County · code 19193
Woodbury CountyIowa
Woodbury County is a county in Iowa, with its seat in Sioux City, formed in 1851.
- Founded1851
- County seatSioux City
- Named forLevi Woodbury
- Land area873 sq mi + 4.9 sq mi water
- Population105,941 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped55,596 checked 14 October 2026
Where it is
Woodbury 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.
Originally named Wahkaw and created from Polk County in 1851, it was renamed Woodbury in 1853 and fully organized that same year. Woodbury County was named after Levi Woodbury. As Woodbury was fully organized, eleven counties were attached to it for administrative purposes, but between 1857 and 1860, all of them—Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Ida, O'Brien, Plymouth, and Sioux—became fully organized and detached as separate counties.
- 1851Woodbury County created Wahkaw (now Woodbury) created from Non-County Area 9 attached to Polk; Wahkaw not fully organized, not attached. · Iowa Acts 1850-1851, ch. 9, sec. 27/pp. 33-34
- 1853Renamed Wahkaw renamed Woodbury.formerly Wahkaw· Iowa Acts 1852-1853, ch. 12, sec. 4/p. 28
- 1853Changed Woodbury fully organized; Buena Vista, Buncombe (now Lyon), Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Ida, O'Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sac, and Sioux attached to Woodbury "for revenue, election, and judicial purposes". · Iowa Acts 1852-1853, ch. 8, secs. 8, 14/pp. 23-24
- 1855
- 1857Changed Dickinson fully organized, detached from Woodbury. · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 574
Show all 16 changes
- 1851Woodbury County created Wahkaw (now Woodbury) created from Non-County Area 9 attached to Polk; Wahkaw not fully organized, not attached. · Iowa Acts 1850-1851, ch. 9, sec. 27/pp. 33-34
- 1853Renamed Wahkaw renamed Woodbury.formerly Wahkaw· Iowa Acts 1852-1853, ch. 12, sec. 4/p. 28
- 1853Changed Woodbury fully organized; Buena Vista, Buncombe (now Lyon), Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Ida, O'Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sac, and Sioux attached to Woodbury "for revenue, election, and judicial purposes". · Iowa Acts 1852-1853, ch. 8, secs. 8, 14/pp. 23-24
- 1855
- 1857Changed Dickinson fully organized, detached from Woodbury. · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 574
- 1858Changed Cherokee fully organized, detached from Woodbury. · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 574
- 1858Changed Clay fully organized, detached from Woodbury. · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 574
- 1858Changed Plymouth fully organized, detached from Woodbury. · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 576
- 1858Changed Buena Vista fully organized, detached from Woodbury. · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 574
- 1859
- 1860Changed Sioux fully organized, detached from Woodbury. · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 576
- 1860Changed O'Brien fully organized, detached from Woodbury. · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 575
- 1864Changed Sioux reattached to Woodbury "for judicial purposes." · Iowa Acts 1864, ch. 47, secs. 2, 9/pp. 47-49
- 1868Changed Plymouth reattached to Woodbury "for judicial purposes." · Iowa Acts 1868, ch. 73, secs. 2, 8/pp. 99-100
- 1870
- 1872
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Woodbury
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 55,596 parcels from Woodbury County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 25 June 2026 · checked 14 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for Woodbury 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
Woodbury 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
Woodbury 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 Woodbury County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Woodbury 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 Woodbury County
- When was Woodbury County founded?
- Woodbury County was founded in 1851, formed from Polk County, and named after Levi Woodbury.
- What is the county seat of Woodbury County?
- The county seat of Woodbury County is Sioux City.
- Is there an online parcel map for Woodbury County?
- Yes. Woodbury County publishes a parcel map of 55,596 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Woodbury County's boundary or name changed?
- Woodbury County was created in 1851 from Polk County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 15 later changes, chiefly involving Plymouth County, Sioux County and Buena Vista County. It was formerly called Wahkaw.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Woodbury County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby