Kansas City Region
Missouri River floodplain and levee questions on the county's north edge
Lafayette County's northern boundary follows the Missouri River, so bottomland parcels can fall in mapped floodplains and behind levee systems that affect insurance, building, and value.
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 do not assume every parcel in the county carries the same flood risk. If you are buying or building near the river, check the flood map for that exact spot. 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 confirm the current status for your address.
References
Where this fits: this note belongs to Lafayette County. See every local note for the county on its page.