Blog · October 14, 2026 · Vermont
Using the South Burlington Flood Zone Map
The zone on FEMA's map affects insurance, building and resale near Hinesburg.
Main page: Chittenden County, VT GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Before you buy or build near Essex Junction, check the South Burlington flood zone map: FEMA's zone label affects insurance, permits and resale. Covered here for South Burlington: finding the address on FEMA's map, decoding A, AE and X, and confirming the outline on the county map.
Getting started with the South Burlington flood zone map
If you'd rather pan and zoom, open the National Flood Hazard Layer viewer, where zone shading sits over a photo base. Rural land near Shelburne with no street number is still easy to locate: zoom in from US Route 7 and click inside the land.
The free map to start with
Your first stop is the Vermont Parcel Viewer; it covers every assessed parcel in the county, Burlington included. Without an address in hand, follow US Route 7 on the aerial and click the parcel itself. For land near Hinesburg, the parcel card usually lists the owner of record, assessed acreage, a parcel ID and sometimes recent sales.
Low spots and local drainage
Creeks and ditches near Hinesburg may not have detailed mapping, so look for water marks and debris lines. Wet ground around Essex Junction is a separate issue from flood zones; check the National Wetlands Inventory mapper for a first look.
Recorded documents worth pulling
The map is an index, not the title: recorded deeds, subdivision plats and easements for land near Burlington sit with the town clerk. For a home near Shelburne, use the document number from the tax record to skip a name search.
Which office to call
Anything recorded against property around Essex Junction come from the town clerk, usually searchable by name or document number. Building or septic questions for a lot near Winooski are for the local planning and health departments, depending on whether the land is inside town limits.
Getting your bearings
Burlington is the county seat, home to the main records offices. You'll also find Shelburne, Winooski, and St. George, each with its own cluster of lots. Roughly 169,481 people call Chittenden County home (Census Bureau estimate, 2023) across roughly 537 square miles. Chittenden County was organized in 1787, and some chains of title near Shelburne are long.
Where South Burlington fits in
South Burlington is part of Chittenden County, Vermont, which means parcel data comes from the county. If the land is near St. George, the municipality handles things like zoning, permits and utilities within town limits, and the county still keeps the parcel and deed records. Land beyond the city limits toward Winooski generally falls under county rules rather than the town's.
What the zone letters mean
An AE label includes a base flood elevation (BFE), and an unnumbered A zone has none; that elevation drives building rules near Burlington. Around Hinesburg, minimal risk is not no risk: according to FEMA, many claims come from moderate- and low-risk areas.
Questions to ask before you buy
Ask the seller for any Elevation Certificate for the house near St. George; an insurance quote early avoids surprises.
Matching the zone to the lot lines
FEMA doesn't draw property lines, so pair it with the Vermont Parcel Viewer for the outline of the tract near Burlington.
What a flood zone means for a buyer
If a building sits in a Special Flood Hazard Area and a federally regulated lender is involved, flood insurance is generally required where the community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, whether the land is near Winooski or elsewhere in the county. New construction in a floodplain near Hinesburg often needs a floodplain permit; check with the county or town building office early.
Legal descriptions in Vermont
Tracts outside towns near Hinesburg commonly use metes-and-bounds descriptions, listing bearings, distances and landmarks. Platted lots around Hinesburg are typically described by lot and block, which is simpler to follow. Keep the legal description for land near Shelburne when you talk to a surveyor.
Using it on a phone
The parcel map usually runs in a mobile browser, which helps when you're standing on land near Hinesburg, so load it before you lose signal. A saved image of the lot near St. George and its lines keeps working without signal.
South Burlington: common questions
How can I tell if a house near Shelburne is in a flood zone?
For most people, FEMA's free map shows the zone for any spot near Shelburne, and the zone code appears on the map.
What is a base flood elevation for land near Essex Junction?
For most people, a BFE near Burlington tells builders how high the lowest floor should be; local rules may require building above it.
What does an AE label mean for a lot near Shelburne?
Short answer: both are high-risk zones, but only AE has a base flood elevation, which shapes building rules near Burlington.
What is a LOMA for land near Winooski?
You can ask FEMA for a LOMA if surveyed elevations show the building near Shelburne is above the BFE; a surveyor's elevation data supports it.
Who keeps deeds for property in South Burlington?
For land near St. George, assessment goes to the town listers or assessor and deeds to the town clerk, while zoning questions go to planning
Open the official Chittenden County, VT 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.