Blog · October 13, 2026 · North Dakota
Using the McLean County Parcel Map
The free official parcel map for McLean County, how to search it, and what the parcel data does and doesn't tell you about owners, acreage and property lines.
Main page: McLean County, ND GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, McLean County facts and neighboring maps).
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Land questions in McLean County start in the same place: the official parcel map. Here's how to use the McLean County parcel map to find owners, acreage and boundary lines, and where it falls short.
The sections below cover the map itself, the towns from Coleharbor to Roseglen, and the deeds and surveys that settle what the map can't.
What the map covers, from Washburn to the back roads
Benedict, Butte, Coleharbor, and Garrison fill out the town list, and Washburn is where the county seat sits. The map also labels unincorporated places, White Shield, Roseglen, and Elbowoods among them. Founded in 1883 and named for John A. McLean, the county has land records that reach back a long way, which helps when you trace a title. For scale: roughly 2,110 square miles of land and an estimated 9,832 residents as of 2023, per the Census Bureau. Between Coleharbor and Washburn the parcel lines open up into large holdings, some running to hundreds of acres. Watch how parcels line up along Lake Sakakawea and Missouri River; waterfront tracts often have odd shapes because the deed follows the water. Public land in or near the county, including Audubon National Wildlife Refuge, Camp Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and Hiddenwood National Wildlife Refuge, changes how nearby private land sells.
The McLean County economy in brief
By the Census Bureau's 2022 count, 258 business establishments operated in McLean County. Other services had the most, followed by retail trade and construction. What stands out is utilities, heavy and civil engineering construction, and truck transportation: those sectors make up a much larger slice of local businesses than they do nationally. For land shoppers near Garrison, that mix puts a premium on road access and on field-sized tracts. That context helps when you read the parcel pattern around Max: jobs and land use move together.
Getting into the McLean County Portico map
Go straight to the McLean County Portico map. The county hosts it on Sidwell's Portico platform, and there's no sign-in. Click through the disclaimer and the McLean County map loads with parcel lines. Search an address in Washburn, or pan out toward Roseglen and click a rural tract; either way the record pops up with owner and acreage. The same link lives on our McLean County county page, along with links for the surrounding area.
Acreage and vacant lot search
How to work the McLean County parcel map for open land:
- Scan the imagery around Roseglen; open fields and woodlots with no driveway stand out right away.
- Check who owns each open tract near Mercer and where the tax bill goes.
- Size up price by comparing a few similar tracts around Butte on the assessment records.
- Measure the road frontage on the map; a sliver of frontage on a road outside Garrison may not be enough for a driveway permit.
- Before you sign for land near Mercer, check what the local planning and health offices will allow on it.
To double-check acreage on a parcel near Roseglen, see how to find the acreage of a property.
Who uses the McLean County parcel map
A lot of different people around Washburn rely on this map. Turkey hunters near Butte use the map in spring to confirm which fields their permission actually covers. Land shoppers looking between Coleharbor and Butte measure road frontage on the map and check whether a tract is landlocked. Before an offer, buyers in McLean County pull the parcel to confirm the lot dimensions and look for anything odd, like a flag lot or a shared drive. Heirs sorting out family land near Butte use the record to confirm acreage and the legal description.
What the McLean County parcel map shows about lot lines
On rural tracts near Roseglen, the parcel lines can drift from the fences on the ground, sometimes by more than a few feet. Because North Dakota is a section-township-range state, the legal description of a rural tract in McLean County reads like a grid reference that you can match to the section lines on the map. If a neighbor's fence near Butte and the map disagree, neither one is proof. A survey is.
Behind the map: land records in McLean County
The map near Washburn is only as good as the deeds behind it, and those are kept in the county's recording office. The office title varies by state (register of deeds, recorder, county clerk or clerk of court), so check the McLean County government website for the right one. If you need a plat for a lot in Washburn, look for the plat book and page or the subdivision name in the parcel record, then request that document from the recording office.
Frequently asked questions
How do I look up a property owner in McLean County, ND?
Look up the address in Butte, or click the tract. Owner names on the McLean County map come from recorded deeds.
Is the McLean County, ND parcel map free to use?
It costs nothing to look. Anyone can open the McLean County Portico map and click parcels in McLean County.
How do hunters use the McLean County parcel map?
The map tells you who owns the woods near Roseglen; the owner decides whether you can hunt there.
How do I find property lines in McLean County, North Dakota?
On rural land near Roseglen, the parcel map gives a rough outline, the deed gives the calls, and a North Dakota surveyor finds the corners.
What if the McLean County, ND parcel viewer won't load?
Reload in a desktop browser; if the McLean County Portico map still won't open, our McLean County page has the current link.
What is the county seat of McLean County?
The county seat is Washburn.
Open the official McLean County, ND parcel map McLean 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.