County · code 19135
Monroe CountyIowa
Monroe County is located in Iowa and has its county seat in Albia. The county was originally created as Kishkekosh in 1843 and renamed Monroe in 1846.
- Founded1843
- County seatAlbia
- Named forJames Monroe
- Land area434 sq mi + 0.6 sq mi water
- Population7,577 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped33,170 checked 14 October 2026
Where it is
Monroe 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 1843 from Henry County and Jefferson County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Created in 1843 from Henry and Jefferson counties as Kishkekosh, the county was initially attached to Jefferson for judicial, revenue, and election purposes. After being fully organized in 1845 and detached from Wapello, Kishkekosh was renamed Monroe in 1846. Monroe County became an official Iowa county when Iowa achieved statehood in 1846.
- 1843Monroe County created Kishkekosh (now Monroe) created by Iowa Territory from Non-County Area 4 attached to Henry; Kishkekosh not fully organized, attached to Jefferson "for judicial, revenue, and election purposes." · Iowa Terr. Rev. Stat. 1843, ch. 34, sec. 4/p. 132
- 1846
- 1846Renamed Kishkekosh renamed Monroe.formerly Kishkekosh· Iowa Terr. Laws 1845-1846, ch. 118, secs. 1-2/p. 108
- 1846Became part of Iowa Monroe became an Iowa county when the state of Iowa was created from Iowa Territory. · U.S. Stat., vol. 9, ch. 1[1847]/p. 117
- 1847Lost territory Monroe lost most of attached Non-County Area 4 to creation of Pottawattamie. · Iowa Acts 1846-1847, ch. 84, sec. 1/pp. 100-101; Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 519-520
Show all 9 changes
- 1843Monroe County created Kishkekosh (now Monroe) created by Iowa Territory from Non-County Area 4 attached to Henry; Kishkekosh not fully organized, attached to Jefferson "for judicial, revenue, and election purposes." · Iowa Terr. Rev. Stat. 1843, ch. 34, sec. 4/p. 132
- 1844
- 1845Changed Kishkekosh (now Monroe) fully organized, detached from Wapello; Non-County Area 4 detached from Wappello, attached to Kishkekosh "for election, revenue, and judicial purposes."WapelloWappello· Iowa Terr. Laws 1845, ch. 67, secs. 1, 16/pp. 103-106
- 1846
- 1846Renamed Kishkekosh renamed Monroe.formerly Kishkekosh· Iowa Terr. Laws 1845-1846, ch. 118, secs. 1-2/p. 108
- 1846Became part of Iowa Monroe became an Iowa county when the state of Iowa was created from Iowa Territory. · U.S. Stat., vol. 9, ch. 1[1847]/p. 117
- 1847Lost territory Monroe lost most of attached Non-County Area 4 to creation of Pottawattamie. · Iowa Acts 1846-1847, ch. 84, sec. 1/pp. 100-101; Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 519-520
- 1848Gained territory Non-County Area 4 attached to Monroe gained from Clarke. · Iowa Acts 1848-1849, ch. 9, secs. 1-2/pp. 332-333
- 1851Lost territory Monroe lost all of attached Non-County Area 4 to creation of Union; Non-County Area 4 eliminated. · Iowa Acts 1850-1851, ch. 9, sec. 1/p. 27
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Monroe
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
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Parcels Good enough
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 33,170 parcels from Monroe County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 8 July 2026 · checked 14 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for Monroe 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
Monroe 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
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.
Zoning and code
County government
- County government
The official website of Monroe County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Monroe 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 Monroe County
- When was Monroe County founded?
- Monroe County was founded in 1843, formed from Henry County and Jefferson County, and named after James Monroe.
- What is the county seat of Monroe County?
- The county seat of Monroe County is Albia.
- Is there an online parcel map for Monroe County?
- Yes. Monroe County publishes a parcel map of 33,170 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Monroe County's boundary or name changed?
- Monroe County was created in 1843 from Henry County and Jefferson County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Clarke County, Wapello County and Jefferson County. It was formerly called Kishkekosh.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Monroe County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby