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County · code 17173

Shelby CountyIllinois

Shelby County is located in Illinois and has its county seat in Shelbyville. The county was formed on January 23, 1827, from Fayette County and was named after Isaac Shelby.

  • Founded1827
  • County seatShelbyville
  • Named forIsaac Shelby
  • Land area759 sq mi + 9.6 sq mi water
  • Population20,990 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped21,355 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Shelby County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

MoultrieEffinghamFayetteMaconChristianCumberlandColes Shelbyville Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Shelby 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 CountyMadison 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 CountyStark CountyStephenson CountyTazewell CountyUnion CountyVermilion CountyWabash CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWhite CountyWhiteside CountyWill CountyWilliamson CountyWinnebago CountyWoodford CountyShelby County Shelby
Counties of Illinois · Shelby highlighted

History

Formed in 1827 from Fayette County

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

Shelby County was formed in 1827 from Fayette County, and named after Isaac Shelby. Shelbyville is the county seat.

Deeds and plats from before 1827 for land now in Shelby County may have been recorded in Fayette County.

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

  1. 1827
    Shelby County created Shelby created from Fayette; part of Fayette became Non-County Area 7 and was attached to Shelby "until otherwise provided by law."
    from Fayette
    · Ill. Rev. Code 1826-1827, pp. 115-117
  2. 1827
    Lost territory Non-County Area 7 attached to Shelby lost to creation of Tazewell; an additional part of Non-County Area 7 became part of Non-County Area 6 and was attached to Tazewell for administrative and judicial purposes.
    to Tazewell
    · Ill. Rev. Code 1826-1827, pp. 113-115; Ill. Rev. Code 1828-1829, p. 32
  3. 1829
    Lost territory Shelby lost all of attached Non-County Area 7 to creation of Macon; Non-County Area 7 eliminated.
    to Macon
    · Ill. Rev. Code 1828-1829, pp. 28-31
  4. 1839
    Lost territory Shelby lost to Dane (now Christian).
    to Daneto Christian
    · Ill. Laws 1838-1839, pp. 187-188
  5. 1843
    Lost territory Shelby lost to creation of Moultrie.
    to Moultrie
    · Ill. Laws 1842-1843, pp. 83-85
Show all 9 changes (4 more, mostly small adjustments)
  1. 1827
    Shelby County created Shelby created from Fayette; part of Fayette became Non-County Area 7 and was attached to Shelby "until otherwise provided by law."
    from Fayette
    · Ill. Rev. Code 1826-1827, pp. 115-117
  2. 1827
    Lost territory Non-County Area 7 attached to Shelby lost to creation of Tazewell; an additional part of Non-County Area 7 became part of Non-County Area 6 and was attached to Tazewell for administrative and judicial purposes.
    to Tazewell
    · Ill. Rev. Code 1826-1827, pp. 113-115; Ill. Rev. Code 1828-1829, p. 32
  3. 1829
    Lost territory Shelby lost all of attached Non-County Area 7 to creation of Macon; Non-County Area 7 eliminated.
    to Macon
    · Ill. Rev. Code 1828-1829, pp. 28-31
  4. 1839
    Lost territory Shelby lost to Dane (now Christian).
    to Daneto Christian
    · Ill. Laws 1838-1839, pp. 187-188
  5. 1841
    Changed Legislature authorized creation of Okaw (proposed) from Shelby and Macon, dependent on local referendum that failed (no change).
    OkawMacon
    · Ill. Laws 1840-1841, pp. 80-83
  6. 1843
    Changed Legislature authorized creation of Audubon (proposed) from Shelby, Fayette, and Montgomery, dependent on local referendum that failed (no change).
    AudubonFayetteMontgomery
    · Ill. Laws 1842-1843, pp. 73-74
  7. 1843
    Lost territory Shelby lost to creation of Moultrie.
    to Moultrie
    · Ill. Laws 1842-1843, pp. 83-85
  8. 1845
    Changed Legislature authorized Effingham to gain from Shelby the northern half of township 9 north, ranges 4 to 6 east, dependent on local referendum that failed (no change).
    Effingham
    · Ill. Laws 1844-1845, p. 164
  9. 1851
    Changed Legislature authorized Shelby to gain from Christian township 11 north, range 1 east, dependent on local referendum that failed (no change).
    Christian
    · Ill. Laws 1851, gen., pp. 118-119

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Shelby

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

Shelby by the Census

Population
20,990 2020 Census count
Housing units
10,015 2020 Census count
Land area
759 square miles
Water area
9.6 square miles
People per sq mi
28 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

Shelby County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Shelby County

When was Shelby County founded?
Shelby County was founded in 1827, formed from Fayette County, and named after Isaac Shelby.
What is the county seat of Shelby County?
The county seat of Shelby County is Shelbyville.
Is there an online parcel map for Shelby County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 21,355 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Shelby County's boundary or name changed?
Shelby County was created in 1827 from Fayette County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 4 later changes, chiefly involving Christian County, Dane County and Macon County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Shelby 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