Blog · October 14, 2026 · Minnesota
Lyon County Flood Zone Map, Minnesota: a practical guide
The zone on FEMA's map affects insurance, building and resale near Cottonwood River.
Main page: Lyon County, MN GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Weighing a property around Ghent? The Lyon County flood zone map tells you whether the lot falls inside a mapped floodplain, and no account is needed. This Lyon County guide covers: locating a parcel on FEMA's map, reading the zone codes, and pairing it with the Lyon County ArcGIS parcel map.
Checking the Lyon County flood zone map step by step
For land near Marshall, flood zones come from FEMA's Flood Map Service Center: enter the street address, then open the map view for that panel. Vacant ground around Amiret can still be found: search the nearest road and click the spot.
Pulling up a parcel
Begin with the Lyon County ArcGIS parcel map; it includes every assessed parcel around Ghent and Garvin. Without an address in hand, pan along the nearest road until the lines appear, then click inside the one you want, and that holds around Yellow Medicine River too. For a parcel near Green Valley, save the parcel ID while you have it open; every records desk in the county asks for it first.
How land is described here
Minnesota follows the Public Land Survey System, which means a tract near Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood River can be irregular. Write down the legal description for the tract near Cottonwood River when you talk to a surveyor.
What to request from a seller
Out toward Balaton, request for any Elevation Certificate before closing; an insurance quote early keeps the budget honest.
Reading A, AE and X
For land near Burchard, any A or V zone are Special Flood Hazard Areas, land with a 1-percent chance of flooding in any year. If you're looking near Burchard, a shaded X area marks moderate flood hazard, between the 1% and 0.2% annual chance floods; plain X, or C on older maps, means minimal mapped risk.
On site with the map
The parcel map usually runs in a mobile browser, which helps when you're standing on land near Redwood River, but coverage can be spotty out of town. A screenshot of the parcel near Garvin with its ID keeps working without signal.
Recorded documents worth pulling
Before you sign anything, get the recorded deed through the County Recorder; the viewer just points to it, whether the land is near Cottonwood River or elsewhere in the county. For a parcel near Florence, have ready the book and page listed on the parcel record to skip a name search.
Parcel lines plus flood zones
FEMA doesn't draw property lines, so check the Lyon County ArcGIS parcel map too to see exactly which lot near Cottonwood River you're looking at.
Low spots and local drainage
Creeks and ditches near Cottonwood aren't always studied in detail, so look for water marks and debris lines. Marshy spots near Balaton can limit building too; check the National Wetlands Inventory mapper for a first look.
Offices that can help
Anything recorded against property around Balaton are with the County Recorder, often with an online index. Questions about what you can build around Burchard need the planning or permitting office, depending on whether the land is inside town limits.
Land on the county line
Lyon County meets Lincoln County, Murray County, Pipestone County, Redwood County, and Yellow Medicine County, all with their own assessor records. A tract near the line by Balaton can show up across two assessors' files, so open the adjacent map as well. If you're looking near Garvin, the Platbookmapper state page lists every neighboring county map for Minnesota.
A word on accuracy
For a parcel near Green Valley, listed acreage is a tax-roll number; just a licensed surveyor can set the real lines on the ground. For a tract near Green Valley, records update in batches, so a deed recorded last month may not show yet.
Insurance, lenders and building
For a tract near Dudley, an Elevation Certificate from a surveyor helps: it records the building's elevation against the base flood. New construction in a floodplain near Cottonwood River often needs a floodplain permit; check with the county or town building office before you plan.
Quick answers
What is the difference between Zone A and AE around Green Valley?
In and around Redwood River, an AE zone has a 1% annual chance of flooding and a base flood elevation; unnumbered A zones don't list one.
Do I need to worry about flooding in Zone X near Yellow Medicine River?
It depends, but X zones around Amiret are lower risk, not no risk; FEMA notes that a large share of claims come from these areas.
What is a base flood elevation near Cottonwood River?
The BFE is printed in AE zones on FEMA's map; surveyors near Marshall use it often.
Is there a flood layer on the parcel viewer near Yellow Medicine River?
For acreage around Marshall, some county viewers include a FEMA flood layer, though it can lag behind FEMA's current panels.
Is the parcel map a survey around Burchard?
For a parcel near Lynd, parcel lines are tax drawings, not surveys; a survey sets the real corners
Open the official Lyon County, MN 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.