Blog · October 14, 2026 · Minnesota
Rice County Flood Zone Map, Minnesota
FEMA's free flood maps and the Rice County parcel viewer, used together for property near Dennison.
Main page: Rice County, MN GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, Rice County facts and neighboring maps).
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The Rice County flood zone map question tends to arrive at a bad moment: a lender's letter, an insurance quote, or a permit counter in Northfield. You can check it yourself for any Northfield address in a few minutes.
Next: FEMA's search tool, the zone labels you'll see for Rice County, and how the parcel record confirms which tract you're on.
Look up the Rice County flood zone map step by step
Start at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and enter the property address in Faribault or anywhere else in the county. Download the FIRM panel FEMA lists as effective for that part of Rice County. On acreage outside Faribault, FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer viewer draws the zones over aerial imagery and reports the zone wherever you click near Faribault. Next, the Rice County Beacon site confirms which Rice County parcel you're looking at. The Rice County record gives the parcel ID and legal description that an insurer or lender near Faribault may ask for.
The county map you'll pair it with
The county's own public map is the Rice County Beacon site, built on Schneider Geospatial's Beacon platform, and it opens without an account for parcels in Dennison and the rest of the county. Search a Nerstrand address on the county search page, read the report, then jump to the map to see that parcel's outline. For a backup route to the map covering Nerstrand, our Rice County directory entry keeps the link current.
Reading the zones on a Rice County flood map
For a lot in Faribault, the label matters more than the color: A and V zones are Special Flood Hazard Areas, defined by a 1-percent annual chance of being flooded. Zone AE near Northfield means FEMA published a base flood elevation; plain Zone A means no detailed elevation was studied. Shaded Zone X around Faribault sits in the moderate band between the 100-year and 500-year floods. Unshaded X (or C) on the Rice County panel means minimal risk.
Waterfront parcels near Northfield
The Rice County landscape includes Cannon River, Mississippi River and Straight River, and that's where flood questions cluster. On many parcels near Faribault, the zone covers the low ground by the water while the homesite near the road is outside it. A low spot on a Rice County tract outside any mapped zone can still flood; FEMA says moderate- and low-risk areas still carry risk.
From Faribault to the back roads
Faribault is the county seat, and Dennison, Dundas, Lonsdale, and Morristown are among the other towns on the county map. Smaller places such as Warsaw, Cannon City, and Epsom appear on the county map as little clusters of lots. Roughly 496 square miles of land and about 67,948 residents (2023 estimate) make up Rice County. The Rice County map mixes subdivision lots near Northfield with farm and wooded tracts farther out.
Deeds and plats behind the Rice County map
The parcel layer for Rice County points back to recorded deeds and plats, kept by the county's recording office (its title varies by state). Easements and access rights near Dundas live in recorded documents, so read the deed, not just the county map.
What a flood zone means for a Rice County buyer
Insurance is the practical stake for a Rice County buyer. Where a building in Faribault falls inside an A or V zone and carries a federally backed mortgage, federal rules call for flood insurance, as long as Rice County or the town participates in the NFIP. In Zone X near Faribault, insurance is a choice, not a mandate, although some lenders require it anyway. If a building near Northfield sits above the flood line, the landowner can ask FEMA for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA); a surveyor near Northfield can supply the elevation data. New construction in a Rice County Special Flood Hazard Area most commonly needs a floodplain permit, and the building office serving Northfield explains the steps.
Near the Rice County line
Near the edge of the county, check the next map over: Dakota County, Dodge County, Goodhue County, Le Sueur County, and Scott County all border it. Our Minnesota page links each map neighboring Rice County.
Rice County, MN: common questions
Do I need a permit to build in the floodplain near Faribault?
Often, but local floodplain rules apply; ask the county or town building office in Faribault well before you buy.
Who prepares an elevation certificate for a house in Faribault?
A licensed land surveyor or engineer prepares it, and the building office serving Faribault may already have one on file for newer construction.
What does BFE mean on the flood map for Faribault?
On the map covering Faribault, it is the projected water surface in the base flood, and it is printed in AE zones.
What if FEMA's map is wrong about my house near Nerstrand?
An owner near Nerstrand can request a Letter of Map Amendment from FEMA with elevation data, most commonly from a licensed land surveyor.
Is there a floodplain layer in the Rice County Beacon site?
Check the layer list in the Rice County Beacon site; if Rice County includes a floodplain layer, confirm the zone on FEMA's map anyway.
Does a 100-year floodplain near Nerstrand flood only once a century?
No; land near Nerstrand in the 100-year floodplain carries a 1-in-100 chance in any single year, so floods can come in back-to-back years.
Open the official Rice County, MN parcel map Rice 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.