When was Columbia County founded?

Columbia County was founded in 1832, formed from Alachua County, and named after Columbia.

What is the county seat of Columbia County?

The county seat of Columbia County is Lake City.

Is there an online parcel map for Columbia County?

Yes. Columbia County publishes a parcel map of 37,848 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Columbia County's boundary or name changed?

Columbia County was created in 1832 from Alachua County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Suwannee County, Alachua County and Bradford County.

Who issues building permits in Columbia County?

The county's page on building permits: Columbia County, Florida - Building Department. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

Columbia County, Florida: parcels, history and offices

Where it is

Columbia on the map of Florida

Florida has 67 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Counties of Florida · Columbia highlighted

History

Formed in 1832 from Alachua County

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

Columbia County was created on February 4, 1832, by the Florida Territory from Alachua County and is named after Columbia. The county's boundaries changed many times: it lost and regained territory from Alachua County through 1954, lost land to the creation of Clay County in 1858 and Bradford and Suwannee Counties in 1859, and exchanged areas with Suwannee County multiple times. By 1954, Columbia County had exchanged small areas with Alachua along the Santa Fe River.

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

1832
Columbia County created Columbia created by Florida Territory from Alachua.
from Alachua
4 February 1832 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1832, 10th sess., no. 25, sec. 1/p. 33
1835
Lost territory Columbia lost to Alachua.
to Alachua
10 February 1835 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1835, 13th sess., ch. 869/p. 325
1858
Lost territory Columbia lost to creation of Clay.
to Clay
31 December 1858 · Fla. Laws 1858, 9th sess., ch. 866, secs. 1-2/p. 19
1859
Lost territory In February 1859, Columbia lost to creation of New River (now Bradford) and Suwannee.
to New River to Bradfordto Suwannee
28 February 1859 · Fla. Laws 1858, 9th sess., ch. 895, secs. 1-4/p. 37
1859
Gained territory Columbia gained from Suwannee.
from Suwannee
12 December 1859 · Fla. Laws 1859, adj. sess., ch. 1048/p. 69

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

1832
Columbia County created Columbia created by Florida Territory from Alachua.
from Alachua
4 February 1832 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1832, 10th sess., no. 25, sec. 1/p. 33
1835
Lost territory Columbia lost to Alachua.
to Alachua
10 February 1835 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1835, 13th sess., ch. 869/p. 325
1844
Exchanged territory Columbia exchanged small areas with Alachua, lost to Duval.
with Alachua with Duval
15 March 1844 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1844, 22d sess., p. 55
1858
Lost territory Columbia lost to creation of Clay.
to Clay
31 December 1858 · Fla. Laws 1858, 9th sess., ch. 866, secs. 1-2/p. 19
1859
Lost territory In February 1859, Columbia lost to creation of New River (now Bradford) and Suwannee.
to New River to Bradfordto Suwannee
28 February 1859 · Fla. Laws 1858, 9th sess., ch. 895, secs. 1-4/p. 37
1859
Gained territory Columbia gained from Suwannee.
from Suwannee
12 December 1859 · Fla. Laws 1859, adj. sess., ch. 1048/p. 69
1863
Lost territory Columbia lost small area to Suwannee so as to include the entire town of Wellborn in Suwannee.
to Suwannee
27 November 1863 · Fla. Laws 1863, 12th sess., ch. 1391/p. 11
1889
Exchanged territory Columbia exchanged with Suwannee.
with Suwannee
30 May 1889 · Fla. Laws 1889, ext. sess., ch. 3948/p. 181
1909
Boundary clarified Columbia boundaries were clarified (no change).
no change
29 May 1909 · Fla. Laws 1909, 12th sess., ch. 5979/p. 184
1954
Exchanged territory Columbia exchanged small areas with Alachua along the Santa Fe River.
with Alachua
1 January 1954 · Fla. Laws 1953, 34th sess., gen., ch. 28312, secs. 1-3, 6/pp. 973-979

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Columbia

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 37,848 parcels from Columbia County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 15 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Columbia 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

Columbia by the Census

Population

69,698 2020 Census count

Housing units

29,775 2020 Census count

Land area

798 square miles

Water area

3.8 square miles

People per sq mi

87 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

Columbia County, Florida - Building Departmentfrom columbiacountyfla.com
Columbia County, Florida - Inspection Calendarfrom columbiacountyfla.com

Zoning and code

Planning and zoning 386-754-7119from columbiacountyfla.com · checked 13 October 2026
Columbia County, Florida - Search Zoning Applicationsfrom columbiacountyfla.com
Explore County Map Explore parcels & zoning Open Mapfrom gis.columbiacountyfla.com

County government

County government
The official website of Columbia County.
columbiacountyfla.com

See your own lot on these maps

Open Columbia 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 Columbia County

When was Columbia County founded?: Columbia County was founded in 1832, formed from Alachua County, and named after Columbia.
What is the county seat of Columbia County?: The county seat of Columbia County is Lake City.
Is there an online parcel map for Columbia County?: Yes. Columbia County publishes a parcel map of 37,848 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Columbia County's boundary or name changed?: Columbia County was created in 1832 from Alachua County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Suwannee County, Alachua County and Bradford County.
Who issues building permits in Columbia County?: The county's page on building permits: Columbia County, Florida - Building Department. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Columbia County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Columbia CountyFlorida