When was Sacramento County founded?

Sacramento County was founded in 1850, and named after Sacramento.

What is the county seat of Sacramento County?

The county seat of Sacramento County is Sacramento.

Is there an online parcel map for Sacramento County?

Yes. Sacramento County publishes a parcel map of 502,261 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Sacramento County's boundary or name changed?

Sacramento County was created in 1850. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 3 later changes, chiefly involving San Joaquin County, Solano County and Yolo County.

Who issues building permits in Sacramento County?

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

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 06067

Sacramento CountyCalifornia

Sacramento County is located in California and was created in 1850 with Sacramento as its county seat.

Founded1850
County seatSacramento
Named forSacramento
Land area965 sq mi + 29 sq mi water
Population1,585,055 2020 Census
Parcels mapped502,261 checked 15 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Founded in 1850

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

Sacramento County was created on February 18, 1850, from non-county area and named after the city of Sacramento. The county gained territory from San Joaquin County in 1861, and small areas from Solano and Yolo counties in 1870, before losing land back to San Joaquin County in 1878.

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

1850
Sacramento County created Sacramento created from non-county area. 18 February 1850 · Calif. Stats. 1849, 1st sess., ch. 15, sec. 17/p. 61; Tinkham, 64
1851
Boundary clarified Sacramento boundaries redefined (no change).
no change
25 April 1851 · Calif. Stats. 1851, 2d sess., ch. 14, sec. 11/p. 174
1861
Gained territory Sacramento gained from San Joaquin.
from San Joaquin
23 April 1861 · Calif. Stats. 1861, 12th sess., ch. 219/p. 221; Tinkham, 64-65
1870
Gained territory Sacramento gained small areas from Solano and Yolo.
from Solano from Yolo
12 March 1870 · Calif. Stats. 1869, 18th sess., ch. 191/p. 294
1878
Lost territory Sacramento lost to San Joaquin.
to San Joaquin
1 April 1878 · Calif. Stats. 1877, 22d sess., Acts Amendatory of the Political Code, ch. 636/p. 70

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

1850
Sacramento County created Sacramento created from non-county area. 18 February 1850 · Calif. Stats. 1849, 1st sess., ch. 15, sec. 17/p. 61; Tinkham, 64
1851
Boundary clarified Sacramento boundaries redefined (no change).
no change
25 April 1851 · Calif. Stats. 1851, 2d sess., ch. 14, sec. 11/p. 174
1857
Boundary clarified Sacramento boundaries redefined (no change).
no change
30 March 1857 · Calif. Stats. 1857, 8th sess., ch. 120/p. 132
1861
Gained territory Sacramento gained from San Joaquin.
from San Joaquin
23 April 1861 · Calif. Stats. 1861, 12th sess., ch. 219/p. 221; Tinkham, 64-65
1866
Boundary clarified Sacramento boundaries redefined (no change).
no change
13 March 1866 · Calif. Stats. 1865, 16th sess., ch. 224/p. 223
1870
Gained territory Sacramento gained small areas from Solano and Yolo.
from Solano from Yolo
12 March 1870 · Calif. Stats. 1869, 18th sess., ch. 191/p. 294
1878
Lost territory Sacramento lost to San Joaquin.
to San Joaquin
1 April 1878 · Calif. Stats. 1877, 22d sess., Acts Amendatory of the Political Code, ch. 636/p. 70
1905
Boundary clarified Boundary between Sacramento and San Joaquin redefined (no change).
with San Joaquinno change
18 March 1905 · Calif. Stats. 1905, 36th sess., ch. 167/p. 164
1988
Boundary clarified Sacramento boundaries redefined (no change).
no change
14 July 1988 · Calif. Stats. 1987-1988, reg. sess., ch. 363/p. 1676

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Sacramento

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 502,261 parcels from Sacramento County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 11 October 2026 · checked 15 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Sacramento 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

Sacramento by the Census

Population

1,585,055 2020 Census count

Housing units

587,551 2020 Census count

Land area

965 square miles

Water area

29 square miles

People per sq mi

1,642 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

Building Permits and Inspectionfrom building.saccounty.gov
Retail Food Facility Permitfrom emd.saccounty.gov
Well Fee Schedulefrom emd.saccounty.gov
Septic Permitfrom emd.saccounty.gov
Onsite Liquid Waste Treatment (Septic Systems Construction or Repair)from emd.saccounty.gov

Zoning and code

Leadership, Codes & Ordinancesfrom saccounty.gov
Personnel Ordinancesfrom ecode360.com
Zoning Codefrom planning.saccounty.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Sacramento County.
saccounty.gov

See your own lot on these maps

Open Sacramento 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 Sacramento County

When was Sacramento County founded?: Sacramento County was founded in 1850, and named after Sacramento.
What is the county seat of Sacramento County?: The county seat of Sacramento County is Sacramento.
Is there an online parcel map for Sacramento County?: Yes. Sacramento County publishes a parcel map of 502,261 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Sacramento County's boundary or name changed?: Sacramento County was created in 1850. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 3 later changes, chiefly involving San Joaquin County, Solano County and Yolo County.
Who issues building permits in Sacramento County?: The county's page on building permits: Building Permits and Inspection. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Sacramento County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby