Blog · October 14, 2026 · Montana
Using the Sheridan County Flood Zone Map
The zone on FEMA's map affects insurance, building and resale near Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
Main page: Sheridan County, MT GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Ahead of any purchase around Antelope, pull up the Sheridan County flood zone map: a mapped flood zone changes insurance, permits and resale. In this Sheridan County guide: locating a parcel on FEMA's map, reading the zone codes, and confirming the outline on the county map.
The Sheridan County flood zone map: start here
Flood zones come from FEMA's Flood Map Service Center: search an address around Plentywood, then open the map view for that panel. Vacant ground around Comertown can still be found: pan from the closest town and click inside the land.
The free map to start with
With a lot near Medicine Lake, the public parcel map for this area is the Montana Cadastral, and it opens in a browser with no account. When a rural tract has no street number, pan along the nearest road and select the outline, for land near Plentywood included. For a tract near Outlook, copy the parcel ID before closing the panel; each records desk in the county uses it to find the file.
Offices that can help
Anything recorded against property around Outlook are with the County Clerk and Recorder, sometimes only in person. Building or septic questions for a lot near Outlook go to planning, building or health offices, town or county, depending on location.
Reading A, AE and X
For acreage around Comertown, any A or V zone mark the Special Flood Hazard Area, meaning a 1% or greater chance of flooding each year. For a tract near Redstone, a shaded X area marks moderate flood hazard, roughly the 100- to 500-year range; plain X, or C on older maps, means minimal mapped risk.
A word on accuracy
Acreage on the record is an estimate; only a licensed surveyor sets the real boundary for a parcel near Homestead. Owner names and values update on a schedule, so a fresh transfer around Homestead may not show yet.
Deeds, plats and who keeps them
The map is an index, not the title: deeds, subdivision plats and easements covering ground around Comertown are filed with the County Clerk and Recorder. For land near Homestead, long-held tracts in the county may trace back through several deeds, so a title company can sort it out if money is changing hands.
Places you'll see on the map
Plentywood holds the county offices, which is where the courthouse records live. You'll also find Medicine Lake, Outlook, Westby, and Antelope. About 3,498 people live in Sheridan County (Census estimate, 2023) spread over roughly 1,677 square miles. Sheridan County dates to 1913, and some chains of title near Redstone are long. Features like Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge help you orient on the aerial.
Legal descriptions in Montana
Montana follows the Public Land Survey System, so rural legal descriptions near Outlook cite 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 Redstone odd-sized. Keep the legal description for land near Comertown for any title or survey request.
A short flood checklist
Ask the listing agent whether the home has flooded for the house near Redstone; an insurance quote early avoids surprises.
Beyond the mapped zones
Small streams around Medicine Lake aren't always studied in detail, so walk the land after rain. Marshy spots near Outlook can limit building too; check the National Wetlands Inventory mapper for a first look.
Taking the map into the field
Most viewers work in a phone browser, which helps when you're standing on land near Comertown, so load it before you lose signal. A saved image of the lot near Homestead and its lines is a good backup.
When a parcel crosses a boundary
Sheridan County touches Daniels County, Roosevelt County, Divide County, ND, and Williams County, ND, and each of those keeps its own parcel map. Acreage along the edge near Homestead can be split across two assessors' files, so look at the adjacent map before you assume the acreage. On ground around Redstone, the Platbookmapper state page links each bordering county map across Montana.
Parcel lines plus flood zones
If only part of a parcel near Medicine Lake is shaded, the structure's footprint is the key question.
Lenders and permits
For land near Plentywood, an Elevation Certificate from a surveyor helps: it records the building's elevation against the base flood. Remodeling a house in a zone near Westby often needs a floodplain permit; call the permitting office early.
Questions about the Sheridan County flood zone map
Do I need flood insurance in Sheridan County?
It depends, but lenders generally require it for buildings near Redstone in a Special Flood Hazard Area when the loan is federally regulated or insured; outside those zones it's your call.
What is a LOMA for land near Reserve?
Good question; you can ask FEMA for a LOMA if surveyed elevations show the building near Plentywood is above the BFE, and lenders accept the result.
How often are flood maps updated for land near Redstone?
Generally, zones near Plentywood can shift when FEMA updates a panel; check the effective date on the panel.
Why does the BFE matter near Westby?
For a parcel near Westby, the base flood elevation is the water level expected in the 1% annual chance flood, and an Elevation Certificate compares the building to it.
Why do offices ask for the parcel ID near Comertown?
The parcel ID identifies one tax parcel near Medicine Lake; copy it before you call anyone.
Open the official Sheridan County, MT 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.