Blog · October 14, 2026 · Mississippi
The Forrest County Flood Zone Map: a Mississippi guide
How to check if a property in Forrest County sits in a FEMA flood zone, and what the answer means for a buyer near Eastabuchie.
Main page: Forrest County, MS GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, Forrest County facts and neighboring maps).
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Land along the creek bottoms near Glendale and the flats outside Eastabuchie are where a Forrest County flood zone map lookup matters most. FEMA's free Flood Map Service Center and the Forrest County parcel viewer answer it together.
Next: FEMA's search tool, the zone labels you'll see for Forrest County, and how the parcel record confirms which tract you're on.
Where to see the official Forrest County flood zone map
Start at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and enter the property address in Petal or anywhere else in the county. Search returns the effective FIRM panel for the spot in Forrest County, plus any pending changes FEMA has posted. On acreage outside Petal, try FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer viewer, which shows how much of a county parcel sits inside the zone. Then open the Forrest County ArcGIS parcel map for Forrest County to confirm the parcel near Petal. If the Forrest County viewer has a floodplain layer, treat it as a convenience copy and confirm on FEMA's map.
Opening the Forrest County parcel viewer
For land around Hattiesburg, open the Forrest County ArcGIS parcel map (an Esri ArcGIS web map); it is the map Forrest County itself publishes. Click any Forrest County parcel near Petal to open its record: owner, parcel ID and assessed acreage are most commonly listed. Bookmark our Forrest County page too; it tracks the official Mississippi link if it moves and lists the maps around Petal.
What the flood zone letters mean
Any Forrest County parcel shaded as Zone A, AE, AH or AO sits in what FEMA calls a Special Flood Hazard Area, land with a 1-percent chance of flooding in any given year (the base or 100-year flood). A surveyor working near Petal uses the base flood elevation printed for AE zones; unnumbered A zones don't have one. Land near Eastabuchie in shaded X (Zone B on older maps) sits in the moderate band between the 100-year and 500-year floods. Unshaded X (or C) on the Forrest County panel means minimal risk.
Unmapped creeks in Forrest County
A low spot on a Forrest County tract outside any mapped zone, which is why it is worth walking the ground after a heavy rain.
Questions to ask before buying in Forrest County
For a house near Eastabuchie, ask the seller for any elevation certificate on file and the current flood insurance declarations page. Quotes for land near Glendale depend on the zone and the building's elevation, so bring both to the agent.
Floodways and restudies near Petal
Zones on the map covering Petal can change after a restudy, so the date on the county panel matters. Floodways, shown as hatched areas on some panels, are the channel and nearby land that must stay open, and building there near Hattiesburg faces the strictest rules.
Insurance, permits and map changes
Insurance is the practical stake for a Forrest County buyer. If a barn or house outside Petal falls inside an A or V zone and is financed by a regulated or federally insured lender, flood insurance is mandatory, provided the community near Petal takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program. Outside the A zones around Eastabuchie, federal rules don't require a policy, though a lender in Mississippi can still ask for it. When a Forrest County homesite is on a rise inside a mapped zone, a Letter of Map Amendment request is the formal route, most commonly backed by an elevation certificate from a surveyor who works in Forrest County. Building or filling inside a mapped zone near Petal has to meet local floodplain rules, so call the county or the town office in Petal before work starts.
Quick answers for Forrest County
Is Zone AE near Petal high risk?
Yes, a tract around Petal in Zone AE is high risk: a 1-percent-annual-chance floodplain where FEMA lists a base flood elevation.
Does a 100-year floodplain near Petal flood only once a century?
Not at all; a county tract in that zone faces a 1-percent annual chance, and two floods in one decade near Hattiesburg are possible.
What does BFE mean on the flood map for Hattiesburg?
Near Petal, the base flood elevation marks how high the 100-year flood is expected to rise, and it is printed in AE zones.
Is there a floodplain layer in the Forrest County ArcGIS parcel map?
Check the layer list in the Forrest County ArcGIS parcel map; if Forrest County includes a floodplain layer, confirm the zone on FEMA's map anyway.
Do I need a permit to build in the floodplain near Hattiesburg?
Building in a Special Flood Hazard Area near Hattiesburg most commonly needs a floodplain permit and may require elevating the structure, so check with the county floodplain administrator.
Can a flood zone in Forrest County be changed?
An owner near Petal can request a Letter of Map Amendment from FEMA with elevation data, most commonly from a licensed land surveyor.
Open the official Forrest County, MS parcel map Forrest 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.