When was Fresno County founded?

Fresno County was founded in 1856.

What is the county seat of Fresno County?

The county seat of Fresno County is Fresno.

Is there an online parcel map for Fresno County?

Yes. Fresno County publishes a parcel map of 312,238 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Fresno County's boundary or name changed?

Fresno County was created in 1856. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 12 later changes, chiefly involving Tulare County, Mariposa County and Frezno County.

Who issues building permits in Fresno County?

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

Who issues septic and well permits in Fresno County?

The county's page on septic systems and wells: Contact Public Health.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 06019

Fresno CountyCalifornia

Fresno County is a county in California, with its seat in the city of Fresno. It was created on April 19, 1856, from parts of Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, Tulare, and Tuolumne Counties.

Founded1856
County seatFresno
Land area5,958 sq mi + 53 sq mi water
Population1,008,654 2020 Census
Parcels mapped312,238 checked 16 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Founded in 1856

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

Originally spelled "Frezno," the county's name was changed to the phonetic spelling "Fresno" by April 1862. Its borders have shifted many times over its history, losing and gaining territory in exchanges with neighboring counties including Tuolumne, Mariposa, Madera, San Benito, Kings, and Tulare.

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

1856
Fresno County created Frezno (now Fresno) created from Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, Tulare, and Tuolumne.
from Calaveras from Mariposa from Merced from Tulare from Tuolumne
19 April 1856 · Calif. Stats. 1856, 7th sess., ch. 127/pp. 183
1859
Lost territory Frezno (now Fresno) lost to Tuolumne.
to Tuolumne
11 April 1859 · Calif. Stats. 1859, 10th sess., ch. 204/p. 213
1861
Lost territory Frezno (now Fresno) lost to creation of Mono.
to Mono
24 April 1861 · Calif. Stats. 1861, 12th sess., ch. 233/pp. 235-236
1870
Lost territory Fresno lost to Mariposa.
to Mariposa
29 March 1870 · Calif. Stats. 1869, 18th sess., ch. 341/p. 449
1872
Gained territory Fresno gained from Mariposa.
from Mariposa
1 April 1872 · Calif. Stats. 1871, 19th sess., ch. 602/p. 891

Show all 15 changes (10 more)

1856
Fresno County created Frezno (now Fresno) created from Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, Tulare, and Tuolumne.
from Calaveras from Mariposa from Merced from Tulare from Tuolumne
19 April 1856 · Calif. Stats. 1856, 7th sess., ch. 127/pp. 183
1859
Lost territory Frezno (now Fresno) lost to Tuolumne.
to Tuolumne
11 April 1859 · Calif. Stats. 1859, 10th sess., ch. 204/p. 213
1861
Lost territory Frezno (now Fresno) lost to creation of Mono.
to Mono
24 April 1861 · Calif. Stats. 1861, 12th sess., ch. 233/pp. 235-236
1862
Changed By April 1862, the phonetic spelling of "Frezno" changed to "Fresno."
Frezno
1 April 1862 · Calif. Stats. 1863, 13th sess.; Gudde, 138
1870
Lost territory Fresno lost to Mariposa.
to Mariposa
29 March 1870 · Calif. Stats. 1869, 18th sess., ch. 341/p. 449
1872
Gained territory Fresno gained from Mariposa.
from Mariposa
1 April 1872 · Calif. Stats. 1871, 19th sess., ch. 602/p. 891
1874
Boundary clarified Boundary between Fresno and Mariposa redefined (no change).
with Mariposano change
11 February 1874 · Calif. Stats. 1873, 20th sess., ch. 88/p. 100
1874
Exchanged territory Fresno exchanged with Tulare.
with Tulare
27 March 1874 · Calif. Stats. 1873, 20th sess., ch. 468/p. 700
1876
Exchanged territory Fresno exchanged with Tulare.
with Tulare
23 March 1876 · Calif. Stats. 1875, 21st sess., ch. 301/p. 397
1887
Lost territory Fresno lost to San Benito.
to San Benito
11 March 1887 · Calif. Stats. 1887, 27th sess., ch. 86/p.103
1893
Lost territory Fresno lost to creation of Madera. Act passed 11 March 1893; referendum for or against creation of new county held 16 May 1893.
to Madera
16 May 1893 · Calif. Stats. 1893, 30th sess., ch. 143/pp. 168-172; California USGenWeb Project, Madera County, http://www.cagenweb.com/madera/MadHistory.html, 17 July 2002; "Mariposa County v. Madera County," in Calif. Rpts., 142:50-58
1907
Changed Legislature authorized Kings to gain from Fresno, dependent on local referendum. Referendum failed (no change).
Kings
14 March 1907 · Calif. Stats. 1907, 37th sess., ch. 214/pp. 260-263; Coy, 51-52; "Wheeler v. Herbert," in Calif. Rpts., 152:224-241
1909
Lost territory Fresno lost to Kings.
to Kings
12 April 1909 · Calif. Stats. 1909, 38th sess., ch. 483/pp. 827-829
1986
Gained territory Fresno gained small area from Tulare. Ordinance passed 18 November 1986; effective 31 December 1986.
from Tulare
31 December 1986 · Minutes of the Board of Supervisors, Tulare County, 18 November 1986, ordinance 2745
1991
Exchanged territory Fresno exchanged small areas with Tulare. Ordinance passed 3 September 1991; effective 30 September 1991.
with Tulare
30 September 1991 · Minutes of the Board of Supervisors, Tulare County, 3 September 1991, ordinance 2970

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Fresno

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 312,238 parcels from Fresno County. 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 Fresno 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

Fresno by the Census

Population

1,008,654 2020 Census count

Housing units

338,441 2020 Census count

Land area

5,958 square miles

Water area

53 square miles

People per sq mi

169 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 559-600-3534from fresnocountyca.gov · checked 13 October 2026

Permits

Health department: septic and well 559-600-3357from fresnocountyca.gov · checked 13 October 2026
Burial Permitsfrom fresnocountyca.gov
Apply for a Building Permit - County of Fresnofrom fresnocountyca.gov
Well Permitting Programfrom fresnocountyca.gov

Zoning and code

Ordinance Code - County of Fresnofrom fresnocountyca.gov
Fresno County Infectious Materials Ordinancefrom fresnocountyca.gov
Zoning Ordinancefrom fresnocountyca.gov

GIS and maps

County GIS and mapsfrom fresnocountyca.gov · checked 13 October 2026

County government

County government
The official website of Fresno County.
fresnocountyca.gov

See your own lot on these maps

Open Fresno 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 Fresno County

When was Fresno County founded?: Fresno County was founded in 1856.
What is the county seat of Fresno County?: The county seat of Fresno County is Fresno.
Is there an online parcel map for Fresno County?: Yes. Fresno County publishes a parcel map of 312,238 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Fresno County's boundary or name changed?: Fresno County was created in 1856. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 12 later changes, chiefly involving Tulare County, Mariposa County and Frezno County.
Who issues building permits in Fresno County?: The county's page on building permits: Burial Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Fresno County?: The county's page on septic systems and wells: Contact Public Health.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Fresno 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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