Blog · October 14, 2026 · Montana
The Custer County Plat Book and the online parcel map
Closer to Volborg, plat books show ownership by township; the parcel viewer shows it today.
Main page: Custer County, MT GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Want a copy of the Custer County plat book? It's a printed atlas of landownership, usually by township, and it's handy for land around Kinsey. Covered here for Custer County: what's in a plat book, where to find editions, and the free online map that stays current.
Tracking down a Custer County plat book
Out toward Ismay, a plat book is a privately published atlas, that map ownership across the countryside, often organized by township.
Getting to the right map
If the land is near Volborg, the public parcel map for this area is the Montana Cadastral, and it opens in a browser with no account. Without an address in hand, zoom in from Miles City and select the outline. On ground around Miles City, write down the parcel ID from that panel; each clerk in the county asks for it first.
Finding a printed edition
Not every county has a current edition, check with local offices and farm stores near Miles City.
What the map can't tell you
Closer to Kinsey, the acreage figure is an estimate; only a licensed surveyor establishes the real corners on the ground. If the land is near Volborg, records update in batches, so a deed recorded last month can take weeks to appear.
Deeds, plats and who keeps them
For property near Kinsey, the map is an index, not the title: recorded deeds, subdivision plats and easements for parcels in the county are kept by the County Clerk and Recorder. Long-held tracts around Ismay can sit on several deeds, and a title company is worth hiring on a real sale.
Printing your own
Print parcel views near Kinsey township by township and keep them in a binder for the truck.
Which office to call
Recorded documents for a parcel near Kinsey sit in the index kept by the County Clerk and Recorder, sometimes only in person. Building or septic questions for a lot near Miles City go to planning, building or health offices, depending on whether the land is inside town limits.
Between editions
For current names, use the Montana Cadastral, across the county, whether the land is near Ismay or elsewhere in the county.
Reading the legal description
Montana uses the Public Land Survey System, so deeds around Kinsey reference sections and townships. A standard section is about one square mile, roughly 640 acres, with 36 sections to a township, though corrections make some sections near Miles City odd-sized. Keep the legal description for land near Volborg when you talk to a surveyor.
Next door to Custer County
Custer County meets Carter County, Fallon County, Garfield County, Powder River County, and Prairie County, and each of those keeps its own parcel map. Acreage along the edge near Kinsey may be split across two assessors' files, so check the neighboring map too. For a home near Kinsey, the Platbookmapper state page lists each bordering county map across Montana.
Not the same thing
For a parcel near Miles City, don't confuse the atlas with a recorded subdivision plat: the recorded plat at the County Clerk and Recorder is a legal document, while the atlas is a reference.
Who uses plat books
Farmers, hunters and appraisers near Volborg use plat books to see ownership across many tracts at once.
Field tips
Most viewers work in a phone browser, handy when you're parked on a road near Miles City, though signal can drop in rural spots. A screenshot of the parcel near Ismay with its ID helps when you meet an owner or agent.
A quick look at the area
Miles City serves as the county seat, where most land records are kept. Smaller places on the map include Ismay, Kinsey, and Volborg, each with its own cluster of lots. About 11,985 people live in Custer County (Census estimate, 2023) across some 3,783 square miles. Custer County was organized in 1865, so old deeds can run back a long way.
Quick answers
How accurate are plat book acreages for land near Miles City?
In and around Ismay, plat book acreage and lines are approximate; they're good for orientation.
Are old plat books online around Volborg?
On ground around Volborg, some older atlases have been digitized; availability varies.
Should I use the Montana Cadastral instead for land near Volborg?
In and around Kinsey, the Montana Cadastral is free and updated more often.
Where can I buy a plat book for land near Miles City?
Usually, editions come and go.
Who do I call about a parcel near Kinsey?
For property near Miles City, values are the Montana Department of Revenue's job; recorded documents belong to the County Clerk and Recorder, while zoning questions go to planning
Open the official Custer County, MT 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.