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County · code 17119

Madison CountyIllinois

Madison County is a county in Illinois, on the border with Missouri, founded in 1812, with its seat at Edwardsville.

  • Founded1812
  • County seatEdwardsville
  • Named forJames Madison
  • Land area716 sq mi + 25 sq mi water
  • Population265,859 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped136,767 checked 16 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Madison County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

St. ClairSt. Louis city, MOMacoupinBondJerseyClintonSt. Louis, MOMontgomerySt. Charles, MO Edwardsville Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Madison on the map of Illinois

Illinois has 102 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Adams CountyAlexander CountyBond CountyBoone CountyBrown CountyBureau CountyCalhoun CountyCarroll CountyCass CountyChampaign CountyChristian CountyClark CountyClay CountyClinton CountyColes CountyCook CountyCrawford CountyCumberland CountyDeKalb CountyDe Witt CountyDouglas CountyDuPage CountyEdgar CountyEdwards CountyEffingham CountyFayette CountyFord CountyFranklin CountyFulton CountyGallatin CountyGreene CountyGrundy CountyHamilton CountyHancock CountyHardin CountyHenderson CountyHenry CountyIroquois CountyJackson CountyJasper CountyJefferson CountyJersey CountyJo Daviess CountyJohnson CountyKane CountyKankakee CountyKendall CountyKnox CountyLake CountyLaSalle CountyLawrence CountyLee CountyLivingston CountyLogan CountyMcDonough CountyMcHenry CountyMcLean CountyMacon CountyMacoupin CountyMarion CountyMarshall CountyMason CountyMassac CountyMenard CountyMercer CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyMorgan CountyMoultrie CountyOgle CountyPeoria CountyPerry CountyPiatt CountyPike CountyPope CountyPulaski CountyPutnam CountyRandolph CountyRichland CountyRock Island CountySt. Clair CountySaline CountySangamon CountySchuyler CountyScott CountyShelby CountyStark CountyStephenson CountyTazewell CountyUnion CountyVermilion CountyWabash CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWhite CountyWhiteside CountyWill CountyWilliamson CountyWinnebago CountyWoodford CountyMadison County Madison
Counties of Illinois · Madison highlighted

History

Formed in 1812 from Randolph County and St. Clair County

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

Madison County was created by the Illinois Territory on September 14, 1812, from Randolph and St. Clair counties, initially encompassing vast territory that included present-day Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and a small area of Indiana. The county lost territory with the creation of Edwards County in 1814 and Bond County in 1817. When Illinois became a state in 1818, Madison County was eliminated from present-day Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, leaving only its present-day Illinois territory.

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

  1. 1812
    Madison County created Madison created by Illinois Territory from Randolph and St. Clair; Madison included territory in present Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and a small area of Indiana.
    from Randolphfrom St. Clair
    · Ill. Terr. Recs., 26; Terr. Papers U.S., 17:643
  2. 1814
    Lost territory Madison lost to creation of Edwards; Madison eliminated from present Indiana.
    to Edwards
    · Ill. Terr. Laws, 128-130
  3. 1817
    Lost territory Madison lost to creation of Bond.
    to Bond
    · Ill. Terr. Laws, 254-256
  4. 1818
    Lost territory Madison lost all territory in present Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin to Michigan Territory when the state of Illinois was created from Illinois Territory; Madison became a county in the state of Illinois. · Terr. Papers U.S., 10:803; U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 67 [1818], secs. 1-2, 7/pp. 428-429, 431, and res. 1 [1818]/p. 536
  5. 1821
    Lost territory Madison lost to creation of Greene and to creation of Non-County Area 2.
    to Greene
    · Ill. Laws 1820-1821, pp. 26-27
Show all 13 changes (8 more)
  1. 1812
    Madison County created Madison created by Illinois Territory from Randolph and St. Clair; Madison included territory in present Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and a small area of Indiana.
    from Randolphfrom St. Clair
    · Ill. Terr. Recs., 26; Terr. Papers U.S., 17:643
  2. 1814
    Lost territory Madison lost to creation of Edwards; Madison eliminated from present Indiana.
    to Edwards
    · Ill. Terr. Laws, 128-130
  3. 1817
    Lost territory Madison lost to creation of Bond.
    to Bond
    · Ill. Terr. Laws, 254-256
  4. 1818
    Boundary clarified Boundary between Madison and St. Clair was redefined (no change).
    with St. Clairno change
    · Ill. Terr. Laws, 311
  5. 1818
    Lost territory Madison lost all territory in present Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin to Michigan Territory when the state of Illinois was created from Illinois Territory; Madison became a county in the state of Illinois. · Terr. Papers U.S., 10:803; U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 67 [1818], secs. 1-2, 7/pp. 428-429, 431, and res. 1 [1818]/p. 536
  6. 1821
    Lost territory Madison lost to creation of Greene and to creation of Non-County Area 2.
    to Greene
    · Ill. Laws 1820-1821, pp. 26-27
  7. 1821
    Lost territory Madison lost to creation of Sangamon.
    to Sangamon
    · Ill. Laws 1820-1821, pp. 45-46
  8. 1821
    Lost territory Madison lost to creation of Pike.
    to Pike
    · Ill. Laws 1820-1821, p. 59
  9. 1821
    Lost territory Madison lost to creation of Montgomery.
    to Montgomery
    · Ill. Laws 1820-1821, pp. 142-143
  10. 1825
    Gained territory Madison gained from Non-County Area 2 attached to Greene.
    from Greene
    · Ill. Laws 1824-1825, p. 53
  11. 1829
    Lost territory Madison lost to creation of Macoupin.
    to Macoupin
    · Ill. Rev. Code 1828-1829, pp. 26-28
  12. 1841
    Changed Legislature authorized Bond to gain from Madison the eastern halves of townships 4 to 6 north, range 5 west, dependent on local referendum that failed (no change).
    Bond
    · Ill. Laws 1840-1841, p. 80
  13. 1843
    Lost territory Madison lost to Bond.
    to Bond
    · Ill. Laws 1842-1843, pp. 98-99

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Madison

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

Madison by the Census

Population
265,859 2020 Census count
Housing units
118,579 2020 Census count
Land area
716 square miles
Water area
25 square miles
People per sq mi
372 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 Madison 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 Madison County

When was Madison County founded?
Madison County was founded in 1812, formed from Randolph County and St. Clair County, and named after James Madison.
What is the county seat of Madison County?
The county seat of Madison County is Edwardsville.
Is there an online parcel map for Madison County?
Yes. Madison County publishes a parcel map of 136,767 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Madison County's boundary or name changed?
Madison County was created in 1812 from Randolph County and St. Clair County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 10 later changes, chiefly involving Bond County, Greene County and Edwards County.
Who issues building permits in Madison County?
The county's page on building permits: Building Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Madison 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