When was Jackson County founded?

Jackson County was founded in 1819, and named after Andrew Jackson.

What is the county seat of Jackson County?

The county seat of Jackson County is Scottsboro.

Is there an online parcel map for Jackson County?

Yes. Jackson County publishes a parcel map of 47,991 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Jackson County's boundary or name changed?

Jackson County was created in 1819. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 14 later changes, chiefly involving De Kalb County, Decatur County and Marshall County.

Who issues building permits in Jackson County?

The county's page on building permits: Zoning and Building Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

We do not have flood maps for Jackson County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

County · code 01071

Jackson CountyAlabama

Jackson County is located in Alabama and was created on December 13, 1819. The county is named after Andrew Jackson and has Scottsboro as its county seat.

Founded1819
County seatScottsboro
Named forAndrew Jackson
Land area1,078 sq mi + 49 sq mi water
Population52,579 2020 Census
Parcels mapped47,991 checked 15 October 2026

Open the free map Click any parcel in Jackson County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Founded in 1819

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Jackson County was created from Non-County Area 1 in 1819, then expanded significantly in the early 1820s through exchanges and gains from neighboring counties including Morgan, Decatur, and Madison. After substantial territorial adjustments through 1852, the county's boundaries stabilized, with its final major expansion occurring in 1852 when it gained a small area from Marshall County.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

1819
Jackson County created Jackson created from Non-County Area 1. 13 December 1819 · Ala. Rpts., 215:640; Ala. Acts 1819, 1st sess., sec. 17/p. 54
1821
Jackson County created Non-County Area 12 created from Non-County Area 11; Non-County Area 12 detached from Morgan, attached to Jackson.
from Morgan
27 November 1821 · Ala. Acts 1821, 3d sess., p. 17
1821
Lost territory Jackson lost to creation of Decatur (extinct); Non-County Area 12 detached from Jackson, attached to Decatur.
to Decatur
7 December 1821 · Ala. Acts 1821, 3d sess., p. 71
1822
Exchanged territory Jackson exchanged with Decatur (extinct). The northern part of Non-County Area 12 was detached from Decatur and became Non-County Area 13 attached to Jackson.
with Decatur
31 December 1822 · Ala. Acts 1822, 4th sess., p. 89
1825
Gained territory Jackson gained all of Decatur; Decatur eliminated. Non-County Area 12 (formerly attached to Decatur) became part of Non-County Area 13 attached to Jackson.
from Decatur
28 December 1825 · Ala. Acts 1825, 7th sess., p. 15

Show all 17 changes (12 more)

