Blog · October 14, 2026 · Montana
Dawson County Flood Zone Map, Montana: a practical guide
The zone on FEMA's map affects insurance, building and resale near Redwater River.
Main page: Dawson County, MT GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Before an offer near Glendive, pull up the Dawson County flood zone map: a mapped flood zone changes insurance, permits and resale. In this Dawson County guide: locating a parcel on FEMA's map, reading the zone codes, and pairing it with the Montana Cadastral.
The Dawson County flood zone map: start here
For land near Glendive, the official source is FEMA's Flood Map Service Center: enter the street address, and pick the FIRMette or map view. Rural land near Hell Creek Formation with no street number can still be found: pan from the closest town and click inside the land.
Pulling up a parcel
Your first stop is the Montana Cadastral; it includes every assessed parcel around Hell Creek Formation and Glendive. Without an address in hand, pan along the nearest road until the lines appear, then click inside the one you want, for land near Redwater River included. For land near Yellowstone River, write down the parcel ID from that panel; each office in the county will want it.
Decoding the flood zone labels
Near Hell Creek Formation, zones beginning with A or V mark the Special Flood Hazard Area, land with a 1-percent chance of flooding in any year. Out toward Glendive, a shaded X area is moderate risk, roughly the 100- to 500-year range; plain X, or C on older maps, is minimal risk.
Matching the zone to the lot lines
FEMA's map shows zones but not ownership, so open the Montana Cadastral next to confirm you have the right parcel near Richey.
Taking the map into the field
Most viewers work in a phone browser, which helps when you're standing on land near Hell Creek Formation, so load it before you lose signal. A screenshot of the parcel near Redwater River with its ID keeps working without signal.
Offices that can help
For assessment questions about property around Hell Creek Formation go to the Montana Department of Revenue, the office behind the parcel record. Questions about what you can build around Hell Creek Formation need the planning or permitting office, and the answer depends on jurisdiction.
Backing up the map with records
For a tract near Glendive, the map is an index, not the title: recorded deeds, plats and easements for parcels in the county are kept by the County Clerk and Recorder. Inherited tracts around West Glendive can trace back through several deeds, so a title company is worth hiring before a purchase.
Insurance, lenders and building
For a tract near Lindsay, get the Elevation Certificate if one exists: it compares the building to the BFE. Remodeling a house in a zone near Hell Creek Formation can trigger elevation rules; check with the county or town building office before you plan.
Water near Richey
Small streams around Glendive aren't always studied in detail, so look for water marks and debris lines. Wetlands near Yellowstone River can limit building even outside a flood zone; check the National Wetlands Inventory mapper for a first look.
What to request from a seller
For acreage around Hell Creek Formation, request whether the home has flooded before closing; an insurance quote early avoids surprises.
Before you lean on the lines
For a tract near Redwater River, the acreage figure is an assessed number; just a licensed surveyor sets the real lines on the ground. Out toward Redwater River, records update in batches, so a deed recorded last month may not show yet.
Land on the county line
Dawson County borders McCone County, Prairie County, Richland County, and Wibaux County, all with their own assessor records. Acreage along the edge near Hell Creek Formation can show up across two assessors' files, so look at the adjacent map as well. Out toward West Glendive, our state page links each bordering county map for Montana.
How land is described here
Montana follows the Public Land Survey System, so rural legal descriptions near Yellowstone River cite section, township and range. A standard section is about one square mile, roughly 640 acres, and a township holds 36 of them, though sections near Yellowstone River can be irregular. Write down the legal description for the tract near Yellowstone River for any title or survey request.
Quick answers
Is Zone X safe from flooding around Hell Creek Formation?
Short answer: Zone X near Bloomfield means moderate (shaded) or minimal (unshaded) mapped risk; FEMA notes that a large share of claims come from these areas.
How often are flood maps updated around Yellowstone River?
Good question; zones near West Glendive can shift when FEMA updates a panel; your community is notified before changes take effect.
Where can I see the Dawson County flood zone map for free?
Short answer: FEMA's free map shows the zone for any spot near West Glendive; then confirm the parcel on the county viewer.
What if the flood map is wrong for my lot near West Glendive?
For most people, you can ask FEMA for a LOMA if surveyed elevations show the building near West Glendive is above the BFE; a surveyor's elevation data supports it.
Can I settle a boundary dispute with the map near West Glendive?
For a parcel near Lindsay, parcel lines are tax drawings, not surveys, so a fence may sit off the line
Open the official Dawson 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.