Shelby County
Shelby County covers 591 square miles of southwestern Iowa, with the county seat at Harlan.
Open PublicGIS map Shelby County parcel map and property search
Shelby County official website
Taxes, deeds, permits and other Shelby County services on GovDir
Jump to
PublicGIS maps 17,270 parcels for Shelby County. PublicGIS does not show owner names for this county.
Where to find things
- Shelby County parcel map and property searchCounty GIS map · Property lines · Property owner · Property records · Parcel number · Aerial imagery
Beacon is Shelby County's public parcel map and property record search. Look up a property by address, owner or parcel number to see its boundary, acreage, ownership, classification and assessed value.
More options
- Iowa statewide mapIowa's statewide interactive map of roads, boundaries and aerial photos. It does not show property lines.
- Sanborn Fire Insurance MapsDigitized Sanborn fire insurance maps showing building footprints, materials and uses for American towns and cities, widely used in property history and environmental research.
- Iowa GIS data downloadsGIS data downloads · Elevation · Addresses and 911 numbers
Download Iowa's statewide GIS data, such as roads, boundaries, imagery and elevation. It has no statewide property lines.
More options
- State Plane Coordinate System zonesThe official State Plane Coordinate System from the National Geodetic Survey: which zone covers each state and county, zone definitions and conversion tools.
- FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer ViewerInteractive nationwide map of current flood zones, base flood elevations and map panels.
- NCES School District BoundariesNational school district boundary maps and downloadable GIS files, with an address lookup for the district serving a location.
- Iowa Geological SurveyIowa geology: landslide, earthquake and ground hazards, groundwater, minerals and geologic maps.
- USGS National Map ViewerNational base map with elevation, hydrography, imagery, boundaries and PLSS layers.
- USGS topoViewBrowse and download every historical USGS topographic map for a location, useful for seeing old roads, buildings and shorelines.
- US Census GeocoderFree service that converts a street address into map coordinates and census geography. No account needed.
- Shelby County zoning and land useZoning
Zoning districts and land use rules, and which uses and buildings the rules permit on a given piece of land.
- FEMA Flood Map Service CenterFlood zones
Official source for flood insurance rate maps. Enter an address to see the current flood zone and download the FIRM panel and letters of map change.
More options
- FEMA Disaster DeclarationsSearch federal disaster and emergency declarations by state, county and incident to see whether an area was declared and what assistance was authorized.
- FEMA Increased Cost of ComplianceFlood insurance coverage that helps pay to elevate, relocate, demolish or floodproof a substantially damaged building.
-
Farm wetland rules for USDA program participants. Before you drain, fill or clear a wet area in a farm field, ask NRCS at your local USDA Service Center for a wetland determination.
More options
- Iowa drainage districtsIowa law on levee and drainage districts and their ditches and tile lines. A district is run by the county board of supervisors (or a board of trustees for some districts), and the county auditor keeps the district's drainage record with its assessments; call the county auditor about a district ditch or tile line.
- Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) sign-up, USDA Farm Service AgencyHow the Conservation Reserve Program works, which sign-ups are open and what it pays. You enroll land in CRP at your county Farm Service Agency office at the local USDA Service Center.
- USDA Web Soil SurveySoils
Draw an area on the map to get soil types, drainage, septic suitability, building limitations and farmland ratings.
- Iowa Department of Natural ResourcesLakes and water
Iowa's environmental agency: water quality, wetlands, waste and the permits that go with them.
More options
- Iowa water wells and water rightsPrivate wells in Iowa: the county permit, the grants for well testing and plugging, and the state well records.
- U.S. Drought MonitorWeekly national drought map by county, with historical conditions and state summaries.
- MRLC NLCD Land Cover ViewerLand cover
National land cover map for every year since 1985: forest, cropland, developed, wetland, water and change over time.
More options
- National Land Cover Database (NLCD) DownloadsFilter and download National Land Cover Database products including Annual NLCD land cover for the contiguous United States. Provides downloadable raster products and links to the viewer for spatial selection.
- Iowa state landsPublic land
State-owned land in Iowa: who manages it, what you may do on it, and how leases and easements work.
More options
- USGS map of public and protected landNational map of federal, state, local and other public and protected land from the U.S. Geological Survey Protected Areas Database (PAD-US).
