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County · code 19061

Dubuque CountyIowa

Dubuque County is in Iowa with its seat in Dubuque and is named after Julien Dubuque. The county was created on October 1, 1834 by Michigan Territory.

  • Founded1834
  • County seatDubuque
  • Named forJulien Dubuque
  • Land area608 sq mi + 8.2 sq mi water
  • Population99,266 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped52,970 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Dubuque County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

JacksonGrant, WIDelawareClaytonJo Daviess, IL Dubuque Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Dubuque 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 CountyBuena Vista CountyButler CountyCalhoun CountyCarroll CountyCass CountyCedar CountyCerro Gordo CountyCherokee CountyChickasaw CountyClarke CountyClay CountyClayton CountyClinton CountyCrawford CountyDallas CountyDavis CountyDecatur CountyDelaware CountyDes Moines CountyDickinson 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 CountyDubuque County Dubuque
Counties of Iowa · Dubuque highlighted

History

Founded in 1834

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

Dubuque County was created by Michigan Territory on October 1, 1834, from non-county area in present Iowa, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. In 1836, the county became part of Wisconsin Territory when Wisconsin Territory was created from Michigan Territory. On December 21, 1837, Dubuque County lost territory to the creation of Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Fayette, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Linn, and Scott counties, and was also eliminated from present Minnesota. In 1838, Dubuque became a county in Iowa Territory when Iowa Territory was created from Wisconsin Territory, and in 1846 it became a county in the state of Iowa.

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

  1. 1834
    Dubuque County created Dubuque created by Michigan Territory from non-county area in present Iowa, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. · Mich. Terr. Laws, 3:1326-1327
  2. 1836
    Became part of Iowa Dubuque became a county in Wisconsin Territory when Wisconsin Territory was created from Michigan Territory. · Terr. Papers U.S., 27:41-52; U.S. Stat., vol. 5, ch. 54[1836]/pp. 10-16
  3. 1837
    Lost territory Dubuque lost to creation of Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Fayette, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Linn, and Scott. Buchanan and Delaware not fully organized, attached to Dubuque "for temporary purposes."
    to Bentonto Buchananto Cedarto Claytonto Clintonto Delawareto Fayetteto Jacksonto Johnsonto Jonesto Keokukto Linnto Scott
    · Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, secs. 1-20/pp. 133-137
  4. 1838
    Became part of Iowa Dubuque became an Iowa Territory county when Iowa Territory was created from Wisconsin Territory. · U.S. Stat., vol. 5, ch. 96[1838]/pp. 235-241
  5. 1846
    Became part of Iowa Dubuque 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 (4 more)
  1. 1834
    Dubuque County created Dubuque created by Michigan Territory from non-county area in present Iowa, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. · Mich. Terr. Laws, 3:1326-1327
  2. 1836
    Became part of Iowa Dubuque became a county in Wisconsin Territory when Wisconsin Territory was created from Michigan Territory. · Terr. Papers U.S., 27:41-52; U.S. Stat., vol. 5, ch. 54[1836]/pp. 10-16
  3. 1837
    Lost territory Dubuque lost to creation of Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Fayette, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Linn, and Scott. Buchanan and Delaware not fully organized, attached to Dubuque "for temporary purposes."
    to Bentonto Buchananto Cedarto Claytonto Clintonto Delawareto Fayetteto Jacksonto Johnsonto Jonesto Keokukto Linnto Scott
    · Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 6, secs. 1-20/pp. 133-137
  4. 1838
    Became part of Iowa Dubuque became an Iowa Territory county when Iowa Territory was created from Wisconsin Territory. · U.S. Stat., vol. 5, ch. 96[1838]/pp. 235-241
  5. 1839
    Changed Delaware fully organized, detached from Dubuque.
    Delaware
    · Iowa Terr. Laws 1839-1840, ch. 7, secs. 1, 5/pp. 10-12
  6. 1843
    Changed Delaware reattached to Dubuque "for judicial purposes."
    Delaware
    · Iowa Terr. Laws 1842-1843, ch. 57, sec. 1/p. 54
  7. 1843
    Lost territory Buchanan attachment to Dubuque reduced when Buchanan lost substantial territory by boundary redefinition. Non-County Area 6 (former parts of Buchanan and Fayette) indirectly attached to Dubuque, through Delaware, until 8 February 1844.
    to Buchananto Fayetteto Delaware
    · Iowa Terr. Rev. Stat. 1843, ch. 34, sec. 11/p. 134
  8. 1844
    Changed Delaware fully organized, detached from Dubuque; Buchanan detached from Dubuque, attached to Delaware for administrative and judicial purposes.
    DelawareBuchanan
    · Iowa Terr. Laws 1843-1844, ch. 87, sec. 2/p. 105
  9. 1846
    Became part of Iowa Dubuque became an Iowa county when the state of Iowa was created from Iowa Territory. · U.S. Stat., vol. 9, ch. 1[1847]/p. 117

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Dubuque

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

Dubuque by the Census

Population
99,266 2020 Census count
Housing units
42,630 2020 Census count
Land area
608 square miles
Water area
8.2 square miles
People per sq mi
163 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

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Dubuque 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 Dubuque County

When was Dubuque County founded?
Dubuque County was founded in 1834, and named after Julien Dubuque.
What is the county seat of Dubuque County?
The county seat of Dubuque County is Dubuque.
Is there an online parcel map for Dubuque County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 52,970 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Dubuque County's boundary or name changed?
Dubuque County was created in 1834. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Delaware County, Buchanan County and Fayette County.
Who issues building permits in Dubuque County?
The county's page on building permits: Applications & Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Dubuque 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