County · code 06085
Santa Clara CountyCalifornia
Santa Clara County is a county in California with its county seat in San Jose. It was created on February 18, 1850.
- Founded1850
- County seatSan Jose
- Named forMission Santa Clara de Asís, California
- Land area1,291 sq mi + 13 sq mi water
- Population1,936,259 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped1,425 checked 14 October 2026
Where it is
Santa Clara on the map of California
California has 58 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Founded in 1850
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Santa Clara County was created from non-county area and named after Mission Santa Clara de Asís. In 1853, it gained a small remnant from Contra Costa County as Alameda County was created from its territory.
- 1850Santa Clara County created Santa Clara created from non-county area. · Calif. Stats. 1849, 1st sess., ch. 15, sec. 9/p. 60
- 1853Gained territory Santa Clara gained small remnant from Contra Costa, lost to creation of Alameda. · Calif. Stats. 1853, 4th sess., ch. 41/pp. 56-59
- 1963
- 1971
- 1971Exchanged territory Santa Clara exchanged small areas with Santa Cruz as the boundary was clarified along its entire length. · Coy, 343-345
Show all 10 changes
- 1850Santa Clara County created Santa Clara created from non-county area. · Calif. Stats. 1849, 1st sess., ch. 15, sec. 9/p. 60
- 1850Boundary clarified Santa Clara boundaries clarified (no change).no change· Calif. Stats. 1849, 1st sess., ch. 61, sec. 3/p. 156
- 1851Boundary clarified Santa Clara boundaries redefined (no change).no change· Calif. Stats. 1851, 2d sess., ch. 14, sec. 9/p. 174
- 1853Gained territory Santa Clara gained small remnant from Contra Costa, lost to creation of Alameda. · Calif. Stats. 1853, 4th sess., ch. 41/pp. 56-59
- 1963
- 1968Boundary clarified Santa Clara boundaries clarified (no change).no change· Calif. Stats. 1968, reg. sess., ch. 537, sec. 2/pp. 1191-1193
- 1971
- 1971Exchanged territory Santa Clara exchanged small areas with Santa Cruz as the boundary was clarified along its entire length. · Coy, 343-345
- 1976Boundary clarified Santa Clara boundaries clarified (no change).no change· Calif. Stats. 1976, reg. sess., ch. 102, sec. 1/pp. 161-162
- 1998Gained territory Santa Clara gained small area from Santa Cruz. · Correspondence, California State Board of Equalization, 25 July 2002
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Santa Clara
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
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Parcels Good enough
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 1,425 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 14 October 2026 · checked 14 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for Santa Clara County yet.
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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
Santa Clara by the Census
Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Rules and offices
Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Santa Clara 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.
Questions
Common questions about Santa Clara County
- When was Santa Clara County founded?
- Santa Clara County was founded in 1850, and named after Mission Santa Clara de Asís, California.
- What is the county seat of Santa Clara County?
- The county seat of Santa Clara County is San Jose.
- Is there an online parcel map for Santa Clara County?
- Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 1,425 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Santa Clara County's boundary or name changed?
- Santa Clara County was created in 1850. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, most of them small boundary adjustments, chiefly involving Alameda County, Santa Cruz County and Contra Costa County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Santa Clara County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby