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County · code 19021

Buena Vista CountyIowa

Buena Vista County is located in Iowa and has its county seat in Storm Lake. The county was created on January 15, 1851.

  • Founded1851
  • County seatStorm Lake
  • Named forBattle of Buena Vista
  • Land area575 sq mi + 5.3 sq mi water
  • Population20,823 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped19,713 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Buena Vista County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

ClaySacPocahontasCherokee Storm Lake Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Buena Vista on the map of Iowa

Iowa has 99 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Adair CountyAdams CountyAllamakee CountyAppanoose CountyAudubon CountyBenton CountyBlack Hawk CountyBoone CountyBremer CountyBuchanan CountyButler CountyCalhoun CountyCarroll CountyCass CountyCedar CountyCerro Gordo CountyCherokee CountyChickasaw CountyClarke CountyClay CountyClayton CountyClinton CountyCrawford CountyDallas CountyDavis CountyDecatur CountyDelaware CountyDes Moines CountyDickinson CountyDubuque CountyEmmet CountyFayette CountyFloyd CountyFranklin CountyFremont CountyGreene CountyGrundy CountyGuthrie CountyHamilton CountyHancock CountyHardin CountyHarrison CountyHenry CountyHoward CountyHumboldt CountyIda CountyIowa CountyJackson CountyJasper CountyJefferson CountyJohnson CountyJones CountyKeokuk CountyKossuth CountyLee CountyLinn CountyLouisa CountyLucas CountyLyon CountyMadison CountyMahaska CountyMarion CountyMarshall CountyMills CountyMitchell CountyMonona CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyMuscatine CountyO'Brien CountyOsceola CountyPage CountyPalo Alto CountyPlymouth CountyPocahontas CountyPolk CountyPottawattamie CountyPoweshiek CountyRinggold CountySac CountyScott CountyShelby CountySioux CountyStory CountyTama CountyTaylor CountyUnion CountyVan Buren CountyWapello CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWebster CountyWinnebago CountyWinneshiek CountyWoodbury CountyWorth CountyWright CountyBuena Vista County Buena Vista
Counties of Iowa · Buena Vista highlighted

History

Formed in 1851 from Polk County

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

Buena Vista County was created from Polk County on January 15, 1851, but was not fully organized at that time. The county was attached to Woodbury County in 1853 for revenue, election, and judicial purposes, and later to Clay County in 1864 for judicial purposes. Buena Vista County became fully organized and independent on February 10, 1870, when it detached from Clay County.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

  1. 1851
    Buena Vista County created Buena Vista created from Non-County Area 9 attached to Polk; Buena Vista not fully organized, not attached.
    from Polk
    · Iowa Acts 1850-1851, ch. 9, sec. 30/p. 34
  2. 1853
    Changed Buena Vista attached to Woodbury "for revenue, election, and judicial purposes".
    Woodbury
    · Iowa Acts 1852-1853, ch. 8, sec. 14/p. 24
  3. 1858
    Changed Buena Vista fully organized, detached from Woodbury.
    Woodbury
    · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 574
  4. 1864
    Changed Buena Vista attached to Clay "for judicial purposes."
    Clay
    · Iowa Acts 1864, ch. 47, secs. 2, 9/pp. 47-49
  5. 1870
    Changed Buena Vista fully organized, detached from Clay when judicial attachments of 30 March 1864 were repealed.
    Clay
    · Iowa Acts 1870, ch. 2, secs. 3-4/pp. 3-4

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Buena Vista

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

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

Buena Vista by the Census

Population
20,823 2020 Census count
Housing units
8,141 2020 Census count
Land area
575 square miles
Water area
5.3 square miles
People per sq mi
36 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

Buena Vista County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Buena Vista 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.

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Questions

Common questions about Buena Vista County

When was Buena Vista County founded?
Buena Vista County was founded in 1851, formed from Polk County, and named after Battle of Buena Vista.
What is the county seat of Buena Vista County?
The county seat of Buena Vista County is Storm Lake.
Is there an online parcel map for Buena Vista County?
Yes. Buena Vista County publishes a parcel map of 19,713 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Buena Vista County's boundary or name changed?
Buena Vista County was created in 1851 from Polk County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 4 later changes, chiefly involving Clay County and Woodbury County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Buena Vista County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door