When was Shelby County founded?

Shelby County was founded in 1818, formed from Montgomery County, and named after Isaac Shelby.

What is the county seat of Shelby County?

The county seat of Shelby County is Columbiana.

Is there an online parcel map for Shelby County?

Yes. Shelby County publishes a parcel map of 108,527 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Shelby County's boundary or name changed?

Shelby County was created in 1818 from Montgomery County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 24 later changes, chiefly involving Jefferson County, St. Clair County and Autauga County.

Who issues building permits in Shelby County?

The county's page on building permits: Manufactured Home Permit. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 01117

Shelby CountyAlabama

Shelby County is a county in Alabama with its seat in Columbiana. It was created on February 7, 1818, and named after Isaac Shelby.

Founded1818
County seatColumbiana
Named forIsaac Shelby
Land area785 sq mi + 24 sq mi water
Population223,024 2020 Census
Parcels mapped108,527 checked 14 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1818 from Montgomery County

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

Shelby County was created by the Alabama Territory on February 7, 1818, from Montgomery County and non-county areas. The county underwent significant boundary changes over the following decades, gaining and losing territory to neighboring counties including Autauga, St. Clair, Montgomery, and Jefferson, and losing large areas to the creation of Chambers, Coosa, Randolph, Talladega, and Tallapoosa.

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

1818
Shelby County created Shelby created by Alabama Territory from Montgomery and Non-County Area 1.
from Montgomery
7 February 1818 · Ala. Terr. Acts 1818, 1st sess., secs. 1-2/pp. 29-30
1819
Lost territory Shelby lost to creation of Jefferson.
to Jefferson
13 December 1819 · Ala. Rpts., 215:640; Ala. Acts 1819, 1st sess., sec. 9/p. 52
1827
Gained territory Shelby gained from Autauga.
from Autauga
12 January 1827 · Ala. Acts 1826, 8th sess., p. 22
1827
Gained territory Shelby gained from Autauga.
from Autauga
28 December 1827 · Ala. Acts 1827, 9th sess., p. 93
1829
Gained territory Shelby gained part of Non-County Area 14 that had been concurrently attached to Shelby, Autauga, and St. Clair.
from Autauga from St. Clair
29 January 1829 · Ala. Acts 1828, 10th sess., p. 65

Show all 25 changes (20 more)

1818
Shelby County created Shelby created by Alabama Territory from Montgomery and Non-County Area 1.
from Montgomery
7 February 1818 · Ala. Terr. Acts 1818, 1st sess., secs. 1-2/pp. 29-30
1818
Gained territory Shelby gained from Cahawba (now Bibb) and gained small area from Non-County Area 1; Shelby lost to creation of St. Clair.
from Cahawba from Bibbfrom St. Clair
20 November 1818 · Ala. Terr. Acts 1818, 2d sess., secs. 1-2/pp. 18-19
1819
Lost territory Shelby lost to creation of Jefferson.
to Jefferson
13 December 1819 · Ala. Rpts., 215:640; Ala. Acts 1819, 1st sess., sec. 9/p. 52
1827
Gained territory Shelby gained from Autauga.
from Autauga
12 January 1827 · Ala. Acts 1826, 8th sess., p. 22
1827
Gained territory Shelby gained from Autauga.
from Autauga
28 December 1827 · Ala. Acts 1827, 9th sess., p. 93
1828
Changed Shelby was given concurrent jurisdiction with Autauga and St. Clair over Non-County Area 14.
Autauga St. Clair
9 January 1828 · Ala. Acts 1827, 9th sess., p. 30
1829
Gained territory Shelby gained part of Non-County Area 14 that had been concurrently attached to Shelby, Autauga, and St. Clair.
from Autauga from St. Clair
29 January 1829 · Ala. Acts 1828, 10th sess., p. 65
1831
Gained territory Shelby gained from Montgomery, exchanged with St. Clair.
from Montgomery from St. Clair
15 January 1831 · Ala. Acts 1830, 12th sess., pp. 30-31
1832
Lost territory Shelby lost to Bibb.
to Bibb
18 January 1832 · Ala. Acts 1831, 13th sess., p. 42
1832
Lost territory Shelby lost to creation of Chambers, Coosa, Randolph, Talladega, and Tallapoosa.
to Chambers to Coosa to Randolph to Talladega to Tallapoosa
18 December 1832 · Ala. Acts 1832, ann. sess., no. 11/pp. 9-10
1833
Lost territory After 1 April 1833, Shelby lost to Jefferson.
to Jefferson
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
1841
Lost territory Shelby lost small area to Jefferson to accommodate local property owner.
to Jefferson
2 December 1841 · Ala. Acts 1841, ann. sess., no. 97/p. 92
1861
Lost territory Shelby lost to Jefferson.
to Jefferson
8 February 1861 · Ala. Acts 1861, called sess., no. 77/p. 67
1861
Gained territory Shelby gained from Jefferson.
from Jefferson
11 November 1861 · Ala. Acts 1861, 1st reg. sess., no. 213/p. 207
1862
Lost territory Shelby lost small area to Jefferson to accommodate local property owner.
to Jefferson
4 December 1862 · Ala. Acts 1862, 2d reg. sess., no. 137/p. 156
1868
Lost territory Shelby lost to creation of Baker (now Chilton).
to Bakerto Chilton
30 December 1868 · Ala. Acts 1868, reg. sess., no. 142, sec. 1/p. 488
1871
Lost territory Shelby lost to Jefferson.
to Jefferson
6 March 1871 · Ala. Acts 1870, reg. sess., no. 84/p. 78
1873
Gained territory Shelby gained from Baker (now Chilton).
from Bakerfrom Chilton
23 April 1873 · Ala. Acts 1872, reg. sess., no. 101/p. 138
1878
Lost territory Shelby lost small area to Jefferson.
to Jefferson
7 December 1878 · Ala. Acts 1878, bien. sess., no. 194/p. 226
1884
Lost territory Shelby lost to Jefferson.
to Jefferson
12 December 1884 · Ala. Acts 1884, bien. sess., no. 155/p. 267
1899
Exchanged territory Shelby exchanged with St. Clair.
with St. Clair
7 February 1899 · Ala. Acts 1898, bien. sess., loc., no. 320/p. 679
1899
Exchanged territory Shelby exchanged with Bibb.
with Bibb
1 October 1899 · Ala. Acts 1898, bien. sess., loc., no. 287/p. 580
1907
Exchanged territory Shelby exchanged with Bibb.
with Bibb
2 March 1907 · Ala. Acts 1907, quad. sess., loc., no. 221, secs. 1-2/pp. 390-392
1943
Exchanged territory Shelby exchanged with Jefferson.
with Jefferson
1 October 1943 · Ala. Acts 1943, reg. sess., loc., no. 293, secs. 1, 3/pp. 173, 177
1979
Lost territory Shelby lost small area to Jefferson.
to Jefferson
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 Shelby

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 108,527 parcels from Shelby County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 14 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Shelby 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

Shelby by the Census

Population

223,024 2020 Census count

Housing units

89,060 2020 Census count

Land area

785 square miles

Water area

24 square miles

People per sq mi

284 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.

Permits

Manufactured Home Permitfrom shelbyal.com
Building Permitfrom shelbyal.com

County government

County government
The official website of Shelby County.
shelbycountyalabama.com

See your own lot on these maps

Open Shelby 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 Shelby County

When was Shelby County founded?: Shelby County was founded in 1818, formed from Montgomery County, and named after Isaac Shelby.
What is the county seat of Shelby County?: The county seat of Shelby County is Columbiana.
Is there an online parcel map for Shelby County?: Yes. Shelby County publishes a parcel map of 108,527 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Shelby County's boundary or name changed?: Shelby County was created in 1818 from Montgomery County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 24 later changes, chiefly involving Jefferson County, St. Clair County and Autauga County.
Who issues building permits in Shelby County?: The county's page on building permits: Manufactured Home Permit. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Shelby 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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