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County · code 19169

Story CountyIowa

Story County is a county in Iowa with its seat in Nevada, formed in 1846.

  • Founded1846
  • County seatNevada
  • Named forJoseph Story
  • Land area573 sq mi + 1.1 sq mi water
  • Population98,537 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped42,111 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Story County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

Boone Nevada Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Story 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 CountyPolk CountyPottawattamie CountyPoweshiek CountyRinggold CountySac CountyScott CountyShelby CountySioux CountyTama CountyTaylor CountyUnion CountyVan Buren CountyWapello CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWebster CountyWinnebago CountyWinneshiek CountyWoodbury CountyWorth CountyWright CountyStory County Story
Counties of Iowa · Story highlighted

History

Formed in 1846 from Linn County

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

Story County was created by Iowa Territory on January 13, 1846, from an area attached to Linn County, though it was not initially organized. It was attached to Polk County in March 1846 for election, revenue, and judicial purposes. When Iowa became a state on December 28, 1846, Story County became an official Iowa county. In 1853, it was detached from Polk and attached to Boone County for administrative purposes, then fully organized and detached from Boone in April of that year.

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

  1. 1846
    Story County created Story created by Iowa Territory from Non-County Area 7 attached to Linn; Story not fully organized, not attached.
    from Linn
    · Iowa Terr. Laws 1845-1846, ch. 82, secs. 5, 7-8/p. 74
  2. 1846
    Changed Story attached to Polk "for election, revenue, and judicial purposes".
    Polk
    · Iowa Terr. Laws 1845-1846, ch. 101, sec. 12/pp. 93-94
  3. 1846
    Became part of Iowa Story became an Iowa county when the state of Iowa was created from Iowa Territory. · U.S. Stat., vol. 9, ch. 1[1847]/p. 117
  4. 1853
    Changed Story detached from Polk, attached to Boone for administrative and judicial purposes.
    PolkBoone
    · Iowa Acts 1852-1853, ch. 12, sec. 1/p. 28
  5. 1853
    Changed Story fully organized, detached from Boone.
    Boone
    · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 576
  6. 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).
    BoonePolk
    · Garver, "Establishment of Counties," 434; Iowa Acts 1880, ch. 197, secs. 1-3/pp. 191-192

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Story

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

Story by the Census

Population
98,537 2020 Census count
Housing units
41,361 2020 Census count
Land area
573 square miles
Water area
1.1 square miles
People per sq mi
172 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

Zoning and code

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Story 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 Story County

When was Story County founded?
Story County was founded in 1846, formed from Linn County, and named after Joseph Story.
What is the county seat of Story County?
The county seat of Story County is Nevada.
Is there an online parcel map for Story County?
Yes. Story County publishes a parcel map of 42,111 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Story County's boundary or name changed?
Story County was created in 1846 from Linn County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 4 later changes, chiefly involving Boone County and Polk County.
Who issues building permits in Story County?
The county's page on building permits: Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Story 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 Story 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