When was Plumas County founded?

Plumas County was founded in 1854, formed from Butte County, and named after Feather River, California.

What is the county seat of Plumas County?

The county seat of Plumas County is Quincy.

Is there an online parcel map for Plumas County?

Yes. Plumas County publishes a parcel map of 25,841 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Plumas County's boundary or name changed?

Plumas County was created in 1854 from Butte County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 7 later changes, chiefly involving Sierra County, Lassen County and Shasta County.

Who issues building permits in Plumas County?

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

Who issues septic and well permits in Plumas County?

The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health department: septic and well.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 06063

Plumas CountyCalifornia

Plumas County is a California county with its seat in Quincy, formed in 1854 from Butte County and named after the Feather River.

Founded1854
County seatQuincy
Named forFeather River, California
Land area2,553 sq mi + 60 sq mi water
Population19,790 2020 Census
Parcels mapped25,841 checked 14 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1854 from Butte County

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

Plumas County was created from Butte County on April 1, 1854. Over the following decades, the county's boundaries shifted as portions were lost to the creation of Sierra County in 1863 and Lassen County in 1864, and through various exchanges and adjustments with neighboring counties including Sierra, Lassen, Shasta, Butte, and Yuba.

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

1854
Plumas County created Plumas created from Butte.
from Butte
1 April 1854 · Calif. Stats. 1854, 5th sess., ch. 1/pp. 129-131
1863
Lost territory Plumas lost to Sierra.
to Sierra
27 March 1863 · Calif. Stats. 1863, 14th sess., ch. 101/p. 114; Sinnott, 6:19-22
1864
Lost territory Plumas lost to creation of Lassen.
to Lassen
1 April 1864 · Calif. Stats. 1863-1864, 15th sess., ch. 261/pp. 264-269
1873
Lost territory Plumas lost to Lassen and Shasta.
to Lassen to Shasta
1 January 1873 · Political Code 1872, 1: secs. 3911-3912, 3920/pp. 115-116, 122-123
1901
Exchanged territory Plumas exchanged with Lassen.
with Lassen
28 February 1901 · Calif. Stats. 1901, 34th sess., ch. 61/pp. 76-80

Show all 9 changes (4 more, mostly small adjustments)

1854
Plumas County created Plumas created from Butte.
from Butte
1 April 1854 · Calif. Stats. 1854, 5th sess., ch. 1/pp. 129-131
1863
Lost territory Plumas lost to Sierra.
to Sierra
27 March 1863 · Calif. Stats. 1863, 14th sess., ch. 101/p. 114; Sinnott, 6:19-22
1864
Lost territory Plumas lost to creation of Lassen.
to Lassen
1 April 1864 · Calif. Stats. 1863-1864, 15th sess., ch. 261/pp. 264-269
1866
Gained territory Plumas gained from Sierra and gained small area from Yuba.
from Sierra from Yuba
31 March 1866 · Calif. Stats. 1865, 16th sess., ch. 466/p. 605
1868
Lost territory Plumas lost small area to Sierra.
to Sierra
28 March 1868 · Calif. Stats. 1867, 17th sess., ch. 377/p. 462
1873
Lost territory Plumas lost to Lassen and Shasta.
to Lassen to Shasta
1 January 1873 · Political Code 1872, 1: secs. 3911-3912, 3920/pp. 115-116, 122-123
1874
Lost territory Plumas lost small area to Sierra when boundary was set on public land survey lines.
to Sierra
16 March 1874 · Calif. Stats. 1873, 20th sess., Acts Amendatory of the Codes, p. 166
1901
Exchanged territory Plumas exchanged with Lassen.
with Lassen
28 February 1901 · Calif. Stats. 1901, 34th sess., ch. 61/pp. 76-80
1901
Exchanged territory Plumas exchanged with Butte; boundary between Plumas and Shasta clarified to run on public land survey line (no change).
with Butte with Shasta
23 March 1901 · Calif. Stats. 1901, 34th sess., chs. 146, 171/pp. 549-551, 560

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Plumas

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 25,841 parcels from Plumas County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 26 September 2025 · checked 14 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Plumas 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

Plumas by the Census

Population

19,790 2020 Census count

Housing units

15,396 2020 Census count

Land area

2,553 square miles

Water area

60 square miles

People per sq mi

8 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

Health department: septic and well 530-283-6300from plumascounty.us · checked 13 October 2026
Permits and Feesfrom plumascounty.us
Building Permit Expirationfrom plumascounty.us
Water Well Installation (PDF)from plumascounty.us
Construct a Septic System (PDF)from plumascounty.us

Zoning and code

Planning and zoningfrom plumascounty.us · checked 13 October 2026
August 09, 2011 - Ordinance No. 11-1081from plumascounty.us
March 20, 2012 - Ordinance No. 12-1082from plumascounty.us
Zoning Informationfrom plumascounty.us
Zoning Administratorfrom plumascounty.us

County government

County government
The official website of Plumas County.
plumascounty.us

See your own lot on these maps

Open Plumas 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 Plumas County

When was Plumas County founded?: Plumas County was founded in 1854, formed from Butte County, and named after Feather River, California.
What is the county seat of Plumas County?: The county seat of Plumas County is Quincy.
Is there an online parcel map for Plumas County?: Yes. Plumas County publishes a parcel map of 25,841 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Plumas County's boundary or name changed?: Plumas County was created in 1854 from Butte County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 7 later changes, chiefly involving Sierra County, Lassen County and Shasta County.
Who issues building permits in Plumas County?: The county's page on building permits: Permits and Fees. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Plumas County?: The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health department: septic and well.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Plumas County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby