deeds to the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder).
Open the official Custer County, ID 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.