- Shelby County RecorderPlats · Surveys and section corners
Where deeds, mortgages, easements and other land documents are recorded. Start here to search recorded documents or order a copy.
Geralyn Greer, County Recorder- Phone
- 712-755-5640
- ggreer@shelbycounty.iowa.gov
- Address
- 612 Court St. · Room 201 Harlan, IA 51537
More options
- NGS survey mark and benchmark mapMap of National Geodetic Survey benchmarks and survey control marks. Zoom to a place, click a mark and open its datasheet with the mark's position, elevation and how to find it on the ground.
- Iowa licensed land surveyor lookupSearch the Iowa Engineering and Land Surveying Examining Board for a licensed land surveyor by name or license number. Only a licensed surveyor can mark a legal property line on the ground, so check a surveyor's license before you hire one. Board phone 515-725-9022.
- BLM General Land Office RecordsSearch original federal land patents and survey plats by name or legal description to find the first private owner of a parcel.
- NGS Survey Mark DatasheetsFederal survey mark datasheets and control monument records, searchable by county or coordinates.
- Shelby County Engineer's OfficeRoads
Maintains the county's secondary roads and bridges, including gravel road grading and snow plowing.
- Phone
- (712) 755-5954
- Address
- 1411 Industrial Pkwy., Harlan, IA 51537
More options
- Iowa Department of TransportationState highways in Iowa: road maps, projects, and the approach or access permit you need before you build a driveway onto a state road.
- 811 Before You DigCall 811 or use your state 811 center's website a few business days before any digging, including fence posts, decks, trees and mailboxes. The service is free, and the utilities mark their buried lines with paint or flags. This page lists every state's 811 center.
- National Pipeline Mapping SystemPublic map viewer of transmission pipelines and operator contacts by county, for excavation planning and emergency response.
- U.S. wildfire risk mapHazards and emergency information
Type a community, county or state to see its wildfire likelihood, risk to homes and exposure, with maps and charts. It shows long-term risk, not current fires, and is a screening tool, not an official hazard designation for a property.
More options
- U.S. hurricane storm surge risk mapsInteractive map of how deep storm surge flooding could get near the coast in a worst-case hurricane of each category. It does not replace your local hurricane evacuation zone; check the state or county zone lookup for that.
- U.S. landslide mapInteractive national map of known landslides and how susceptible the ground is to landslides. It is a broad screening map, not a site-specific assessment.
Shelby County offices
- One phone line for 2 offices
- Phone
- 712-755-5718
- Shelby County AssessorProperty valuation and classification.
- Address
- 612 Court St. Harlan, IA 51537
- Website
- Visit website
- Shelby County property tax search and paymentSelect your county, then pay property taxes with an electronic check or Visa, MasterCard, or Discover. Register to store parcels and contact information.
- Shelby County Planning and ZoningZoning, land use and development review.
- Address
- 612 Court St. Harlan, IA 51537
- Website
- Shelby County zoning and land use, listed above
- Shelby County Environmental ServicesSeptic and environmental health permits.
- Phone
- 712-755-2609
- Address
- 1411 Industrial Pkwy Harlan, IA 51537
- Website
- Visit website
- Shelby County GISShelby County Assessor's Office keeps the maps and GIS for Shelby County.
- Phone
- (712) 755-5718 ext. 5
- tbuman@shelbycounty.iowa.gov
- Address
- 612 Court St. Harlan, IA 51537
- Website
- Visit website
- Shelby County USDA FSA and NRCS officeThe Farm Service Agency office for Shelby County is at the Harlan Service Center, 2519 Southwest Ave, Harlan, IA 51537. Call it to sign up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and other farm programs, and for farm and tract records. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) works from the same office: ask it for wetland determinations, highly erodible land questions and conservation plans.
- Phone
- (712) 755-5116
- Address
- 2519 Southwest Ave, Harlan, IA 51537
- Website
- Visit website
Guides
Other Iowa counties
Neighboring counties
About Shelby County
Shelby County covers 591 square miles of southwestern Iowa, with the county seat at Harlan. The County Assessor values your house and land, except in a few cities that have their own City Assessor. The County Treasurer bills and collects the tax and the County Recorder keeps recorded land documents.