When was St. Johns County founded?

St. Johns County was founded in 1821.

What is the county seat of St. Johns County?

The county seat of St. Johns County is St. Augustine.

Is there an online parcel map for St. Johns County?

Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 213,710 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has St. Johns County's boundary or name changed?

St. Johns County was created in 1821. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 14 later changes, chiefly involving Duval County, Putnam County and Marion County.

Who issues building permits in St. Johns County?

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

Who issues septic and well permits in St. Johns County?

The county's page on septic systems and wells: Visit HHS Contacts.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 12109

St. Johns CountyFlorida

St. Johns County is a county in Florida, founded in 1821, with its seat at St. Augustine.

Founded1821
County seatSt. Augustine
Land area601 sq mi + 221 sq mi water
Population273,425 2020 Census
Parcels mapped213,710 checked 15 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Founded in 1821

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

St. Johns County was created from non-county area when Andrew Jackson, appointed by President Monroe to exercise authority over Florida, issued the decree. The county's boundaries changed significantly over its first few decades, with multiple exchanges and losses to the creation of neighboring counties including Duval, Monroe, Alachua, Mosquito (now Orange), Marion, Putnam, and Clay.

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

1821
St. Johns County created St. Johns created from non-county area by decree of Provisional Governor Andrew Jackson, who had been appointed by President Monroe on 10 March 1821 to exercise authority over Florida until the establishment of the territorial government. 21 July 1821 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1822, 1st sess., sec. 1/p. xx; Terr. Papers U.S., 22:8-10
1822
Lost territory St. Johns lost to creation of Duval.
to Duval
12 August 1822 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1822, 1st sess., sec. 1/p. 3
1823
Exchanged territory St. Johns exchanged with Duval.
with Duval
24 June 1823 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1823, 2d sess., sec. 1/p. 8
1823
Lost territory St. Johns lost to creation of Monroe.
to Monroe
3 July 1823 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1823, 2d sess., sec. 1/p. 122
1824
Lost territory St. Johns lost to Duval and lost to creation of Alachua and Mosquito (now Orange); part of St. Johns reverted to Indian Lands (non-county area).
to Duval to Alachua to Mosquitoto Orange
29 December 1824 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1824, 3d sess., secs. 6, 10/pp. 261-262

Show all 16 changes (11 more)

1821
St. Johns County created St. Johns created from non-county area by decree of Provisional Governor Andrew Jackson, who had been appointed by President Monroe on 10 March 1821 to exercise authority over Florida until the establishment of the territorial government. 21 July 1821 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1822, 1st sess., sec. 1/p. xx; Terr. Papers U.S., 22:8-10
1822
Lost territory St. Johns lost to creation of Duval.
to Duval
12 August 1822 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1822, 1st sess., sec. 1/p. 3
1823
Exchanged territory St. Johns exchanged with Duval.
with Duval
24 June 1823 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1823, 2d sess., sec. 1/p. 8
1823
Lost territory St. Johns lost to creation of Monroe.
to Monroe
3 July 1823 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1823, 2d sess., sec. 1/p. 122
1824
Lost territory St. Johns lost to Duval and lost to creation of Alachua and Mosquito (now Orange); part of St. Johns reverted to Indian Lands (non-county area).
to Duval to Alachua to Mosquitoto Orange
29 December 1824 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1824, 3d sess., secs. 6, 10/pp. 261-262
1844
Lost territory St. Johns lost to creation of Marion.
to Marion
14 March 1844 · Fla. Terr. Acts 1844, 22d sess., sec. 1/p. 43
1846
Gained territory St. Johns gained from Marion along the St. Johns River and Lake George.
from Marion
25 December 1846 · Fla. Laws 1846, 2d sess., ch. 106/p. 63
1848
Gained territory St. Johns gained from Marion.
from Marion
30 December 1848 · Fla. Laws 1848, 4th sess., ch. 289/p. 96
1849
Lost territory St. Johns lost to creation of Putnam.
to Putnam
13 January 1849 · Fla. Laws 1848, 4th sess., ch. 280, sec. 1/p. 87
1859
Exchanged territory St. Johns exchanged with Putnam in the St. Johns River and Crescent Lake.
with Putnam
15 January 1859 · Fla. Laws 1858, 9th sess., ch. 923/p. 57
1859
Lost territory St. Johns lost small area in the St. Johns River to Clay when the boundary shifted from the west bank to the west margin of the channel.
to Clay
22 December 1859 · Fla. Laws 1859, adj. sess., ch. 1039/p. 63
1868
Lost territory St. Johns lost to Putnam.
to Putnam
30 July 1868 · Fla. Laws 1868, 1st sess., ch. 1673/p. 174
1875
Gained territory St. Johns gained from Volusia, exchanged with Duval and Putnam.
from Volusia from Duval from Putnam
15 February 1875 · Fla. Laws 1875, 8th sess., ch. 2068/p. 70
1899
Lost territory St. Johns lost small area to Volusia.
to Volusia
24 May 1899 · Fla. Laws 1899, 7th sess., ch. 4811, secs. 1-2/pp. 209-210
1907
Boundary clarified Boundary between St. Johns and Volusia was clarified (no change).
with Volusiano change
3 June 1907 · Fla. Laws 1907, 11th sess., ch. 5730, secs. 1-2/pp. 244-245
1917
Lost territory St. Johns lost to creation of Flagler.
to Flagler
12 June 1917 · Fla. Laws 1917, 16th sess., gen., ch. 7399, secs. 1, 22-23/pp. 277, 284

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in St. Johns

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 213,710 parcels. 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 St. Johns 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

St. Johns by the Census

Population

273,425 2020 Census count

Housing units

119,090 2020 Census count

Land area

601 square miles

Water area

221 square miles

People per sq mi

455 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

Health department: septic and well
Visit HHS Contacts
from sjcfl.us · checked 13 October 2026
Visit Stormwater Permitsfrom sjcfl.us

Zoning and code

Planning and zoning 904-827-6800from sjcfl.us · checked 13 October 2026
Land Development Code - St. Johns Countyfrom sjcfl.us
Land Development Code, Section 6.02.03(B)from sjcfl.us
Visit Habitat Conservation Reports and Ordinancesfrom sjcfl.us
Code of Ordinancefrom stjohnsclerk.com
Ponte Vedra Zoning District Regulations Codefrom sjcfl.us
Planning and Zoning - St. Johns Countyfrom sjcfl.us

GIS and maps

County GIS and maps 904-209-0778from sjcfl.us · checked 13 October 2026

County government

County government
The official website of St. Johns County.
sjcfl.us

See your own lot on these maps

Open St. Johns 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 St. Johns County

When was St. Johns County founded?: St. Johns County was founded in 1821.
What is the county seat of St. Johns County?: The county seat of St. Johns County is St. Augustine.
Is there an online parcel map for St. Johns County?: Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 213,710 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has St. Johns County's boundary or name changed?: St. Johns County was created in 1821. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 14 later changes, chiefly involving Duval County, Putnam County and Marion County.
Who issues building permits in St. Johns County?: The county's page on building permits: Visit Stormwater Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in St. Johns County?: The county's page on septic systems and wells: Visit HHS Contacts.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for St. Johns County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

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