When was Putnam County founded?

Putnam County was founded in 1849, formed from Alachua County and St. Johns County, and named after Benjamin Alexander Putnam.

What is the county seat of Putnam County?

The county seat of Putnam County is Palatka.

Is there an online parcel map for Putnam County?

Yes. Putnam County publishes a parcel map of 97,937 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Putnam County's boundary or name changed?

Putnam County was created in 1849 from Alachua County and St. Johns County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 9 later changes, chiefly involving Clay County, St. Johns County and Bradford County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 12107

Putnam CountyFlorida

Putnam County is a Florida county with its seat in Palatka, formed on January 13, 1849. The county is named after Benjamin Alexander Putnam.

Founded1849
County seatPalatka
Named forBenjamin Alexander Putnam
Land area728 sq mi + 99 sq mi water
Population73,321 2020 Census
Parcels mapped97,937 checked 16 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1849 from Alachua County and St. Johns County

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

Putnam County was created from Alachua and St. Johns counties. The county's boundaries have changed many times through exchanges and transfers with neighboring counties including St. Johns, Clay, Marion, and Bradford, with most changes involving the St. Johns River and Crescent Lake.

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

1849
Putnam County created Putnam created from Alachua and St. Johns.
from Alachua from St. Johns
13 January 1849 · Fla. Laws 1848, 4th sess., ch. 280, sec. 1/p. 87
1859
Gained territory Putnam gained from Clay, exchanged with St. Johns in the St. Johns River and Crescent Lake.
from Clay from St. Johns
15 January 1859 · Fla. Laws 1858, 9th sess., ch. 923/p. 57
1859
Lost territory Putnam lost to Clay.
to Clay
22 December 1859 · Fla. Laws 1859, adj. sess., ch. 1039/p. 63
1868
Gained territory Putnam gained from St. Johns.
from St. Johns
30 July 1868 · Fla. Laws 1868, 1st sess., ch. 1673/p. 174
1875
Exchanged territory Putnam exchanged with St. Johns in the St. Johns River and Crescent Lake.
with St. Johns
15 February 1875 · Fla. Laws 1875, 8th sess., ch. 2068/p. 70

Show all 11 changes (6 more, mostly small adjustments)

1849
Putnam County created Putnam created from Alachua and St. Johns.
from Alachua from St. Johns
13 January 1849 · Fla. Laws 1848, 4th sess., ch. 280, sec. 1/p. 87
1859
Gained territory Putnam gained from Clay, exchanged with St. Johns in the St. Johns River and Crescent Lake.
from Clay from St. Johns
15 January 1859 · Fla. Laws 1858, 9th sess., ch. 923/p. 57
1859
Lost territory Putnam lost to Clay.
to Clay
22 December 1859 · Fla. Laws 1859, adj. sess., ch. 1039/p. 63
1868
Gained territory Putnam gained from St. Johns.
from St. Johns
30 July 1868 · Fla. Laws 1868, 1st sess., ch. 1673/p. 174
1875
Exchanged territory Putnam exchanged with St. Johns in the St. Johns River and Crescent Lake.
with St. Johns
15 February 1875 · Fla. Laws 1875, 8th sess., ch. 2068/p. 70
1883
Lost territory Putnam lost to Clay.
to Clay
26 February 1883 · Fla. Laws 1883, 12th sess., ch. 3469/p. 79
1887
Exchanged territory Putnam exchanged with Marion.
with Marion
28 May 1887 · Fla. Laws 1887, 1st sess., ch. 3767/p. 147
1909
Gained territory Putnam gained small area from Clay in the town of Melrose.
from Clay
5 May 1909 · Fla. Laws 1909, 12th sess., ch. 5978/p. 184
1927
Gained territory Putnam gained small areas from Bradford and Clay.
from Bradford from Clay
6 June 1927 · Fla. Laws 1927, 21st sess., gen., ch. 12489, sec. 1/p. 1585
1959
Boundary clarified Boundary between Putnam and Flagler in Crescent Lake was clarified (no change).
with Flaglerno change
20 June 1959 · Fla. Laws 1959, 37th sess., gen., ch. 59-488, secs. 1-2/pp. 1629-1630
1984
Lost territory Putnam lost small area to Clay.
to Clay
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 Putnam

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 97,937 parcels from Putnam 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 Putnam 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

Putnam by the Census

Population

73,321 2020 Census count

Housing units

36,014 2020 Census count

Land area

728 square miles

Water area

99 square miles

People per sq mi

101 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.

Zoning and code

Ordinance & Resolutionsfrom putnam-fl.gov
Planning & Zoningfrom putnam-fl.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Putnam County.
putnam-fl.com

See your own lot on these maps

Open Putnam 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 Putnam County

When was Putnam County founded?: Putnam County was founded in 1849, formed from Alachua County and St. Johns County, and named after Benjamin Alexander Putnam.
What is the county seat of Putnam County?: The county seat of Putnam County is Palatka.
Is there an online parcel map for Putnam County?: Yes. Putnam County publishes a parcel map of 97,937 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Putnam County's boundary or name changed?: Putnam County was created in 1849 from Alachua County and St. Johns County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 9 later changes, chiefly involving Clay County, St. Johns County and Bradford County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Putnam County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby