Missouri River floodplain and levee questions on the county's north edge

The Missouri River runs along much of Lafayette County’s northern edge, including past Lexington. Land down in the river bottoms is different from the higher ground and bluffs nearby. Low bottomland can sit in a mapped flood zone. Some of it may also sit behind a levee or inside a drainage district. Those things can change your flood risk, your insurance, and what you are allowed to build.

So not every parcel in the county carries the same flood risk. If you are buying or building near the river, the flood map for that exact spot is worth checking. You can look it up on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center. Ask the county whether a levee or drainage district covers the land. Flood maps get updated over time, and one parcel can straddle very different zones, so the current status for your address is worth confirming.