County · code 19197
Wright CountyIowa
Wright County is a county in Iowa, with its seat in Clarion, formed in 1851.
- Founded1851
- County seatClarion
- Named forSilas Wright
- Land area580 sq mi + 1.8 sq mi water
- Population12,943 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped18,987 checked 15 October 2026
Where it is
Wright 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.
Wright County was created from non-county area attached to Polk County on January 15, 1851, and named after Silas Wright. Initially not fully organized, Wright was attached to Boone County in 1853 for administrative and judicial purposes, then to Webster County in 1855 for election, judicial, and revenue purposes. The county became fully organized and detached from Webster on October 1, 1855.
- 1851Wright County created Wright created from Non-County Area 9 attached to Polk; Wright not fully organized, not attached. · Iowa Acts 1850-1851, ch. 9, sec. 13/p. 30
- 1853Changed Wright attached to Boone for administrative and judicial purposes. · Iowa Acts 1852-1853, ch. 12, sec. 1/p. 28
- 1855
- 1855Changed Wright fully organized, detached from Webster. · Swisher, "Organization of Counties," 551, 576
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Wright
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 18,987 parcels from Wright County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 15 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for Wright 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
Wright 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 Wright County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Wright 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 Wright County
- When was Wright County founded?
- Wright County was founded in 1851, formed from Polk County, and named after Silas Wright.
- What is the county seat of Wright County?
- The county seat of Wright County is Clarion.
- Is there an online parcel map for Wright County?
- Yes. Wright County publishes a parcel map of 18,987 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Wright County's boundary or name changed?
- Wright County was created in 1851 from Polk County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 3 later changes, chiefly involving Boone County and Webster County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Wright County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby