Blog · October 14, 2026 · Idaho
The Lemhi County Plat Book and the online parcel map
Out toward Cobalt, plat books show ownership by township; the parcel viewer shows it today.
Main page: Lemhi County, ID GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Want a copy of the Lemhi County plat book? It's a printed atlas of landownership, usually by township, useful for farms near Challis National Forest. This Lemhi County guide covers: what's in a plat book, where to look for printed copies, and how the county viewer fills the gaps.
The Lemhi County plat book: start here
With a lot near Gibbonsville, a plat book is a privately published atlas, that map ownership across the countryside, often organized by township.
Opening the official parcel viewer
The public parcel map for this area is the Lemhi County ArcGIS parcel map, and anyone can open it without signing up. Out toward Salmon National Forest, type a street address, an owner's name or a parcel number, then pick the result to center the map on it. With a lot near Elk Bend, save the parcel ID before closing the panel; each clerk in the county will want it.
Limits of the parcel data
Acreage on the record is an assessed number; just a licensed surveyor establishes the real boundary on land around Salmon National Forest. Near Elk Bend, owner names and values update on a schedule, so a deed recorded last month might lag behind.
A quick look at the area
Salmon holds the county offices, where most land records are kept. You'll also find Leadore, Carmen, Cobalt, and Elk Bend, each with its own cluster of lots. Around 8,441 people live in the county (Census estimate, 2023) across some 4,564 square miles around Challis National Forest. The county was organized in 1869, and some chains of title near Cobalt are long. Landmarks such as Challis National Forest help you orient on the aerial.
Where to look for one
Editions come and go depending on publishers, check with local offices and farm stores near Challis National Forest.
Neighboring parcel maps
Lemhi County meets Butte County, Clark County, Custer County, Idaho County, and Valley County; every one of them runs a separate parcel map. A tract near the line by Elk Bend can show up across two assessors' files, so check the neighboring map too. Near Salmon National Forest, the Platbookmapper state page links each neighboring county map across Idaho.
Which office to call
Recorded documents for a parcel near Gibbonsville sit in the index kept by the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder), sometimes only in person. Questions about what you can build around Elk Bend are for the local planning and health departments, depending on whether the land is inside town limits.
Making your own township pages
Screenshot each section of the viewer around Gibbonsville to build your own up-to-date atlas.
Between editions
The Lemhi County ArcGIS parcel map is updated more often than any atlas, across the county.
Sections, lots and bearings
Idaho is laid out under the Public Land Survey System, which means a tract near Carmen is described by section, township and range. Each section is nominally a mile square, about 640 acres, with 36 sections to a township, though sections near Challis National Forest can be irregular. Copy the legal description from the record for the parcel near Elk Bend for any title or survey request.
Common uses
Farmers, hunters and appraisers near Leadore use plat books to see ownership across many tracts at once.
Field tips
Most viewers work in a phone browser, useful out on a road near Leadore, though signal can drop in rural spots. A screenshot of the parcel near Salmon National Forest with its ID is a good backup.
Not the same thing
A plat book is not a recorded plat: recorded plats near Targhee National Forest are filed with the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder), while the atlas is a reference.
Deeds, plats and who keeps them
The map is an index, not the title: deeds, subdivision plats and easements covering ground around Salmon are kept by the County Recorder (the county clerk serves as recorder). Inherited tracts around Elk Bend may sit on several deeds, and a title company earns its fee on a real sale.
Questions about the Lemhi County plat book
How accurate are plat book acreages for land near Challis National Forest?
For land near Leadore, plat book acreage and lines are approximate; they're good for orientation.
Should I use the county ArcGIS parcel map instead near Elk Bend?
For most people, the Lemhi County ArcGIS parcel map is free and updated more often; a printed atlas is still handy offline.
Who sells plat books in Lemhi County?
If the land is near Leadore, it depends on whether a publisher has a current edition.
Are old plat books online around Leadore?
If you're looking near Cobalt, libraries and historical societies hold older editions; availability varies.
Can I use the viewer in the field near Salmon National Forest?
In and around Carmen, no app is needed for most county viewers; screenshots help offline.
Open the official Lemhi 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.