When was Clay County founded?

Clay County was founded in 1858, formed from Alachua County, Columbia County and Duval County, and named after Henry Clay.

What is the county seat of Clay County?

The county seat of Clay County is Green Cove Springs.

Is there an online parcel map for Clay County?

Yes. Clay County publishes a parcel map of 106,648 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Clay County's boundary or name changed?

Clay County was created in 1858 from Alachua County, Columbia County and Duval County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, most of them small boundary adjustments, chiefly involving Putnam County, Duval County and St. Johns County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 12019

Clay CountyFlorida

Clay County is a county in Florida with its seat in Green Cove Springs. It was created on December 31, 1858, from Alachua, Columbia, and Duval counties and named after Henry Clay.

Founded1858
County seatGreen Cove Springs
Named forHenry Clay
Land area605 sq mi + 39 sq mi water
Population218,245 2020 Census
Parcels mapped106,648 checked 16 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1858 from Alachua County, Columbia County and Duval County

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

Clay County was created from Alachua, Columbia, and Duval counties in 1858 and named after Henry Clay. The county's boundaries shifted multiple times over more than a century, gaining and losing small areas to neighboring counties Putnam and Duval, including adjustments along the St. Johns River and Interstate Highway 295.

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

1858
Clay County created Clay created from Alachua, Columbia, and Duval.
from Alachua from Columbia from Duval
31 December 1858 · Fla. Laws 1858, 9th sess., ch. 866, secs. 1-2/p. 19
1859
Lost territory Clay lost to Putnam.
to Putnam
15 January 1859 · Fla. Laws 1858, 9th sess., ch. 923/p. 57
1859
Gained territory Clay gained from Putnam and gained small areas in the St. Johns River from Duval and St. Johns when the boundary shifted from the west bank to the west margin of the channel.
from Putnam from Duval from St. Johns
22 December 1859 · Fla. Laws 1859, adj. sess., ch. 1039/p. 63
1883
Gained territory Clay gained from Putnam.
from Putnam
26 February 1883 · Fla. Laws 1883, 12th sess., ch. 3469/p. 79
1909
Lost territory Clay lost small area to Putnam in the town of Melrose.
to Putnam
5 May 1909 · Fla. Laws 1909, 12th sess., ch. 5978/p. 184

Show all 10 changes (5 more, mostly small adjustments)

1858
Clay County created Clay created from Alachua, Columbia, and Duval.
from Alachua from Columbia from Duval
31 December 1858 · Fla. Laws 1858, 9th sess., ch. 866, secs. 1-2/p. 19
1859
Lost territory Clay lost to Putnam.
to Putnam
15 January 1859 · Fla. Laws 1858, 9th sess., ch. 923/p. 57
1859
Gained territory Clay gained from Putnam and gained small areas in the St. Johns River from Duval and St. Johns when the boundary shifted from the west bank to the west margin of the channel.
from Putnam from Duval from St. Johns
22 December 1859 · Fla. Laws 1859, adj. sess., ch. 1039/p. 63
1883
Gained territory Clay gained from Putnam.
from Putnam
26 February 1883 · Fla. Laws 1883, 12th sess., ch. 3469/p. 79
1909
Lost territory Clay lost small area to Putnam in the town of Melrose.
to Putnam
5 May 1909 · Fla. Laws 1909, 12th sess., ch. 5978/p. 184
1927
Lost territory Clay lost small area to Putnam.
to Putnam
6 June 1927 · Fla. Laws 1927, 21st sess., gen., ch. 12489, sec. 1/p. 1585
1976
Gained territory Clay gained small area from Duval along Interstate Highway 295.
from Duval
1 July 1976 · Fla. Laws 1976, reg. sess., gen., ch. 76-17/p. 25
1978
Boundary clarified Clay boundaries were redefined (no change).
no change
27 June 1978 · Fla. Laws 1978, 2d reg. sess., gen., ch. 78-421/p. 1394
1980
Gained territory Clay gained small area from Duval along Interstate Highway 295.
from Duval
31 December 1980 · Fla. Laws 1980, reg. sess., gen., ch. 80-9, secs. 1-3/pp. 64-66
1984
Gained territory Clay gained small area from Putnam.
from Putnam
14 June 1984 · Fla. Laws 1984, reg. sess., gen., ch. 84-211, secs. 1-3/pp. 664-666

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Clay

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 106,648 parcels from Clay 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 Clay 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

Clay by the Census

Population

218,245 2020 Census count

Housing units

85,049 2020 Census count

Land area

605 square miles

Water area

39 square miles

People per sq mi

361 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

Clay 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 Clay County.
claycountygov.com

See your own lot on these maps

Open Clay 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 Clay County

When was Clay County founded?: Clay County was founded in 1858, formed from Alachua County, Columbia County and Duval County, and named after Henry Clay.
What is the county seat of Clay County?: The county seat of Clay County is Green Cove Springs.
Is there an online parcel map for Clay County?: Yes. Clay County publishes a parcel map of 106,648 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Clay County's boundary or name changed?: Clay County was created in 1858 from Alachua County, Columbia County and Duval County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, most of them small boundary adjustments, chiefly involving Putnam County, Duval County and St. Johns County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Clay County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby