Blog · October 14, 2026 · Kansas
Russell County Flood Zone Map, Kansas: a practical guide
The zone on FEMA's map affects insurance, building and resale near Milberger.
Main page: Russell County, KS GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Weighing a property around Gorham? The Russell County flood zone map tells you whether FEMA puts it in a high-risk zone, and the lookup is free. Covered here for the county: finding the address on FEMA's map, decoding A, AE and X, and pairing it with the ORKA parcel viewer for land near Fairport.
The Russell County flood zone map: start here
If you'd rather pan and zoom, use the National Flood Hazard Layer viewer, where zone shading sits over a photo base, whether the land is near Paradise or elsewhere in the county. Rural land near Dubuque with no street number is still easy to locate: zoom in from US Route 281 and click inside the land.
Getting to the right map
Begin with the ORKA parcel viewer; it maps each tax parcel in the county, Lucas included. If you only know roughly where the land is, pan along US Route 281 and click the parcel itself, for land near Gorham included. On ground around Dorrance, the record panel usually lists the owner of record, assessed acreage, a parcel ID and sometimes recent sales.
Water near Luray
Low-lying fields near Dubuque aren't always studied in detail, so look for water marks and debris lines. Wet ground around Dorrance is a separate issue from flood zones; the National Wetlands Inventory mapper shows mapped wetlands.
Zones on the Russell County flood zone map
With a lot near Fairport, zones beginning with A or V are Special Flood Hazard Areas, land with a 1-percent chance of flooding in any year. For property near Bunker Hill, shaded Zone X is moderate risk, between the 1% and 0.2% annual chance floods; unshaded X is minimal risk.
Lining it up with the parcel map
FEMA's map shows zones but not ownership, so check the ORKA parcel viewer too to confirm you have the right parcel near Dorrance.
What a flood zone means for a buyer
If a building sits in a Special Flood Hazard Area and the loan is federally backed or regulated, the lender will require flood insurance in communities in the NFIP, which applies near Dorrance as much as anywhere. Building or adding on near Dorrance in a mapped zone can trigger elevation rules; check with the county or town building office early.
Russell County in a few facts
Russell is the county seat, which is where the courthouse records live. You'll also find Bunker Hill, Dorrance, Gorham, and Lucas. Around 6,723 people live in Russell County (Census estimate, 2023) spread over about 886 square miles. The county was formed in 1867, so old deeds can run back a long way, at least around Dubuque.
A short flood checklist
In and around Bunker Hill, request about past flood claims before closing; getting a quote early avoids surprises.
Sections, lots and bearings
Kansas follows the Public Land Survey System, which means a tract near Dorrance is described by section, township and range. A standard section is about one square mile, roughly 640 acres, and a township holds 36 of them, though corrections make some sections near Lucas odd-sized. Keep the legal description for land near Gorham for any title or survey request.
Next door to Russell County
Russell County touches Barton County, Ellis County, Ellsworth County, Lincoln County, and Osborne County, all with their own assessor records. A tract near the line by Paradise can be split in two county records, so check the adjacent map as well. If you're looking near Gorham, the Platbookmapper state page links every neighboring county map across Kansas.
Field tips
Most viewers work in a phone browser, which helps when you're standing on land near Gorham, but coverage can be spotty out of town. A screenshot of the parcel near Gorham with its ID helps when you meet an owner or agent.
Deeds, plats and who keeps them
On ground around Lucas, the map is an index, not the title: deeds, plats and easements for parcels in the county sit with the Register of Deeds. If the land is near Milberger, bring the book and page shown in the record panel to skip a name search.
Limits of the parcel data
If you're looking near Bunker Hill, acreage on the record is a tax-roll number; only a licensed surveyor sets the real boundary on the ground. Around Dubuque, owner names and values update on a schedule, so a deed recorded last month might lag behind.
Frequently asked
What is a base flood elevation for land near Bunker Hill?
Closer to Dubuque, the base flood elevation is the water level expected in the 1% annual chance flood; local rules may require building above it.
Where can I see the Russell County flood zone map for free?
Good question; look up the spot near Lucas in FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer viewer, and the zone code appears on the map.
Can a flood zone near Gorham change?
For acreage around Bunker Hill, FEMA revises flood maps panel by panel as new studies finish; check the effective date on the panel.
Will my lender require flood insurance near Milberger?
Out toward Dorrance, it's typically required only for structures in high-risk zones with federally backed loans; elsewhere it's optional.
How is land described in Kansas deeds for land near Lucas?
Closer to Milberger, Deeds use lot and block, metes and bounds or survey descriptions, and the parcel record often summarizes it.
Open the official Russell County, KS 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.