Erie County, NY: flood zone, zoning and property lines by address
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Towns in Erie County: Buffalo, Amherst, Cheektowaga.
Flood zone by address
ParcelSheet reads FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer at the lot: the zone, whether it is a high risk area where lenders ask for flood insurance, and the base flood elevation where FEMA lists one. FEMA's countywide study for Erie County has 299 FIRM panels, the newest effective June 2021; no coastal V zones are mapped in it.
The official panel and any Letter of Map Amendment are at FEMA's Map Service Center. An elevation certificate for an Erie house comes from a licensed surveyor and is often on file with the county or city building office.
Property lines
The parcel outline, parcel number and mapped size come from the New York State Tax Parcels layer (NYS GIS Program Office, from each county's tax maps), so an Erie lot shows the same lines the Real Property Tax Services office draws. Erie County covers about 667,368 acres of land and 117,839 acres of water.
Mapped lines are approximate. The Erie County Real Property Tax Services office keeps the parcel record (Erie County website); every county's office is on the state's county directors of Real Property Tax Services page; a licensed surveyor sets the true corners.
Zoning
In New York zoning is set by each town, village and city, not by the county: in Erie County, Buffalo zones the land inside its limits. ParcelSheet shows the use code on the lot's parcel record and the municipality it sits in; the town, village or city zoning office has the district, the uses it allows and the lot size it needs. The Erie County website lists the county's municipalities.
ADU and guest houses
New York's zoning enabling laws (Town Law 261, Village Law 7-700 and General City Law 20) lets each town, village and city allow an accessory dwelling unit on a lot with a house. Whether an Erie lot can add one depends on its district; the town, village or city zoning office has the rule. ParcelSheet shows the mapped lot size and the ground's slope, the first two things the question turns on.
Septic and soil
ParcelSheet reads the USDA soil survey at the lot: the soil's name, its septic absorption rating and whether it is prime farmland. Erie County is soil survey area NY029, Erie County, New York, last updated September 2026, on Web Soil Survey.
A new or changed septic system in Erie County needs a permit from the Erie County health department, or the NYS Department of Health district office where the county has none, which tests the soil on the lot itself.
Setbacks
Setbacks in Erie County come from the zoning district: the front, side and rear distances a house must keep. ParcelSheet does not draw setback lines; the town, village or city zoning office gives them for the lot's district, and Buffalo for land inside its limits.
Hazards that apply
- Wetlands and wildfire. ParcelSheet shows the National Wetlands Inventory near an Erie lot and the Forest Service wildfire hazard rating at it.
Questions
Is my house in a flood zone in Erie County?
Type the address in the box above and ParcelSheet reads FEMA's flood zone at the lot's center. FEMA's countywide flood map for Erie County has 299 panels, the newest effective June 2021. A lender or insurer uses the official FIRM panel; FEMA's Map Service Center has it.
How do I find property lines in Erie County?
Open the New York map, type the address, and the parcel outline from the county Real Property Tax Services office shows on the map with its parcel number and mapped size. Mapped lines are approximate; only a licensed surveyor sets the true corners.
What is my property zoned in Erie County?
Zoning in Erie County is set by each town, village and city (such as Buffalo), not by the county. ParcelSheet shows the use code on the parcel record and names the municipality; the town, village or city zoning office has the final word.
Can I build an ADU in Erie County?
New York's zoning enabling laws (Town Law 261, Village Law 7-700 and General City Law 20) lets each town, village and city allow an accessory dwelling unit, and each sets its own rules. In Erie County ask the town, village or city zoning office for the lot's district first; ParcelSheet shows the lot size as mapped so you can see the room you have.
Do I need a septic permit in Erie County?
Yes. A new or changed septic system in Erie County needs a permit from the Erie County health department, or the NYS Department of Health district office where the county has none. ParcelSheet shows the USDA soil survey's septic rating at the lot, from survey area NY029 (Erie County, New York).
Next to Erie County: Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County, Genesee County, Niagara County, Wyoming County.
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