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County · code 19121

Madison CountyIowa

Madison County is a county in Iowa with its seat at Winterset. It was created on January 13, 1846.

  • Founded1846
  • County seatWinterset
  • Named forJames Madison
  • Land area561 sq mi + 1.2 sq mi water
  • Population16,548 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped17,556 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Madison County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

DallasClarkeWarrenAdair Winterset Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Madison 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 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 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 CountyMadison County Madison
Counties of Iowa · Madison highlighted

History

Formed in 1846 from Mahaska County

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

Madison County was formed in 1846 from Mahaska County, and named after James Madison. Winterset is the county seat.

Deeds and plats from before 1846 for land now in Madison County may have been recorded in Mahaska County.

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

  1. 1846
    Madison County created Madison created by Iowa Territory from Non-County Area 3 attached to Mahaska; Madison not fully organized, not attached.
    from Mahaska
    · Iowa Terr. Laws 1845-1846, ch. 82, sec. 10/p. 75
  2. 1846
    Became part of Iowa Madison became an Iowa county when the state of Iowa was created from Iowa Territory. · U.S. Stat., vol. 9, ch. 1[1847]/p. 117
  3. 1849
    Changed Madison fully organized. · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 575

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Madison

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

Madison by the Census

Population
16,548 2020 Census count
Housing units
6,913 2020 Census count
Land area
561 square miles
Water area
1.2 square miles
People per sq mi
29 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.

Records

Permits

Zoning and code

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Madison 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 Madison County

When was Madison County founded?
Madison County was founded in 1846, formed from Mahaska County, and named after James Madison.
What is the county seat of Madison County?
The county seat of Madison County is Winterset.
Is there an online parcel map for Madison County?
Yes. Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (statewide parcels, mirrored by the University of Iowa) publishes a parcel map of 17,556 parcels, rated fallback here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Madison County's boundary or name changed?
Madison County was created in 1846 from Mahaska County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 2 later changes.
Who issues building permits in Madison County?
The county's page on building permits: GeoPermits - Apply Online. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Madison County?
The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health department: septic and well.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Madison 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