County · code 19081
Hancock CountyIowa
Hancock County is a county in Iowa with its seat in Garner. The county was formed in 1851 and named after John Hancock.
- Founded1851
- County seatGarner
- Named forJohn Hancock
- Land area571 sq mi + 2 sq mi water
- Population10,795 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped15,862 checked 15 October 2026
Where it is
Hancock 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 1851 from Polk County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Hancock County was created from Polk County on January 15, 1851, but remained unorganized and unattached. In 1853, it was attached to Boone County for administrative and judicial purposes, then in 1855 was detached from Boone and attached to Webster for election, judicial, and revenue purposes. The county became fully organized and detached from Webster on November 25, 1858.
- 1851Hancock County created Hancock created from Non-County Area 9 attached to Polk; Hancock not fully organized, not attached. · Iowa Acts 1850-1851, ch. 9, sec. 36/p. 35
- 1853Changed Hancock attached to Boone for administrative and judicial purposes. · Iowa Acts 1852-1853, ch. 12, sec. 1/p. 28
- 1855
- 1858Changed Hancock fully organized, detached from Webster. · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 575
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Hancock
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 15,862 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 Hancock 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
Hancock 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
Hancock 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 Hancock County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Hancock 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 Hancock County
- When was Hancock County founded?
- Hancock County was founded in 1851, formed from Polk County, and named after John Hancock.
- What is the county seat of Hancock County?
- The county seat of Hancock County is Garner.
- Is there an online parcel map for Hancock County?
- Yes. Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (statewide parcels, mirrored by the University of Iowa) publishes a parcel map of 15,862 parcels, rated fallback here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Hancock County's boundary or name changed?
- Hancock County was created in 1851 from Polk County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 3 later changes, chiefly involving Boone County and Webster County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Hancock County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby