County · code 19019
Buchanan CountyIowa
Buchanan County, Iowa is a county in eastern Iowa with its seat in Independence. The county was created in 1837 from Dubuque County and named after James Buchanan.
- Founded1837
- County seatIndependence
- Named forJames Buchanan
- Land area571 sq mi + 2 sq mi water
- Population20,565 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped20,689 checked 15 October 2026
Where it is
Buchanan on the map of Iowa
Iowa has 99 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Formed in 1837 from Dubuque County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Buchanan County was established by Wisconsin Territory on December 21, 1837, carved from Dubuque County but not fully organized, remaining attached to Dubuque for administrative purposes. When Iowa Territory was created from Wisconsin Territory on July 3, 1838, Buchanan became an Iowa Territory county. In 1843, Buchanan lost territory to the creation of Black Hawk County and areas attached to Delaware County, though it remained attached to Dubuque County. Buchanan was fully organized and detached from Delaware County on October 4, 1847, and became an Iowa county when the state was created on December 28, 1846.
- 1837Buchanan County created Buchanan created by Wisconsin Territory from Dubuque; Buchanan not fully organized, attached to Dubuque "for temporary purposes." · Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, secs. 5-6/p. 134
- 1838Became part of Iowa Buchanan became an Iowa Territory county when Iowa Territory was created from Wisconsin Territory. · U.S. Stat., vol. 5, ch. 96[1838]/pp. 235-241
- 1843Lost territory Buchanan lost to creation of Black Hawk and Non-County Area 6 attached to Delaware; Buchanan remained attached to Dubuque. · Iowa Terr. Rev. Stat. 1843, ch. 34, sec. 11/p. 134
- 1844
- 1846Became part of Iowa Buchanan became an Iowa county when the state of Iowa was created from Iowa Territory. · U.S. Stat., vol. 9, ch. 1[1847]/p. 117
Show all 9 changes
- 1837Buchanan County created Buchanan created by Wisconsin Territory from Dubuque; Buchanan not fully organized, attached to Dubuque "for temporary purposes." · Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, secs. 5-6/p. 134
- 1838Became part of Iowa Buchanan became an Iowa Territory county when Iowa Territory was created from Wisconsin Territory. · U.S. Stat., vol. 5, ch. 96[1838]/pp. 235-241
- 1843Lost territory Buchanan lost to creation of Black Hawk and Non-County Area 6 attached to Delaware; Buchanan remained attached to Dubuque. · Iowa Terr. Rev. Stat. 1843, ch. 34, sec. 11/p. 134
- 1844
- 1846Became part of Iowa Buchanan became an Iowa county when the state of Iowa was created from Iowa Territory. · U.S. Stat., vol. 9, ch. 1[1847]/p. 117
- 1847Changed Buchanan fully organized, detached from Delaware. · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 574
- 1851Changed Black Hawk detached from Benton, attached to Buchanan "for judicial, elective, and revenue purposes"; Bremer, Butler, and Grundy attached to Buchanan "for judicial, elective, and revenue purposes." · Iowa Acts 1850-1851, ch. 95, secs. 1-2/p. 227
- 1853Changed Bremer, Butler, and Grundy detached from Buchanan, attached to Black Hawk "for judicial, elective, and revenue purposes" (Bremer remained indirectly attached to Buchanan, through Black Hawk, until 15 August 1853, and Butler and Grundy remained indirectly attached to Buchanan, through Black Hawk, until 17 August 1853). · Iowa Acts 1852-1853, ch. 50, sec. 5/pp. 85-86
- 1853Changed Black Hawk fully organized, detached from Buchanan. · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 574
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Buchanan
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
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Parcels Fallback
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 20,689 parcels from Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (statewide parcels, mirrored by the University of Iowa). Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey. This copy is a fallback, not the county's own: use it as a guide and check the official record.
edited 10 May 2024 · checked 15 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for Buchanan 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
Buchanan 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
Buchanan 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 Buchanan County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Buchanan 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 Buchanan County
- When was Buchanan County founded?
- Buchanan County was founded in 1837, formed from Dubuque County, and named after James Buchanan.
- What is the county seat of Buchanan County?
- The county seat of Buchanan County is Independence.
- Is there an online parcel map for Buchanan County?
- Yes. Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (statewide parcels, mirrored by the University of Iowa) publishes a parcel map of 20,689 parcels, rated fallback here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Buchanan County's boundary or name changed?
- Buchanan County was created in 1837 from Dubuque County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Black Hawk County, Delaware County and Bremer County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Buchanan County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby