Blog · October 14, 2026 · Arkansas
Using the St. Francis County Flood Zone Map
The zone on FEMA's map affects insurance, building and resale near Forrest City.
Main page: St. Francis County, AR GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, county facts and neighboring maps).
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Before you buy or build near Heth, pull up the St. Francis County flood zone map: the zone on that map shapes insurance, building rules and resale. This county guide covers: locating a parcel on FEMA's map, reading the zone codes, and pairing it with the county ArcGIS parcel map around Heth.
Getting started with the St. Francis County flood zone map
Closer to Palestine, flood zones come from FEMA's Flood Map Service Center: enter the street address, then open the map view for that panel. A tract near Palestine without an address can still be found: pan from the closest town and click the spot.
The viewer St. Francis County publishes
Lots and tracts near Heth appear on the St. Francis County ArcGIS parcel map, which opens without registering. If you're looking near Forrest City, put in a street address, an owner's name or a parcel number, and the matching parcel lights up. With a lot near Colt, the parcel card normally shows the owner of record, acreage on the tax roll, the parcel number and sometimes recent sales.
A quick look at the area
Forrest City is the county seat, home to the main records offices. Other places on the map include Madison, Caldwell, Colt, and Heth, where town lots give way to larger tracts. Roughly 22,101 people call St. Francis County home (Census estimate, 2023) spread over about 635 square miles. St. Francis County was organized in 1827, which matters when you trace an old farm's title.
Taking the map into the field
The parcel map usually runs in a mobile browser, which helps when you're standing on land near Goodwin, though signal can drop in rural spots. A printout of the tract near Goodwin keeps working without signal.
Sections, lots and bearings
Arkansas follows the Public Land Survey System, which means a tract near Goodwin is described by section, township and range. A standard section is about one square mile, roughly 640 acres, and a township holds 36 of them, though sections near Forrest City can be irregular. Keep the legal description for land near Caldwell for any title or survey request.
Which office to call
Deeds, mortgages and recorded plats for land near Caldwell come from the Circuit Clerk, sometimes only in person. Zoning, permits and septic questions near Madison go to planning, building or health offices, and the answer depends on jurisdiction.
Beyond the mapped zones
Low-lying fields near Heth aren't always studied in detail, so walk the land after rain. Wet ground around Palestine is a separate issue from flood zones; check the National Wetlands Inventory mapper for a first look.
What the zone letters mean
For acreage around Forrest City, A and V zones are Special Flood Hazard Areas, meaning a 1% or greater chance of flooding each year. On ground around Goodwin, a shaded X area marks moderate flood hazard, between the 1% and 0.2% annual chance floods; plain X, or C on older maps, is minimal risk.
Matching the zone to the lot lines
FEMA's map shows zones but not ownership, so check the St. Francis County ArcGIS parcel map too to confirm you have the right parcel near Colt.
Land on the county line
St. Francis County borders Crittenden County, Cross County, Lee County, Monroe County, and Woodruff County, and each of those keeps its own parcel map. Ground near Heth that runs to the line can show up in two county records, so check the neighboring map before you assume the acreage. Around Heth, our state page lists each bordering county map for Arkansas.
Backing up the map with records
With a lot near Palestine, the map is an index, not the title: recorded deeds, plats and easements for parcels in the county sit with the Circuit Clerk. Older tracts near Colt may sit on a long string of deeds, and a title company can sort it out before a purchase.
What a flood zone means for a buyer
For a structure inside an A or V zone and a federally regulated lender is involved, mandatory purchase rules apply in communities in the NFIP, and that holds around Forrest City too. Remodeling a house in a zone near Heth usually means extra permit review; check with the county or town building office before you plan.
Questions to ask before you buy
For a tract near Palestine, request for any Elevation Certificate before closing; an insurance quote early keeps the budget honest.
Quick answers
When is flood insurance required around Heth?
Short answer: for a building near Forrest City in an A or V zone with a federally backed or regulated mortgage, it's generally required; outside those zones it's your call.
Does the county parcel map show flood zones for land near Goodwin?
For most people, a flood layer may appear in the county ArcGIS parcel map layer list, but FEMA's own map is the official source around Caldwell.
Do I need to worry about flooding in Zone X near Forrest City?
Usually, shaded X is moderate risk and unshaded X is minimal risk; many owners near Forrest City buy coverage anyway.
How often are flood maps updated for land near Forrest City?
For most people, zones near Palestine can shift when FEMA updates a panel, so look at the panel date.
What's the tax parcel number used for for land near Hughes?
It's the number the County Assessor uses to track a tract near Hughes; you'll see it in the viewer and on tax statements.
Open the official St. Francis County, AR 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.