The county's online maps have layers you can turn on to see which zones and regulated environmental areas (if any) are on a property. Once you know which critical areas are mapped on a property, you can look up the specific development rules that apply to the property. In most cases, these layers are also listed on a property's Parcel Data Sheet (see Step 1 on
Look up Your Property). Online county maps are made by the
County's GeoData Department.
How to use maps to see which zoning & regulated environments are on a property
Step 1 Have map instructions handy before you begin
- Maps open with instruction panel visible, but the panel closes as you click other buttons.
- Quick Start Instructions, show step-by-step directions.
- Detailed Map User Instructions (PDF), have more complete instructions.
Step 2 Open the online map & search for a property
Permitting Map - Open this map to see if wetlands, Mazama pocket gopher areas, shorelines or other regulated land and waters are mapped on a property.
Show Me Everything Map - Open this map to see all of the above, plus everything the county has mapped for a property, on a single map. Slow loading.
Search for a property using an address or parcel number. To get a property's parcel number, enter its address in
parcel search.
Step 3 Find a property's jurisdiction, zoning & critical areas (regulated sensitive environments)
- Click on Maps & Layers at top left, then select Show Layers List.
- Scroll down to Planning & Land Use, and check Permitting jurisdiction, UGAs (part of the zoning info) and Zoning to turn on those layers for the selected property.
- Or follow zoning lookup instructions to check the zoning.
- Follow critical areas lookup instructions to check for regulated environments, lands, waters, etc.
- Tip: Writing down what you find can make filling out permit forms, or talking to staff or other experts about your project/property easier.
Step 4 Look up the development rules associated with the zones & regulated areas you found
What to expect when using online county maps
- Online maps take a little trial & error to figure out. Please allow yourself some time, and read the instructions.
- You can use a property address or parcel number to search for a property. Using a parcel number can bring up the right property faster.
- Maps don't meet legal, engineering or survey standards because land and water-flow change over time.
- Sometimes property owners hire their own experts to confirm actual conditions on a property, and exact location of any critical areas (like wetlands) or other regulated environments (like Mazama pocket gopher habitat, shorelines, etc.).
- Use county maps to start your research, but you may want to consult with your own experts before making decisions.
Online map features: cool things you can do with the map
- Base maps - Maps open on a standard street view, but you can switch the base map to an aerial to see buildings, roads, trees and other features clearly. Learn how.
- Layers - You can turn layers on and off to see what's on a property. Once in a map, click Maps & Layers at the top left, or click Layers at the bottom left. At about the 3:50 mark in the GeoData Training Video.
- Drawing - Add a rectangle or square to show where your bulding project will be. Save drawings to your computer, or send a drawing to someone else.
- Not so cool features - you can't save your work and come back to it, but if you draw a shape on a map, you can save that to your computer or thumb drive.
The County's map-making department is called GeoData. They make great maps, but because land and water are ever-changing, and because new data is added frequently, county maps don't meet legal, engineering or survey standards. Hire your own experts before making decisions.