Free tool · Monroe to Skykomish
Rural property pre-check
Before you fall for a cabin, a river lot or a few wooded acres, see what the county maps say about it: flood zones, streams and wetlands, zoning, nearby wells, slope and wildfire history.
What it checks
These are the things I look up first on any rural parcel along the corridor, because they're the ones that most often change what a property is worth or what you can do with it.
Flood zones and floodway
FEMA flood zones across the whole parcel, not just the address point.
Streams, wetlands and shoreline rules
Mapped creeks, wetlands and river shoreline jurisdiction near the lot, which carry buffers.
Zoning
County zoning or city limits, and the county's long-range plan for the area.
Wells and septic
Depth of nearby wells from state well reports, and where to find septic records.
Slope and landslides
Elevation sampled across the parcel and mapped landslides nearby.
Wildfire history
Large wildfires recorded within three miles in the last 30 years.
What a map can't tell you
Whether the soil will pass a septic test, how much water a new well will actually produce, where the property lines really sit, and whether that old cabin was ever permitted. Those take a soil log, a driller, a surveyor and a records search. If the pre-check turns up something you want a second opinion on, send me the report and I'll walk through it with you. My land buyer's guide and well and septic guide cover the next steps, and the build-out cost calculator estimates what it takes to make raw land livable.
Questions
- Where does the pre-check get its information?
- From public map services run by Snohomish County, King County, FEMA, the Washington Departments of Ecology and Natural Resources, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Each result links to its source so you can verify it.
- Does it work for any address?
- It's built for the Highway 2 corridor from Monroe to Skykomish, in Snohomish and King counties. Snohomish County parcels get the most complete check; King County parcels around Baring and Skykomish get flood, zoning, septic records, wells, slope and wildfire.
- Can I rely on it instead of a survey or inspection?
- No. It's a quick first look to help you decide what to dig into. Maps can be out of date or miss small streams and wetlands, and only a surveyor, septic designer, inspector or the county can give you a definitive answer.
- Why does it check the whole parcel instead of the address?
- Because an address point usually sits on the house or the driveway, while a flood zone, stream buffer or shoreline rule can cover the back of the lot. On rural land that difference matters.
- Is it free?
- Yes. If you want the full report by email with a plain-English summary, enter your name and email and I'll send it and look over the parcel myself.