Blog · September 24, 2026 · Washington
Skagit County, Washington GIS Parcel Map Guide
Mount Vernon, Burlington, Anacortes, Sedro-Woolley, La Conner, Concrete, Bow and Guemes Island are all covered by Skagit County’s free iMap.
Main page: Skagit County, WA GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, Skagit 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.
Skagit County mixes tulip fields, river deltas, island ferries and mountain valleys. Its iMap opens with a handful of ready-made maps and a larger catalog for anyone who wants to dig deeper.
Starting with iMap
The iMap landing page offers a few common maps up front: a property map, comprehensive plan and zoning, aerial images and a map of police incidents. Below them, categories group dozens of specialty layers, including elections, planning, assessment and sales, health, public works and utilities. There is even a category for lost communities, recalling logging and mining settlements that have faded away. A build-your-own option lets you combine layers on one map.
For most property research, start with the property map, search by address or parcel number, and then open the zoning map for the same spot. Skagit’s row in our Washington directory points to iMap, as does our county-by-county map.
How to find property lines in Skagit County
- Search the property map and write down the parcel number (a P-number) and the legal description.
- Look up recorded surveys, plats and deeds through the Skagit County Auditor’s recording office.
- In the delta, farm fields follow old donation claims and dikes as much as section lines, so do not assume a straight grid.
- Hire a Washington licensed land surveyor before fencing, clearing trees or dividing ground.
Our land survey basics post explains what a surveyor delivers.
Dikes, drainage and the river
The Skagit River drains a big chunk of the North Cascades and floods the lowlands regularly. Levees and dikes, maintained by local dike districts, protect Mount Vernon, Burlington and farmland in the delta, while drainage districts keep fields from waterlogging. Owners inside these districts pay assessments on their tax bills. Before buying low ground, look at the flood layers, find out which districts cover the parcel, and ask about flood insurance costs.
Tulips and farmland protection
Each April, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival draws crowds to fields of tulips and daffodils. Behind the bloom is a serious farm economy producing seed potatoes, berries, vegetable seed and dairy products. The county zones much of the valley for agriculture, restricts new lots there, and buys development rights through a farmland preservation program. A farm parcel with its development rights sold can be farmed and lived on, but generally not subdivided.
Anacortes, Fidalgo and the islands
Anacortes on Fidalgo Island is the terminal for state ferries to the San Juan Islands and Canada. Guemes Island has its own small county ferry. Island homes often depend on wells, sometimes with saltwater intrusion concerns, and septic systems that need regular inspection. Waterfront lots must follow shoreline rules on setbacks and vegetation.
Concrete and the upper valley
Upriver, State Route 20 follows the Skagit past Sedro-Woolley, Lyman, Hamilton and Concrete toward North Cascades National Park. Old mill towns, Puget Sound Energy’s Baker River dams near Concrete and national forest dominate. Parcels here are cheaper but may sit in floodways, landslide areas or channel migration zones, where the river can shift. The planning layers show those hazards.
Growth management in Skagit
Under Washington’s Growth Management Act, the county draws urban growth areas around its cities and limits density outside them. Rural parcels may need large minimum sizes to divide, and critical areas like wetlands and streams require buffers. Check the comprehensive plan designation along with zoning before assuming a lot can be split or developed.
Assessor values and taxes
The Skagit County Assessor revalues property yearly, and the Treasurer collects taxes in two halves, due in spring and fall. Farmland, forest and open space may qualify for current use classification, which lowers taxable value but brings penalties if the land is removed from the program.
Why the lost communities layer is worth a look
Skagit County once had dozens of logging camps, mining towns and river landings that have since vanished. The lost communities category marks where they stood. Beyond local history, it can explain odd old plats, abandoned rights of way or tiny parcels in the middle of forest land, remnants of towns that never grew. If a title report shows an old townsite plat, this layer helps you picture it.
Forest land and timber harvest
Much of the eastern county is commercial timberland owned by the state, the federal government or private companies. Harvest on private land requires a state forest practices permit, and neighbors may see logging at any time. Check who owns the land around a rural lot before buying for the view.
Is the Skagit County GIS map accurate?
iMap layers come from many sources and are for reference. Parcel lines are drawn from recorded documents, but they are not a survey. Use recorded plats and a licensed surveyor to confirm lines. Our guide to GIS lot lines explains the difference.
Other Washington guides
For Puget Sound neighbors, see our Kitsap County guide. The Washington state page has links for all 39 counties.
Frequently asked questions
What maps are on the Skagit County iMap home page?
A property map, zoning and comprehensive plan, aerial images and incident maps, plus a catalog of categories.
Who maintains the dikes in Skagit County?
Local dike districts maintain levees, and drainage districts manage field drainage; both show on tax bills.
Can I subdivide Skagit Valley farmland?
Agricultural zoning limits new lots, and land with sold development rights generally cannot be divided.
Where are Skagit County deeds recorded?
With the County Auditor’s recording office.
Open the official Skagit County GIS viewer Skagit 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.