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County · code 19153

Polk CountyIowa

Polk County is a county in Iowa, formed on January 13, 1846, and fully organized on March 1, 1846. The county is named after James K. Polk and has Des Moines as its seat.

  • Founded1846
  • County seatDes Moines
  • Named forJames K. Polk
  • Land area572 sq mi + 19 sq mi water
  • Population492,401 2020 Census
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Updated

WarrenDallasJasper Des Moines Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Polk 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 CountyMadison CountyMahaska CountyMarion CountyMarshall CountyMills CountyMitchell CountyMonona CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyMuscatine CountyO'Brien CountyOsceola CountyPage CountyPalo Alto CountyPlymouth CountyPocahontas CountyPottawattamie CountyPoweshiek CountyRinggold CountySac CountyScott CountyShelby CountySioux CountyStory CountyTama CountyTaylor CountyUnion CountyVan Buren CountyWapello CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWebster CountyWinnebago CountyWinneshiek CountyWoodbury CountyWorth CountyWright CountyPolk County Polk
Counties of Iowa · Polk 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.

Polk County was created on January 13, 1846, by the Iowa Territory from Mahaska County and unorganized territory, though it was not fully organized at that time. The county gained and lost territory through exchanges with neighboring counties including Dallas, Jasper, and Warren before its boundaries stabilized in 1853. Between 1846 and 1851, Polk County lost a large attached area that was divided among many newly created counties including Boone, Story, Cerro Gordo, and others.

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

  1. 1846
    Polk County created Polk created by Iowa Territory from Non-County Area 8 attached to Mahaska; Polk not fully organized, not attached.
    from Mahaska
    · Iowa Terr. Laws 1845-1846, ch. 82, sec. 4/p. 74
  2. 1846
    Gained territory Polk gained from Dallas, lost to Jasper.
    from Dallasfrom Jasper
    · Iowa Terr. Laws 1845-1846, ch. 83, secs. 1-3/pp. 75-76
  3. 1846
    Lost territory Polk lost part of attached Non-County Area 9 to unorganized federal territory when the state of Iowa was created from Iowa Territory. · U.S. Stat., vol. 9, ch. 1[1847]/p. 117
  4. 1847
    Lost territory Polk lost part of attached Non-County Area 9 to creation of Pottawattamie.
    to Pottawattamie
    · Iowa Acts 1846-1847, ch. 84, sec. 1/pp. 100-101; Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 519-520
  5. 1847
    Lost territory Polk lost part of attached Non-County Area 9 to creation of Non-County Area 11; Non-County Area 11 detached from Polk, attached to Dallas "for election, revenue, and judicial purposes."
    to Dallas
    · Iowa Acts 1846-1847, ch. 50, secs. 1, 10, 17/pp. 61-62
Show all 12 changes (7 more)
  1. 1846
    Polk County created Polk created by Iowa Territory from Non-County Area 8 attached to Mahaska; Polk not fully organized, not attached.
    from Mahaska
    · Iowa Terr. Laws 1845-1846, ch. 82, sec. 4/p. 74
  2. 1846
    Gained territory Polk gained from Dallas, lost to Jasper.
    from Dallasfrom Jasper
    · Iowa Terr. Laws 1845-1846, ch. 83, secs. 1-3/pp. 75-76
  3. 1846
    Changed Polk fully organized; Non-County Area 9 attached to Polk "for election, revenue, and judicial purposes." · Iowa Terr. Laws 1845-1846, ch. 101, secs. 1, 11-12/pp. 92-95
  4. 1846
    Lost territory Polk lost part of attached Non-County Area 9 to unorganized federal territory when the state of Iowa was created from Iowa Territory. · U.S. Stat., vol. 9, ch. 1[1847]/p. 117
  5. 1847
    Gained territory Polk gained from Warren.
    from Warren
    · Iowa Acts 1846-1847, ch. 17, sec. 1/pp. 36-37
  6. 1847
    Lost territory Polk lost part of attached Non-County Area 9 to creation of Pottawattamie.
    to Pottawattamie
    · Iowa Acts 1846-1847, ch. 84, sec. 1/pp. 100-101; Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 519-520
  7. 1847
    Lost territory Polk lost part of attached Non-County Area 9 to creation of Non-County Area 11; Non-County Area 11 detached from Polk, attached to Dallas "for election, revenue, and judicial purposes."
    to Dallas
    · Iowa Acts 1846-1847, ch. 50, secs. 1, 10, 17/pp. 61-62
  8. 1849
    Changed Boone fully organized, detached from Polk.
    Boone
    · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 574-575
  9. 1851
    Lost territory Polk lost all of attached Non-County Area 9 to creation of Bancroft (extinct), Buena Vista, Buncombe (now Lyon), Carroll, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Dickinson, Emmet, Fox (now Calhoun), Franklin, Greene, Hancock, Hardin, Humboldt, Ida, Kossuth, Monona, O'Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Risley (extinct), Sac, Sioux, Wahkaw (now Woodbury), Winnegago, Worth, Wright, and Yell (extinct); Non-County Area 9 eliminated.
    to Bancroftto Buena Vistato Buncombeto Lyonto Carrollto Cerro Gordoto Cherokeeto Clayto Crawfordto Dickinsonto Emmetto Foxto Calhounto Franklinto Greeneto Hancockto Hardinto Humboldtto Idato Kossuthto Mononato O'Briento Osceolato Palo Altoto Plymouthto Pocahontasto Risleyto Sacto Siouxto Wahkawto Woodburyto Winnegagoto Worthto Wrightto Yell
    · Iowa Acts 1850-1851, ch. 9, secs. 11-50/pp. 29-38
  10. 1853
    Changed Story detached from Polk, attached to Boone for administrative and judicial purposes.
    StoryBoone
    · Iowa Acts 1852-1853, ch. 12, sec. 1/p. 28
  11. 1853
    Lost territory Polk lost to Warren.
    to Warren
    · Iowa Acts 1852-1853, ch. 18, secs. 1-2/pp. 40-41
  12. 1880
    Changed Story authorized to gain the parts of the town of Sheldahl located in Boone and Polk, dependent upon local referendum that failed (no change).
    StoryBoone
    · Garver, "Establishment of Counties," 434; Iowa Acts 1880, ch. 197, secs. 1-3/pp. 191-192

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Polk

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

Polk by the Census

Population
492,401 2020 Census count
Housing units
210,184 2020 Census count
Land area
572 square miles
Water area
19 square miles
People per sq mi
861 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

Polk 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

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Questions

Common questions about Polk County

When was Polk County founded?
Polk County was founded in 1846, formed from Mahaska County, and named after James K. Polk.
What is the county seat of Polk County?
The county seat of Polk County is Des Moines.
Is there an online parcel map for Polk County?
Not that we have found yet. Lot lines and owners of record are kept by the county assessor's office. When a public parcel map appears, it shows here.
Has Polk County's boundary or name changed?
Polk County was created in 1846 from Mahaska County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 10 later changes, chiefly involving Boone County, Dallas County and Warren County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Polk 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