County · code 17195
Whiteside CountyIllinois
Whiteside County is in Illinois and has its county seat in Morrison. It was created on January 16, 1836, from Henry and Jo Daviess counties.
- Founded1836
- County seatMorrison
- Named forSamuel Whiteside
- Land area684 sq mi + 12 sq mi water
- Population55,691 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped36,480 checked 16 October 2026
Where it is
Whiteside on the map of Illinois
Illinois has 102 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Formed in 1836 from Henry County and Jo Daviess County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Whiteside County was created from Henry and Jo Daviess counties on January 16, 1836, but was not fully organized at first and remained attached to Jo Daviess. In December 1836, it was detached from Jo Daviess and attached to Ogle County for judicial and county purposes. Whiteside was fully organized and detached from Ogle County on February 21, 1839. It exchanged territory with Rock Island County in 1854 and again in 1869, when the 1854 exchange was repealed.
- 1836Whiteside County created Whiteside created from Henry and Jo Daviess; Whiteside not fully organized, attached to Jo Daviess until "organized." · Ill. Laws 1835-1836, 273-278
- 1836Changed Whiteside detached from Jo Daviess, attached to Ogle "for all judicial and county purposes." · History of Ogle, 299-300; Ill. Laws 1835-1836, p. 277
- 1839
- 1854Exchanged territory Whiteside exchanged with Rock Island. · Ill. Laws 1853, priv., p. 462; Ill. Laws 1854, priv., pp. 161-162
- 1869Exchanged territory Whiteside exchanged with Rock Island (repealed act of 4 March 1854). · Ill. Laws 1869, pub., pp. 94-95, 161
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Whiteside
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 36,480 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 14 October 2026 · checked 16 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for Whiteside 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
Whiteside 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.
Records
- Assessor and property records
Farmland Assessment Review Committee
- Clerk of court: deeds and plats
Zoning and code
County government
- County government
The official website of Whiteside County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Whiteside 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 Whiteside County
- When was Whiteside County founded?
- Whiteside County was founded in 1836, formed from Henry County and Jo Daviess County, and named after Samuel Whiteside.
- What is the county seat of Whiteside County?
- The county seat of Whiteside County is Morrison.
- Is there an online parcel map for Whiteside County?
- Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 36,480 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Whiteside County's boundary or name changed?
- Whiteside County was created in 1836 from Henry County and Jo Daviess County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 4 later changes, chiefly involving Ogle County, Rock Island County and Jo Daviess County.
- Who issues building permits in Whiteside County?
- The county's page on building permits: A Building Permit. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Whiteside County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby