When was Shoshone County founded?

Shoshone County was founded in 1861, formed from Spokane County, and named after Shoshone.

What is the county seat of Shoshone County?

The county seat of Shoshone County is Wallace.

Is there an online parcel map for Shoshone County?

Yes. Idaho Department of Water Resources publishes a parcel map of 16,466 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Shoshone County's boundary or name changed?

Shoshone County was created in 1861 from Spokane County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Kootenai County, Nez Perce County and Idaho County.

Who issues building permits in Shoshone County?

The county's page on building permits: Panhandle Health District (PHD) – Septic Licensing & Permitting. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

We do not have flood maps for Shoshone County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

County · code 16079

Shoshone CountyIdaho

Shoshone County is in Idaho with its seat at Wallace. It was created on January 9, 1861, by Washington Territory from Spokane County.

Founded1861
County seatWallace
Named forShoshone
Land area2,637 sq mi + 5.4 sq mi water
Population13,169 2020 Census
Parcels mapped16,466 checked 16 October 2026

Open the free map Click any parcel in Shoshone County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated 20 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1861 from Spokane County

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

Originally created as a Washington Territory county from Spokane County in 1861, Shoshone County initially covered parts of present-day Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. It became a county in Idaho Territory in 1863 when the United States created Idaho Territory, and continued as an Idaho county when Idaho was admitted to the Union in 1890.

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

1861
Shoshone County created Shoshone created by Washington Territory from Spokane (Wash. Terr., original, extinct) and non-county area in Washington Territory; included parts of present Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Non-county area eliminated.
from Spokane
9 January 1861 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1860, 8th sess., pp. 13-14
1861
Lost territory Shoshone lost to Nebraska Territory; the portion of Shoshone in present Idaho unchanged. 2 March 1861 · U.S. Stat., vol. 12, ch. 86 [1861]/pp. 239-244; Van Zandt, 134, 136-137
1863
Became part of Idaho Shoshone became an Idaho Territory county when the United States created Idaho Territory from Dakota, Nebraska, and Washington Territories. 3 March 1863 · U.S. Stat., vol. 12, ch. 117 [1863]/pp. 808-814; Van Zandt, 156-158
1890
Became part of Idaho Shoshone continued as an Idaho county when the state of Idaho admitted to the Union and Idaho Territory eliminated. 3 July 1890 · U.S. Stat., vol. 26, ch. 656 [1890]/pp. 215-219; Van Zandt, 156
1907
Eliminated Overlap between Kootenai and Shoshone settled in favor of Shoshone; Overlap Area 1 eliminated.
into Kootenai
21 February 1907 · Id. Laws 1907, 9th sess., pp. 47-49

Show all 12 changes (7 more, mostly small adjustments)

1861
Shoshone County created Shoshone created by Washington Territory from Spokane (Wash. Terr., original, extinct) and non-county area in Washington Territory; included parts of present Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Non-county area eliminated.
from Spokane
9 January 1861 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1860, 8th sess., pp. 13-14
1861
Lost territory Shoshone lost to Nebraska Territory; the portion of Shoshone in present Idaho unchanged. 2 March 1861 · U.S. Stat., vol. 12, ch. 86 [1861]/pp. 239-244; Van Zandt, 134, 136-137
1861
Gained territory Shoshone gained from Missoula (Montana) and Spokane (Wash. Terr., original, extinct), lost to creation of Idaho, and Nez Perce.
from Missoula (Mont.)from Spokane from Idahofrom Nez Perce
20 December 1861 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1861-1862, 9th sess., pp. 4-5
1863
Became part of Idaho Shoshone became an Idaho Territory county when the United States created Idaho Territory from Dakota, Nebraska, and Washington Territories. 3 March 1863 · U.S. Stat., vol. 12, ch. 117 [1863]/pp. 808-814; Van Zandt, 156-158
1864
Gained territory Shoshone gained from Non-County Area 1. 4 February 1864 · Id. Terr. Laws 1863, loc. and spec., 1st. sess., sec. 2/p. 629
1864
Changed Faulty geographic knowledge in the creation of Kootenai resulted in an overlap with Shoshone (see Overlap Area 1).
Kootenai
22 December 1864 · Id. Terr. Laws 1864, 2nd sess., ch. 30/pp. 432-433
1887
Boundary clarified Shoshone boundaries redefined, overlap with Kootenai continued (no change).
with Kootenaino change
1 June 1887 · Id. Terr. Laws 1887, comp., spec. and loc., 14th sess., p. 201
1890
Became part of Idaho Shoshone continued as an Idaho county when the state of Idaho admitted to the Union and Idaho Territory eliminated. 3 July 1890 · U.S. Stat., vol. 26, ch. 656 [1890]/pp. 215-219; Van Zandt, 156
1901
Changed Legislature authorized creation of Clearwater (proposed) from Nez Perce and Shoshone. Proposal failed on 14 June 1901 when the Idaho Supreme Court ruled the act invalid (no change).
Clearwater Nez Perce
21 March 1901 · Id. Laws 1901, 6th sess., pp. 209-210; Id. Rpts. 1903, vol. 7/pp. 752-762; ISHS Ref. Series #334
1904
Lost territory Shoshone lost to Nez Perce. Act approved 10 March 1903, became effective through a vote in the general election of 8 November 1904.
to Nez Perce
8 November 1904 · Id. Laws 1903, 7th sess., pp. 204-206; Id. Laws 1905, 8th sess., pp. 331-333; Id. Code Ann. (1996), vol. 6, ch. 1, sec. 31-137 "Nez Perce Co."/p. 49
1907
Eliminated Overlap between Kootenai and Shoshone settled in favor of Shoshone; Overlap Area 1 eliminated.
into Kootenai
21 February 1907 · Id. Laws 1907, 9th sess., pp. 47-49
1909
Boundary clarified Shoshone boundaries redefined (no change).
no change
11 March 1909 · Id. Laws 1909, 10th sess., p. 320

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Shoshone

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 16,466 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 Missing

No public address points layer found for Shoshone County yet.
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

Shoshone by the Census

Population

13,169 2020 Census count

Housing units

6,990 2020 Census count

Land area

2,637 square miles

Water area

5.4 square miles

People per sq mi

5 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.

Records

Clerk of court: deeds and platsfrom shoshonecounty.id.gov · checked 13 October 2026

Permits

Panhandle Health District (PHD) – Septic Licensing & Permittingfrom panhandlehealthdistrict.org
Panhandle Health District Septic Records Searchfrom www2.phd1.idaho.gov

Zoning and code

Planning & Zoningfrom shoshonecounty.id.gov
Zoning Codefrom codelibrary.amlegal.com

County government

County government
The official website of Shoshone County.
shoshonecounty.id.gov

See your own lot on these maps

Open Shoshone 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.

Open the free map no sign-in Pro early access

Questions

Common questions about Shoshone County

When was Shoshone County founded?: Shoshone County was founded in 1861, formed from Spokane County, and named after Shoshone.
What is the county seat of Shoshone County?: The county seat of Shoshone County is Wallace.
Is there an online parcel map for Shoshone County?: Yes. Idaho Department of Water Resources publishes a parcel map of 16,466 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Shoshone County's boundary or name changed?: Shoshone County was created in 1861 from Spokane County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Kootenai County, Nez Perce County and Idaho County.
Who issues building permits in Shoshone County?: The county's page on building permits: Panhandle Health District (PHD) – Septic Licensing & Permitting. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Shoshone County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

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