When was Fulton County founded?

Fulton County was founded in 1835, formed from Cass County and Elkhart County, and named after Robert Fulton.

What is the county seat of Fulton County?

The county seat of Fulton County is Rochester.

Is there an online parcel map for Fulton County?

Yes. Indiana Geographic Information Office (IndianaMap) publishes a parcel map of 17,444 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Fulton County's boundary or name changed?

Fulton County was created in 1835 from Cass County and Elkhart County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 6 later changes, chiefly involving Kosciusko County, Cass County and Elkhart County.

Who issues building permits in Fulton County?

The county's page on building permits: Rochester Building Fee Schedule (PDF). Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Who issues septic and well permits in Fulton County?

The county's page on septic systems and wells: Public Health.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 18049

Fulton CountyIndiana

Fulton County is a county in Indiana with its seat in Rochester. It was formed on February 7, 1835, from parts of Cass and Elkhart counties and named after Robert Fulton.

Founded1835
County seatRochester
Named forRobert Fulton
Land area368 sq mi + 2.9 sq mi water
Population20,480 2020 Census
Parcels mapped17,444 checked 15 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1835 from Cass County and Elkhart County

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

When created in 1835, Fulton County was not fully organized; parts were attached to Cass and Elkhart counties for administrative and judicial purposes. The county was fully organized on April 1, 1836, and detached from Cass and Elkhart. Over the following years, Fulton County gained and lost territory through boundary adjustments with neighboring counties including Cass, Kosciusko, and Miami.

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

1835
Fulton County created Fulton created from Non-County Area 12 attached to Cass and Non-County Area 13 attached to Elkhart; Fulton not fully organized, parts attached to Cass and Elkhart for administrative and judicial purposes.
from Cass from Elkhart
7 February 1835 · Ind. Acts 1834, 19th sess., gen., ch. 25, sec. 8/p. 45
1838
Gained territory Fulton gained from Non-County Area 12 attached to Cass.
from Cass
17 February 1838 · Ind. Acts 1837, 22d sess., loc., ch. 61, secs. 41, 48, 50, 52, 64-66, 70-71, 75-78/pp. 241-266; Pence and Armstrong, 406
1840
Gained territory Fulton gained from Kosciusko.
from Kosciusko
24 February 1840 · Ind. Acts 1839, 24th sess., loc., ch. 208/p. 229; Pence and Armstrong, 368
1842
Lost territory Fulton lost to Kosciusko.
to Kosciusko
5 December 1842 · Ind. Rev. Stat. 1843, ch. 2, secs. 2, 26, 28-31, 36-37, 42-44, 61, 67, 77, 80-82, 85-86/pp. 68, 74-81, 84, 86, 88-89
1844
Gained territory Fulton gained from Miami; mistake in description corrected 13 January 1845.
from Miami
15 January 1844 · Ind. Acts 1843, 28th sess., gen., ch. 61/p. 73

Show all 9 changes (4 more)

1835
Fulton County created Fulton created from Non-County Area 12 attached to Cass and Non-County Area 13 attached to Elkhart; Fulton not fully organized, parts attached to Cass and Elkhart for administrative and judicial purposes.
from Cass from Elkhart
7 February 1835 · Ind. Acts 1834, 19th sess., gen., ch. 25, sec. 8/p. 45
1836
Changed Fulton fully organized, detached from Cass and Elkhart.
Cass Elkhart
1 April 1836 · Ind. Acts 1835, 20th sess., gen., ch. 16/p. 48
1838
Gained territory Fulton gained from Non-County Area 12 attached to Cass.
from Cass
17 February 1838 · Ind. Acts 1837, 22d sess., loc., ch. 61, secs. 41, 48, 50, 52, 64-66, 70-71, 75-78/pp. 241-266; Pence and Armstrong, 406
1840
Gained territory Fulton gained from Kosciusko.
from Kosciusko
24 February 1840 · Ind. Acts 1839, 24th sess., loc., ch. 208/p. 229; Pence and Armstrong, 368
1842
Lost territory Fulton lost to Kosciusko.
to Kosciusko
5 December 1842 · Ind. Rev. Stat. 1843, ch. 2, secs. 2, 26, 28-31, 36-37, 42-44, 61, 67, 77, 80-82, 85-86/pp. 68, 74-81, 84, 86, 88-89
1844
Gained territory Fulton gained from Miami; mistake in description corrected 13 January 1845.
from Miami
15 January 1844 · Ind. Acts 1843, 28th sess., gen., ch. 61/p. 73
1845
Boundary clarified Fulton boundaries were clarified, correcting mistake of 15 January 1844 (no change).
no change
13 January 1845 · Ind. Acts 1844, 29th sess., loc., ch. 186/p. 191
1846
Gained territory Fulton gained from Kosciusko.
from Kosciusko
13 January 1846 · Ind. Acts 1845, 30th sess., gen., ch. 78/p. 87
1981
Boundary clarified Fulton boundaries were clarified (no change).
no change
31 August 1981 · Ind. Secretary of State, correspondence, 13 Jul. 1990; Ind. Acts 1980, 101st gen. assy., 2d reg. sess., pub. law no. 212, secs. 1-2/pp. 1682-1685

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Fulton

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 17,444 parcels from Indiana Geographic Information Office (IndianaMap). Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 6 October 2026 · checked 15 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 12,029 in all from Indiana Geographic Information Office (IGIO).
edited 8 March 2026 · checked 13 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

Fulton by the Census

Population

20,480 2020 Census count

Housing units

9,532 2020 Census count

Land area

368 square miles

Water area

2.9 square miles

People per sq mi

56 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 plats
Circuit Court
from co.fulton.in.us · checked 13 October 2026

Permits

Health department: septic and well
Public Health
from co.fulton.in.us · checked 13 October 2026
Rochester Building Fee Schedule (PDF)from co.fulton.in.us
2020 Akron Building Fee Schedule (PDF)from co.fulton.in.us
Fulton Building Ordinance (PDF)from co.fulton.in.us
Steps to Obtain a Permit (PDF)from co.fulton.in.us
Steps to Obtain a Permit (PDF).pdffrom co.fulton.in.us
Septic Basics for Beginners (PDF)from co.fulton.in.us
Registered Septic Installer List (PDF)from co.fulton.in.us

Zoning and code

Data Center Ordinance Committee  from co.fulton.in.us

County government

County government
The official website of Fulton County.
co.fulton.in.us

See your own lot on these maps

Open Fulton 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 Fulton County

When was Fulton County founded?: Fulton County was founded in 1835, formed from Cass County and Elkhart County, and named after Robert Fulton.
What is the county seat of Fulton County?: The county seat of Fulton County is Rochester.
Is there an online parcel map for Fulton County?: Yes. Indiana Geographic Information Office (IndianaMap) publishes a parcel map of 17,444 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Fulton County's boundary or name changed?: Fulton County was created in 1835 from Cass County and Elkhart County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 6 later changes, chiefly involving Kosciusko County, Cass County and Elkhart County.
Who issues building permits in Fulton County?: The county's page on building permits: Rochester Building Fee Schedule (PDF). Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Fulton County?: The county's page on septic systems and wells: Public Health.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Fulton 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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