County · code 16007
Bear Lake CountyIdaho
Bear Lake County is a county in Idaho with its seat in Paris, formed in 1875.
- Founded1875
- County seatParis
- Named forBear Lake
- Land area976 sq mi + 74 sq mi water
- Population6,372 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped12,573 checked 16 October 2026
Where it is
Bear Lake on the map of Idaho
Idaho has 44 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Formed in 1875 from Oneida County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Bear Lake County was created by Idaho Territory in 1875 from Oneida County. The county was named after Bear Lake. When Idaho became a state and Idaho Territory was eliminated in 1890, Bear Lake County continued as an Idaho county.
- 1875Bear Lake County created Bear Lake created by Idaho Territory from Oneida. · Id. Terr. Laws 1874-1875, comp., rev., 8th sess., pp. 720-722
- 1887Boundary clarified Bear Lake boundaries redefined (no change).no change· Id. Terr. Laws 1887, comp., spec. and loc., 14th sess., p. 113
- 1890Became part of Idaho Bear Lake continued as an Idaho county when the state of Idaho admitted to the Union and Idaho Territory eliminated. · U.S. Stat., vol. 26, ch. 656 [1890]/pp. 215-219; Van Zandt, 156
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Bear Lake
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 12,573 parcels from Idaho Department of Water Resources. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 16 October 2026 -
Address points Official
One point per address, 6,576 in all from State of Idaho ArcGIS Online organization (owner pbond__idaho; Idaho Geospatial Council / Idaho Office of Information Technology Services, 'The Idaho Map').
edited 2 October 2026 · checked 14 October 2026 -
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
Bear Lake 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 Bear Lake County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Bear Lake 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 Bear Lake County
- When was Bear Lake County founded?
- Bear Lake County was founded in 1875, formed from Oneida County, and named after Bear Lake.
- What is the county seat of Bear Lake County?
- The county seat of Bear Lake County is Paris.
- Is there an online parcel map for Bear Lake County?
- Yes. Idaho Department of Water Resources publishes a parcel map of 12,573 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Bear Lake County's boundary or name changed?
- Bear Lake County was created in 1875 from Oneida County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 1 later change.
- Who issues building permits in Bear Lake County?
- The county's page on building permits: Permit Procedure. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Bear Lake County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby