Blog · October 14, 2026 · South Dakota
Moody County Flood Zone Map: checking a property's flood zone
The zone on FEMA's map affects insurance, building and resale near Big Sioux River.
Main page: Moody County, SD GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Looking at a lot near Pleasant Valley Colony? A quick look at the Moody County flood zone map shows whether FEMA puts it in a high-risk zone, and no account is needed. Covered here for Moody County: finding the address on FEMA's map, reading the zone codes, and pairing it with the Moody County Beacon site.
Getting started with the Moody County flood zone map
Start with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center: search an address around Egan, and pick the FIRMette or map view. Vacant ground around Colman can still be found: pan from the closest town and click inside the land.
Where the parcel data lives
Your first stop is the Moody County Beacon site; it maps each tax parcel around Big Sioux River and Colman. If you only know roughly where the land is, zoom in from Trent and click the parcel itself. If the land is near Colman, save the parcel ID from that panel; every clerk in the county uses it to find the file.
What to request from a seller
Request whether the home has flooded for the house near Ward; getting a quote early avoids surprises.
Reading A, AE and X
An AE label includes a base flood elevation (BFE), which plain A zones lack; surveyors near Ward use that number. For a tract near Big Sioux River, minimal risk is not no risk: according to FEMA, floods happen outside mapped zones too.
Who handles what
For assessment questions about property around Big Sioux River are handled by the Director of Equalization, which maintains the tax roll. Building or septic questions for a lot near Big Sioux River are for the local planning and health departments, depending on whether the land is inside town limits.
On site with the map
The parcel map usually runs in a mobile browser, useful out on a road near Ward, but coverage can be spotty out of town. A screenshot of the parcel near Ward with its ID is a good backup.
Where the recorded documents are
The map is an index, not the title: recorded deeds, plats and easements covering ground around Pleasant Valley Colony are kept by the Register of Deeds. If you're looking near Big Sioux River, bring the document number shown in the record panel to skip a name search.
Neighboring parcel maps
Moody County meets Lincoln County, MN, Pipestone County, MN, Rock County, MN, Brookings County, and Lake County; every one of them runs a separate parcel map. Acreage along the edge near Trent can show up in two county records, so open the neighboring map as well. For a home near Pleasant Valley Colony, our state page lists every neighboring county map for South Dakota.
Lining it up with the parcel map
FEMA's map shows zones but not ownership, so check the Moody County Beacon site too for the outline of the tract near Trent.
Sections, lots and bearings
South Dakota follows the Public Land Survey System, so rural legal descriptions near Pleasant Valley Colony cite section, township and range. Each section is nominally a mile square, about 640 acres, with 36 sections to a township, though real sections near Big Sioux River vary in size. Keep the legal description for land near Big Sioux River when you talk to a surveyor.
Water near Flandreau
Low-lying fields near Pleasant Valley Colony aren't always studied in detail, so ask neighbors about past flooding. Wetlands near Colman can limit building even outside a flood zone; the National Wetlands Inventory mapper shows mapped wetlands.
Lenders and permits
For a structure inside an A or V zone and a federally regulated lender is involved, the lender will require flood insurance where the community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, for land near Egan included. New construction in a floodplain near Big Sioux River usually means extra permit review; call the permitting office early.
Places you'll see on the map
Flandreau serves as the county seat, home to the main records offices. Smaller places on the map include Colman, Egan, Trent, and Ward. About 6,450 people call Moody County home (Census estimate, 2023) on some 519 square miles. The county was organized in 1873, and some chains of title near Colman are long. Places such as Big Sioux River help you orient on the aerial.
Quick answers
When is flood insurance required around Egan?
For a building near Big Sioux River in an A or V zone with a federally backed or regulated mortgage, it's generally required; outside those zones it's your call.
How can I tell if a house near Colman is in a flood zone?
Short answer: FEMA's free map shows the zone for any spot near Trent, and the zone code appears on the map.
What is the difference between Zone A and AE for land near Egan?
Good question; an AE zone has a 1% annual chance of flooding and a base flood elevation, so builders near Big Sioux River design to that elevation.
What is a LOMA for land near Flandreau?
Short answer: FEMA's LOMA process is the usual route when a building near Colman sits above the base flood elevation; it starts with an elevation survey.
Can I print the parcel map for land near Big Sioux River?
For a parcel near Big Sioux River, use the print button or a screenshot; downloads of raw data vary by county.
Open the official Moody County, SD 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.