Blog · October 14, 2026 · Idaho
The Shoshone County Flood Zone Map: an Idaho guide
How to check if a property in Shoshone County sits in a FEMA flood zone, and what the answer means for a buyer near Pinehurst.
Main page: Shoshone County, ID GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, Shoshone County facts and neighboring maps).
Platbookmapper is an Amazon Associate. If you buy through an Amazon link on this page, we earn a commission. The link is a product, not the county map.
A Shoshone County flood zone map check belongs in the due diligence for any Shoshone County property, from a house lot in Osburn to farm ground near Wardner. You can check it yourself for any Osburn address in a few minutes.
Next: FEMA's search tool, the zone labels you'll see for Shoshone County, and how the parcel record confirms which tract you're on.
How to use the Shoshone County flood zone map
The authoritative source for a Shoshone County flood zone map is FEMA, so begin at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. Download the FIRM panel FEMA lists as effective for that part of Shoshone County. For an interactive view of the county, FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer viewer draws the zones over aerial imagery, so you can see if the shading reaches a house near Wardner. Switch to the Shoshone County ArcGIS parcel map and find the same piece of ground near Wardner. Match the Shoshone County lines and acreage to the FEMA view, since flood maps do not draw property lines in detail.
Step one: the free Shoshone County viewer
The county's own public map is the Shoshone County ArcGIS parcel map, built on an Esri ArcGIS web map, and it opens without an account for parcels in Kellogg and the rest of the county. Click any Shoshone County parcel near Kellogg to open its record: owner, parcel ID and assessed acreage are most frequently listed. For a backup route to the map covering Wardner, our Shoshone County directory entry keeps the link current.
Getting oriented in Shoshone County, ID
From Wallace, the seat of the county, the map spreads out to Kellogg, Mullan, Osburn, and Pinehurst. Unincorporated communities in the county, including Silverton, Avery, and Big Creek, display up as small groups of parcels along the roads. Roughly 2,637 square miles of land and about 14,026 residents (2023 estimate) make up Shoshone County. Beyond the town lots in Osburn, expect big rural parcels across the county. With a founding date of 1864, Shoshone County has long chains of title on some rural tracts.
Reading the zones on a Shoshone County flood map
For a lot in Osburn, the label matters more than the color: A and V zones are Special Flood Hazard Areas, land with a 1-percent chance of flooding in any given year (the base or 100-year flood). Where a Shoshone County tract lists Zone AE, there's a base flood elevation to compare a building against; in Zone A there isn't one. If a Shoshone County parcel lists shaded Zone X, it falls between the base flood and the 500-year flood. Unshaded Zone X near Wardner is minimal risk.
Unmapped creeks in Shoshone County
A creek near Wardner that lists no detailed zone can still flood; FEMA says moderate- and low-risk areas still carry risk.
Tracts that cross the Shoshone County line
Shoshone County borders Benewah County, Bonner County, Clearwater County, Kootenai County, and Latah County, and each keeps its own parcel map and records. Every map bordering Shoshone County is listed on our Idaho directory.
Recorded documents in Shoshone County, Idaho
Deeds and plats behind the Shoshone County map are kept by the county's recording office; the official Shoshone County website names which office that is. A deed book and page or instrument number on the county record is the fastest way to request the document for a lot in Smelterville.
Flood insurance and building rules in Shoshone County
Lenders watch the zone closely on Shoshone County properties. If a barn or house outside Osburn sits in a Special Flood Hazard Area and secures a loan from a federally regulated or insured lender, flood insurance is mandatory; that applies where the local government around Wardner is in the National Flood Insurance Program. For a Shoshone County home in shaded or unshaded X, coverage is optional, although a lender in Idaho can still ask for it. Where a structure near Osburn looks higher than the shading suggests, the landowner can ask FEMA for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA), supported by elevation data from a licensed land surveyor. Adding on to a house near Wardner inside the zone has to meet local floodplain rules, and the building office serving Wardner explains the steps.
Shoshone County flood zones questions
Who prepares an elevation certificate for a house in Kellogg?
Hire a licensed land surveyor or engineer who works in Shoshone County; ask the local floodplain office first in case one exists.
What is a base flood elevation for a Shoshone County property?
On the map covering Kellogg, the BFE is the height floodwater is expected to reach in the 1-percent-annual-chance flood, and a surveyor compares the building near Kellogg to it.
What does 100-year flood mean for Shoshone County land?
No, ground around Kellogg mapped that way carries a 1-in-100 chance in any single year, not a once-a-century schedule.
Do I need flood insurance in Zone X in Shoshone County?
Not under federal rules; Zone X in Shoshone County is outside the Special Flood Hazard Area, although a lender can still require coverage.
Can a flood zone in Shoshone County be changed?
For a lot in Kellogg, hire a surveyor for an elevation certificate, then file a LOMA request with FEMA.
How do I know if a property in Shoshone County is in a flood zone?
Look it up at FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, then match the parcel lines in the Shoshone County ArcGIS parcel map; for land near Wardner, a zone starting with A or V is high risk.
Open the official Shoshone County, ID parcel map Shoshone 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.