Blog · October 14, 2026 · Ohio
Washington County Flood Zone Map in Ohio
How to check whether a property in Washington County sits in a FEMA flood zone, and what the answer means for a buyer near Lowell.
Main page: Washington County, OH GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, Washington County facts and neighboring maps).
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Is that lot in Lower Salem in a flood zone? The Washington County flood zone map answer comes from FEMA, and it's free to look up. FEMA's free Flood Map Service Center and the Washington County parcel viewer answer it together.
The sections below go from the FEMA search to the Washington County parcel record, then cover insurance, permits and map changes near Marietta.
How to use the Washington County flood zone map
Start at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and enter the property address in Macksburg or anywhere else in the county. The site returns the effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) panel covering that Macksburg location, which you can view or download. If the PDF panel for Washington County is hard to read, try FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer viewer; zoom to the tract around Marietta and click. Switch to the Ohio Statewide Parcels layer in ArcGIS Map Viewer and find the same tract around Marietta. Laying the county parcel outline beside the FEMA shading lists whether a homesite near Marietta sits above or inside the zone.
Search Washington County parcels by owner, address or ID
There's no separate Washington County parcel site to hunt for; the Ohio Statewide Parcels layer in ArcGIS Map Viewer carries the county's parcels along with the rest of Ohio. Most people find their Washington County tract fastest by searching an address in Marietta, then clicking the outline. If the official address for the Washington County, OH map ever changes, our directory page carries the current link for Lowell and the rest of the county.
What the flood zone letters mean
On the FIRM covering Washington County, zones that start with A or V are Special Flood Hazard Areas, land with a 1-percent chance of flooding in any given year (the base or 100-year flood). Where a Washington County tract lists Zone AE, there's a base flood elevation to compare a building against; in Zone A there isn't one. Shaded Zone X around Macksburg falls between the base flood and the 500-year flood. Unshaded X (or C) on the Washington County panel means minimal risk.
Creeks, rivers and low ground in Washington County
The Washington County landscape includes Ohio River, Muskingum River and Duck Creek, and that's where flood questions cluster. Waterfront and bottomland parcels near Macksburg frequently carry a zone along one edge, so check where the buildable part sits. Small streams and ditches near Macksburg may not be studied in detail can still flood; FEMA says moderate- and low-risk areas still carry risk.
Questions to ask before buying in Washington County
Request any past flood claims history for a Washington County property before closing; it tells you more than the map alone. An agent working in Washington County can quote flood coverage once you know the zone for the lot near Lowell.
When the map affects a deal
The zone lists up again when a loan on a house near Marietta is underwritten. When a county home falls inside an A or V zone and carries a federally backed mortgage, the lender must require flood coverage; that applies where the local government around Marietta is in the National Flood Insurance Program. In Zone X near Macksburg, federal rules do not require a policy, though a lender in Ohio can still ask for it. If a building near Marietta sits above the flood line, the owner can ask FEMA for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA); a surveyor near Marietta can supply the elevation data. Placing fill on low ground near Macksburg most frequently needs a floodplain permit, and the building office serving Marietta explains the steps.
Washington County, OH: common questions
Can I build in a flood zone in Washington County?
Building in a Special Flood Hazard Area near Beverly most frequently needs a floodplain permit and may require elevating the structure, so check with the county floodplain administrator.
Do I need flood insurance in Zone X in Washington County?
For a Zone X house near Matamoras, federal rules do not require flood insurance; buying it is still a choice worth pricing.
How do I know if a property in Washington County is in a flood zone?
Look it up at FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, then match the parcel lines in the Ohio Statewide Parcels layer in ArcGIS Map Viewer; for land near Matamoras, a zone starting with A or V is high risk.
Does a 100-year floodplain near Matamoras flood only once a century?
No, ground around Beverly mapped that way faces a 1-percent annual chance, and two floods in one decade near Beverly are possible.
What does BFE mean on the flood map for Beverly?
On the map covering Beverly, the BFE is the height floodwater is expected to reach in the 1-percent-annual-chance flood, and a surveyor compares the building near Beverly to it.
Open the official Washington County, OH parcel map Washington 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.