When was Jefferson County founded?

Jefferson County was founded in 1819, formed from Blount County, St. Clair County and Shelby County, and named after Thomas Jefferson.

What is the county seat of Jefferson County?

The county seat of Jefferson County is Birmingham.

Is there an online parcel map for Jefferson County?

Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 410,069 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Jefferson County's boundary or name changed?

Jefferson County was created in 1819 from Blount County, St. Clair County and Shelby County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 20 later changes, chiefly involving Shelby County, Tuscaloosa County and St. Clair County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 01073

Jefferson CountyAlabama

Jefferson County is a county in Alabama, with its seat in Birmingham, formed in 1819.

Founded1819
County seatBirmingham
Named forThomas Jefferson
Land area1,112 sq mi + 13 sq mi water
Population674,721 2020 Census
Parcels mapped410,069 checked 16 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1819 from Blount County, St. Clair County and Shelby County

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

Jefferson County was created on December 13, 1819, from Blount, St. Clair, and Shelby counties. It was named after Thomas Jefferson. Over four decades following its creation, Jefferson County gained and lost territory through exchanges and boundary adjustments with neighboring counties including St. Clair, Shelby, Walker, and Tuscaloosa.

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

1819
Jefferson County created Jefferson created from Blount, St. Clair, and Shelby.
from Blount from St. Clair from Shelby
13 December 1819 · Ala. Rpts., 215:640; Ala. Acts 1819, 1st sess., sec. 9/p. 52
1821
Exchanged territory Jefferson exchanged with St. Clair.
with St. Clair
1 April 1821 · Ala. Acts 1820, 2d sess., p. 90
1823
Gained territory Jefferson gained from St. Clair.
from St. Clair
19 December 1823 · Ala. Acts 1823, 5th sess., p. 85
1827
Exchanged territory Jefferson exchanged with Tuscaloosa.
with Tuscaloosa
31 December 1827 · Ala. Acts 1827, 9th sess., p. 99
1833
Gained territory After 1 April 1833, Jefferson gained from Shelby.
from Shelby
2 April 1833 · Ala. Acts 1830, 12th sess., secs. 3, 6/p. 30; Ala. Acts 1832, ann. sess., no. 53, secs. 1, 8/pp. 30-31

Show all 22 changes (17 more)

1819
Jefferson County created Jefferson created from Blount, St. Clair, and Shelby.
from Blount from St. Clair from Shelby
13 December 1819 · Ala. Rpts., 215:640; Ala. Acts 1819, 1st sess., sec. 9/p. 52
1821
Exchanged territory Jefferson exchanged with St. Clair.
with St. Clair
1 April 1821 · Ala. Acts 1820, 2d sess., p. 90
1823
Gained territory Jefferson gained from St. Clair.
from St. Clair
19 December 1823 · Ala. Acts 1823, 5th sess., p. 85
1823
Lost territory Jefferson lost to creation of Walker and lost small area to Tuscaloosa.
to Walker to Tuscaloosa
26 December 1823 · Ala. Acts 1823, 5th sess., sec. 1/p. 82
1827
Exchanged territory Jefferson exchanged with Tuscaloosa.
with Tuscaloosa
31 December 1827 · Ala. Acts 1827, 9th sess., p. 99
1828
Boundary clarified Boundary between Jefferson and Blount was clarified (no change).
with Blountno change
15 January 1828 · Ala. Acts 1827, 9th sess., p. 69
1833
Gained territory After 1 April 1833, Jefferson gained from Shelby.
from Shelby
2 April 1833 · Ala. Acts 1830, 12th sess., secs. 3, 6/p. 30; Ala. Acts 1832, ann. sess., no. 53, secs. 1, 8/pp. 30-31
1840
Exchanged territory Jefferson exchanged with Tuscaloosa.
with Tuscaloosa
3 February 1840 · Ala. Acts 1839, ann. sess., no. 103/p. 142
1841
Gained territory Jefferson gained small area from Shelby to accommodate local property owner.
from Shelby
2 December 1841 · Ala. Acts 1841, ann. sess., no. 97/p. 92
1852
Gained territory Jefferson gained small area from Tuscaloosa.
from Tuscaloosa
9 February 1852 · Ala. Acts 1851, 3d bien. sess., no. 335/p. 440
1861
Gained territory Jefferson gained from Shelby.
from Shelby
8 February 1861 · Ala. Acts 1861, called sess., no. 77/p. 67
1861
Lost territory Jefferson lost to Shelby.
to Shelby
11 November 1861 · Ala. Acts 1861, 1st reg. sess., no. 213/p. 207
1862
Gained territory Jefferson gained small area from Shelby to accommodate local property owner.
from Shelby
4 December 1862 · Ala. Acts 1862, 2d reg. sess., no. 137/p. 156
1871
Gained territory Jefferson gained from Shelby.
from Shelby
6 March 1871 · Ala. Acts 1870, reg. sess., no. 84/p. 78
1877
Lost territory Jefferson lost to Blount.
to Blount
8 February 1877 · Ala. Acts 1876, bien. sess., no. 201, sec. 1/p. 229
1878
Gained territory Jefferson gained small area from Shelby.
from Shelby
7 December 1878 · Ala. Acts 1878, bien. sess., no. 194/p. 226
1884
Gained territory Jefferson gained from Shelby.
from Shelby
12 December 1884 · Ala. Acts 1884, bien. sess., no. 155/p. 267
1898
Gained territory Jefferson gained small area from Blount, exchanged with Walker.
from Blount from Walker
16 December 1898 · Ala. Acts 1898, bien. sess., loc., no. 147/p. 328
1915
Exchanged territory Jefferson exchanged with St. Clair.
with St. Clair
10 September 1915 · Ala. Acts 1915, quad. sess., loc., no. 423/p. 322
1915
Exchanged territory Jefferson exchanged with St. Clair and Tuscaloosa.
with St. Clair with Tuscaloosa
28 September 1915 · Ala. Acts 1915, quad. sess., loc., nos. 800, 819/pp. 490, 491
1943
Exchanged territory Jefferson exchanged with Shelby.
with Shelby
1 October 1943 · Ala. Acts 1943, reg. sess., loc., no. 293, secs. 1, 3/pp. 173, 177
1979
Gained territory Jefferson gained small area from Shelby.
from Shelby
9 August 1979 · Ala. Acts 1979, reg. sess., no. 79-806/p. 1485; Shelby County Probate Court, correspondence, 15 November 1989

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Jefferson

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 410,069 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 16 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Jefferson 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

Jefferson by the Census

Population

674,721 2020 Census count

Housing units

307,927 2020 Census count

Land area

1,112 square miles

Water area

13 square miles

People per sq mi

607 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

Jefferson County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

County government
The official website of Jefferson County.
jeffconline.jccal.org

See your own lot on these maps

Open Jefferson 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 Jefferson County

When was Jefferson County founded?: Jefferson County was founded in 1819, formed from Blount County, St. Clair County and Shelby County, and named after Thomas Jefferson.
What is the county seat of Jefferson County?: The county seat of Jefferson County is Birmingham.
Is there an online parcel map for Jefferson County?: Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 410,069 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Jefferson County's boundary or name changed?: Jefferson County was created in 1819 from Blount County, St. Clair County and Shelby County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 20 later changes, chiefly involving Shelby County, Tuscaloosa County and St. Clair County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Jefferson 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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