1819
Jackson County created Jackson created from Non-County Area 1. 13 December 1819 · Ala. Rpts., 215:640; Ala. Acts 1819, 1st sess., sec. 17/p. 54
1821
Jackson County created Non-County Area 12 created from Non-County Area 11; Non-County Area 12 detached from Morgan, attached to Jackson.
from Morgan
27 November 1821 · Ala. Acts 1821, 3d sess., p. 17
1821
Lost territory Jackson lost to creation of Decatur (extinct); Non-County Area 12 detached from Jackson, attached to Decatur.
to Decatur
7 December 1821 · Ala. Acts 1821, 3d sess., p. 71
1822
Exchanged territory Jackson exchanged with Decatur (extinct). The northern part of Non-County Area 12 was detached from Decatur and became Non-County Area 13 attached to Jackson.
with Decatur
31 December 1822 · Ala. Acts 1822, 4th sess., p. 89
1825
Gained territory Jackson gained all of Decatur; Decatur eliminated. Non-County Area 12 (formerly attached to Decatur) became part of Non-County Area 13 attached to Jackson.
from Decatur
28 December 1825 · Ala. Acts 1825, 7th sess., p. 15
1826
Lost territory Jackson lost to Madison.
to Madison
6 January 1826 · Ala. Acts 1825, 7th sess., p. 10
1832
Gained territory Jackson gained part of attached Non-County Area 13; lost remainder of attached Non-County Area 13 to Blount, Morgan, and St. Clair.
from Blount from Morgan from St. Clair
21 January 1832 · Ala. Acts 1831, 13th sess., p. 35
1834
Gained territory Jackson gained from St. Clair.
from St. Clair
14 January 1834 · Ala. Acts 1833, ann. sess., no. 26/p. 14
1836
Lost territory Jackson lost to Madison and lost to creation of Cherokee, De Kalb, and Marshall.
to Madison to Cherokee to De Kalbto Marshall
9 January 1836 · Ala. Acts 1835, ann. sess., no. 47, secs. 1, 13/pp. 47, 49; no. 179/p. 170
1843
Changed Boundary between Jackson and De Kalb was adjusted.
De Kalb
7 February 1843 · Ala. Acts 1842, ann. sess., no. 199/p. 158
1848
Gained territory Jackson gained from De Kalb.
from De Kalb
3 March 1848 · Ala. Acts 1847, 1st bien. sess., no. 273/p. 363
1852
Gained territory Jackson gained small area from Marshall.
from Marshall
5 February 1852 · Ala. Acts 1851, 3d bien. sess., no. 337/p. 441
1854
Lost territory Jackson lost to De Kalb.
to De Kalb
15 February 1854 · Ala. Acts 1853, 4th bien. sess., no. 296/p. 184
1858
Lost territory Jackson lost to Marshall and lost small area to De Kalb to accommodate local property owner.
to Marshallto De Kalb
2 February 1858 · Ala. Acts 1857, 6th bien. sess., no. 335/p. 337
1860
Lost territory Jackson lost to De Kalb.
to De Kalb
25 February 1860 · Ala. Acts 1859, 7th bien. sess., no. 383/p. 523
1870
Changed Legislature authorized De Kalb to gain from Jackson dependent on local referendum (later repealed); no evidence found that referendum was held (no change).
De Kalb
3 March 1870 · Ala. Acts 1869, reg. sess., no. 353/p. 449
1872
Changed Act of 3 March 1870, intended to change the boundary between Jackson and De Kalb, was repealed (no change).
De Kalb
8 February 1872 · Ala. Acts 1871, reg. sess., no. 151/p. 161

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Jackson

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 47,991 parcels from Jackson County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 2 December 2025 · checked 15 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Jackson County yet.
Buildings Reference

Roof outlines traced from aerial imagery from FEMA Response Geospatial Office with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Good for seeing what is on a lot; not accurate enough to set a fence from.
checked 18 October 2026

Official: from the office that keeps the record
Good enough: a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback: a guide only; check the official record
Missing: nothing public found yet

People and land

Jackson by the Census

Population

52,579 2020 Census count

Housing units

24,627 2020 Census count

Land area

1,078 square miles

Water area

49 square miles

People per sq mi

49 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Who to ask before you build, dig or sell

Official county pages only. We link to them; we do not copy them, because they change.

Inside a city or town, permits usually come from that city rather than the county.

Records

Assessor and property records
Revenue Commissioner
from jacksoncountyal.gov · checked 13 October 2026

Permits

Zoning and Building Permitsfrom jacksoncountyal.gov

Zoning and code

Ordinances - Google Drivefrom jacksoncountyal.gov
Zoning and Building Letter, referencing subdivided property and otherfrom jacksoncountyal.gov
Zoning and Building Letterfrom jacksoncountyal.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Jackson County.
jacksoncountyal.gov

See your own lot on these maps

Open Jackson County on Parcel Chart's free map and click your parcel. Save it with a free account; the full record of your place (site map, projects, documents) is Pro, in early access.

Open the free map no sign-in Pro early access

Questions

Common questions about Jackson County

When was Jackson County founded?: Jackson County was founded in 1819, and named after Andrew Jackson.
What is the county seat of Jackson County?: The county seat of Jackson County is Scottsboro.
Is there an online parcel map for Jackson County?: Yes. Jackson County publishes a parcel map of 47,991 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Jackson County's boundary or name changed?: Jackson County was created in 1819. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 14 later changes, chiefly involving De Kalb County, Decatur County and Marshall County.
Who issues building permits in Jackson County?: The county's page on building permits: Zoning and Building Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Jackson County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

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