Blog · October 14, 2026 · South Dakota
The Union County Land For Sale: a South Dakota guide
Vacant tracts, owners and deal-breakers for land near Beresford, using public Union County records.
Main page: Union County, SD GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, Union County facts and neighboring maps).
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Before you drive out to look at Union County land for sale near Richland, spend twenty minutes with the official parcel map. The Union County parcel map will not list prices, but it tells you a lot about any tract you're considering.
Below: finding vacant parcels on the Union County map, checking access and acreage, flood and zoning questions, and the records to order near Elk Point before you buy.
How to use the Union County land for sale
On the Union County Beacon site, turn on aerial imagery and look for tracts near North Sioux City with no buildings; the record generally lists a land-only value with no improvements. Note acreage, frontage and the last sale on each Union County property near North Sioux City, and you'll have a short list before you call a broker.
The county map you'll pair it with
For land around Beresford, open the Union County Beacon site (Schneider Geospatial's Beacon platform); it's the map Union County itself publishes. In the county version, the search page takes an owner, an address or a parcel ID, and each report links back to the map view for the property near Jefferson. For a backup route to the map covering Beresford, our Union County directory entry keeps the link current.
Access, flood, zoning and utilities
Access first: confirm the Union County parcel touches a public road, or that a recorded easement reaches it. Flood zones change what you can build near Jefferson; look up the tract on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center. Ask the county or town office in North Sioux City about zoning, minimum lot size and splits, and ask the health department about septic.
Reaching owners of land near North Sioux City
Plenty of Union County land is not listed. A short letter to the mailing address on the record for a property near North Sioux City is a usual way to ask whether the landowner would sell. A title company and a licensed surveyor finish what the county map starts on a property near Richland.
Union County land records
For land near Elk Point, the deed itself lives in the county recording office, and the map is an index to it. A deed book and page or instrument number on the county record is the fastest way to order the document for a lot in Elk Point.
The lay of the land around Elk Point
From Elk Point, the seat of the county, the map spreads out to Alcester, Beresford, Jefferson, and North Sioux City. Smaller places such as Dakota Dunes, Richland, and Alsen appear on the county map as little clusters of lots. Roughly 461 square miles of land and about 17,183 residents (2023 estimate) make up Union County. Beyond the town lots in Elk Point, expect big rural parcels across the county. With a founding date of 1862, Union County has long chains of title on some rural tracts.
Carrying costs for land near Elk Point
Check the annual property tax on the county record for a property near Elk Point; it's a recurring cost that a listing may not mention. Look at the neighbors, too: who owns the tracts around a parcel near Elk Point tells you a lot about what could happen next door.
Near the Union County line
Union County borders Plymouth County, IA, Sioux County, IA, Woodbury County, IA, Dakota County, NE, and Dixon County, NE, and each keeps its own parcel map and records. Our South Dakota page links each map neighboring Union County.
Quick answers for Union County
How do I know if a lot near Alcester is buildable?
For the lot near Alcester, ask about zoning and permits, check FEMA's flood map, and ask about water and septic, each handled by a different office in the county.
How do I check what land near Alcester sold for?
Check the sales section of the county parcel record for tracts near Alcester, remembering a sale sometimes covers more than the land.
How do I track down vacant land in Union County?
Scan the Union County Beacon site with aerial imagery on and click tracts near Alcester with no buildings and no improvement value.
How do I contact the landowner of land near Richland that isn't for sale?
Sometimes; the landowner of a property near Richland may sell if asked, and the county record gives the mailing address.
Is the acreage on the Union County parcel map exact?
Listings and the Union County record can disagree; a boundary survey settles the actual acreage.
How do I tell if land near Beresford is landlocked?
Not always; on a Union County tract, confirm frontage or a recorded easement; landlocked parcels do exist.
Open the official Union County, SD parcel map Union 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.