Blog · October 14, 2026 · Montana
Reading the Silver Bow County Flood Zone Map for a parcel
The zone on FEMA's map affects insurance, building and resale near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest.
Main page: Silver Bow County, MT GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Ahead of any purchase around Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest, pull up the Silver Bow County flood zone map: a mapped flood zone changes insurance, building rules and resale. What this county guide covers: finding the address on FEMA's map, reading the zone codes, and pairing it with the Silver Bow County ArcGIS parcel map for land near Rocker.
The Silver Bow County flood zone map: start here
Start with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center: search an address around Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest, then open the map view for that panel. Vacant ground around Rocker is still easy to locate: zoom in from Interstate 115 then click the parcel area.
The free map to start with
Lots and tracts near Rocker are published on the Silver Bow County ArcGIS parcel map, which opens without registering. Without an address in hand, zoom in from Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest until the lines appear, then click inside the one you want. For a parcel near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest, the record panel typically gives the owner of record, assessed acreage, the parcel number and in many cases the last transfer.
Silver Bow County in a few facts
Butte holds the county offices, which is where the courthouse records live. You'll also find Walkerville, Divide, Melrose, and Ramsay, each with its own cluster of lots. About 36,360 people live in Silver Bow County (Census estimate, 2023) on roughly 718 square miles. The county dates to 1881, so old deeds can run back a long way for land near Butte. Landmarks such as Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest help you orient on the aerial.
Neighboring parcel maps
The county touches Beaverhead County, Deer Lodge County, Jefferson County, and Madison County, all with their own assessor records, at least around Butte. A tract near the line by Walkerville may be split across two assessors' files, so look at the neighboring map too. For a parcel near Rocker, the Platbookmapper state page lists every bordering county map across Montana.
Zones on the Silver Bow County flood zone map
If the land is near Divide, zones beginning with A or V are Special Flood Hazard Areas, land with a 1-percent chance of flooding in any year. For a tract near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest, a low-risk label isn't a guarantee: FEMA notes that floods happen outside mapped zones too.
Questions to ask before you buy
Ask the listing agent about past flood claims for the house near Butte; an insurance quote early keeps the budget honest.
On site with the map
Most viewers work in a phone browser, handy when you're parked on a road near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest, so load it before you lose signal. A printout of the tract near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest keeps working without signal.
Lining it up with the parcel map
FEMA's map shows zones but not ownership, so check the Silver Bow County ArcGIS parcel map too to see exactly which lot near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest you're looking at.
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, flood insurance is generally required in communities in the NFIP, whether the land is near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest or elsewhere in the county. Building or adding on near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest in a mapped zone can trigger elevation rules; call the permitting office early.
A word on accuracy
Parcel lines are drawn for taxes, not surveyed, so the edge of a yard near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest often sits a few yards off the line on screen. Records update in batches, so a recent sale near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest may not show yet.
Low spots and local drainage
Small streams around Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest aren't always studied in detail, so look for water marks and debris lines. Wetlands near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest can limit building even outside a flood zone; the National Wetlands Inventory mapper shows mapped wetlands.
Sections, lots and bearings
Montana uses the Public Land Survey System, so deeds around Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest reference sections and townships. Each section is nominally a mile square, about 640 acres, with 36 sections to a township, though corrections make some sections near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest odd-sized. Write down the legal description for the tract near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest before you request a deed or survey.
Quick answers
Can I see flood zones on the county ArcGIS parcel map near Melrose?
Short answer: the parcel map near Walkerville might show FEMA zones, though it can lag behind FEMA's current panels.
Where do I find the BFE for a lot near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest?
It depends, but the base flood elevation is the water level expected in the 1% annual chance flood; surveyors near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest use it often.
How can I tell if a house near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest is in a flood zone?
Good question; FEMA's free map shows the zone for any spot near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest, and the zone code appears on the map.
Can a flood zone near Ramsay change?
It depends, but a new study can move a zone line near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest, so look at the panel date.
What's the tax parcel number used for for land near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest?
The parcel ID identifies one tax parcel near Beaverhead–Deerlodge National Forest, and it's on the record panel and tax bills.
Open the official Silver Bow 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.