Blog · October 14, 2026 · Illinois
McDonough County Flood Zone Map in Illinois
FEMA's free flood maps and the McDonough County parcel viewer, used together for property near Bushnell.
Main page: McDonough County, IL GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, McDonough County facts and neighboring maps).
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Is that lot in Good Hope in a flood zone? The McDonough County flood zone map answer comes from FEMA, and it's free to look up. For any tract in McDonough County, Illinois, the answer affects insurance, permits and resale.
Next: FEMA's search tool, the zone labels you'll see for McDonough County, and how the parcel record confirms which tract you're on.
Where to see the official McDonough County flood zone map
The authoritative source for a McDonough County flood zone map is FEMA, so begin at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. Download the FIRM panel FEMA lists as effective for that part of McDonough County. If the PDF panel for McDonough County is hard to read, the National Flood Hazard Layer viewer is easier to use and reports the zone wherever you click near Industry. Then open the McDonough County WTH GIS map for McDonough County to confirm the parcel near Industry. The McDonough County record gives the parcel identifier and legal description that an insurer or lender near Industry may ask for.
Step one: the free McDonough County viewer
McDonough County publishes its parcels on the McDonough County WTH GIS map, which runs on a WTH Technology GIS parcel site, free to use for a lot in Macomb or a property near Bardolph. Click any McDonough County parcel near Macomb to open its record: owner, parcel ID and assessed acreage are usually listed. For a backup route to the map covering Bardolph, our McDonough County directory entry keeps the link current.
What the flood zone letters mean
On the FIRM covering McDonough County, zones that start with A or V are Special Flood Hazard Areas, defined by a 1-percent annual chance of being flooded. Zone AE near Bushnell means FEMA published a base flood elevation; plain Zone A means no detailed elevation was studied. If a McDonough County parcel shows shaded Zone X, it sits in the moderate band between the 100-year and 500-year floods. Unshaded X (or C) on the McDonough County panel means minimal risk.
Low ground and small streams around Industry
A low spot on a McDonough County tract outside any mapped zone, so treat an unmapped channel as a reason to ask questions, not proof the ground stays dry.
Seller questions about flood history
Request any past flood claims history for a McDonough County property before closing; it tells you more than the map alone. An agent working in McDonough County can quote flood coverage once you know the zone for the lot near Blandinsville.
What a flood zone means for a McDonough County buyer
The zone shows up again when a loan on a house near Bushnell is underwritten. When a structure near Bushnell is mapped in a high-risk zone and is financed by a regulated or federally insured lender, a flood policy becomes a loan condition, provided the community near Industry takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program. For a McDonough County home in shaded or unshaded X, insurance is a choice, not a mandate, although a lender in Illinois can still ask for it. If a building near Bushnell sits above the flood line, FEMA's LOMA process allows a review, usually backed by an elevation certificate from a surveyor who works in the county. New construction in a McDonough County Special Flood Hazard Area usually needs a floodplain permit; the McDonough County floodplain administrator can say what applies.
McDonough County, IL: common questions
Do I need a permit to build in the floodplain near Bardolph?
Building in a Special Flood Hazard Area near Bardolph usually needs a floodplain permit and may require elevating the structure, so check with the county floodplain administrator.
My house near Blandinsville is in Zone X. Is insurance required?
Not under federal rules; Zone X in McDonough County is outside the Special Flood Hazard Area, although a lender can still require coverage.
What does BFE mean on the flood map for Bardolph?
On the map covering Bardolph, the base flood elevation marks how high the 100-year flood is expected to rise, and it's printed in AE zones.
Is there a floodplain layer in the McDonough County WTH GIS map?
Check the layer list in the McDonough County WTH GIS map; if McDonough County includes a floodplain layer, confirm the zone on FEMA's map anyway.
What does Zone AE mean on a McDonough County flood map?
Zone AE on a lot in Bardolph is a mapped 100-year floodplain with a base flood elevation, so mandatory insurance rules apply to federally backed mortgages.
Does a 100-year floodplain near Blandinsville flood only once a century?
No; land near Blandinsville in the 100-year floodplain faces a 1-percent annual chance, so floods can come in back-to-back years.
Open the official McDonough County, IL parcel map McDonough 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.