When was Jefferson County founded?

Jefferson County was founded in 1811, formed from Clark County and Dearborn County, and named after Thomas Jefferson.

What is the county seat of Jefferson County?

The county seat of Jefferson County is Madison.

Is there an online parcel map for Jefferson County?

Yes. Indiana Geographic Information Office (IndianaMap) publishes a parcel map of 20,347 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Jefferson County's boundary or name changed?

Jefferson County was created in 1811 from Clark County and Dearborn County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 12 later changes, chiefly involving Jennings County, Scott County and Clark County.

Who issues building permits in Jefferson County?

The county's page on building permits: Gun Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Who issues septic and well permits in Jefferson County?

The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health and Human Relations Commission.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 18077

Jefferson CountyIndiana

Jefferson County is in Indiana, with Madison as its seat, formed in 1811 from Clark and Dearborn Counties and named for Thomas Jefferson.

Founded1811
County seatMadison
Named forThomas Jefferson
Land area361 sq mi + 2.4 sq mi water
Population33,147 2020 Census
Parcels mapped20,347 checked 15 October 2026

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

Updated 20 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1811 from Clark County and Dearborn County

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

Jefferson County was formed in 1811 from Clark County and Dearborn County, and named after Thomas Jefferson. Madison is the county seat.

Deeds and plats from before 1811 for land now in Jefferson County may have been recorded in Clark County and Dearborn County.

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

1811
Jefferson County created Jefferson created by Indiana Territory from Clark and Dearborn.
from Clark from Dearborn
1 January 1811 · Ind. Terr. Laws, 1809-1816, chs. 2, 60/pp. 104-105, 190
1814
Lost territory Jefferson lost to Dearborn and lost to creation of Switzerland.
to Dearborn to Switzerland
1 October 1814 · Ind. Terr. Laws, 1809-1816, ch. 9/pp. 538-542
1816
Lost territory Jefferson lost to creation of Jackson.
to Jackson
1 January 1816 · Ind. Terr. Laws, 1809-1816, ch. 1/pp. 601-603
1816
Became part of Indiana Jefferson became a county in the state of Indiana when Indiana was created from Indiana Territory and small parts of Illinois and Michigan Territories. 11 December 1816 · U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 57 [1816], secs. 1-2/p. 289 and res. 1 [1816]/p. 399; Van Zandt, 115
1816
Lost territory Jefferson lost to creation of Ripley; Ripley not fully organized, part attached to Jefferson for administrative and judicial purposes.
to Ripley
27 December 1816 · Ind. Acts 1816, 1st sess., ch. 45, sec. 10/p. 199

Show all 13 changes (8 more)

1811
Jefferson County created Jefferson created by Indiana Territory from Clark and Dearborn.
from Clark from Dearborn
1 January 1811 · Ind. Terr. Laws, 1809-1816, chs. 2, 60/pp. 104-105, 190
1814
Lost territory Jefferson lost to Dearborn and lost to creation of Switzerland.
to Dearborn to Switzerland
1 October 1814 · Ind. Terr. Laws, 1809-1816, ch. 9/pp. 538-542
1816
Lost territory Jefferson lost to creation of Jackson.
to Jackson
1 January 1816 · Ind. Terr. Laws, 1809-1816, ch. 1/pp. 601-603
1816
Became part of Indiana Jefferson became a county in the state of Indiana when Indiana was created from Indiana Territory and small parts of Illinois and Michigan Territories. 11 December 1816 · U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 57 [1816], secs. 1-2/p. 289 and res. 1 [1816]/p. 399; Van Zandt, 115
1816
Lost territory Jefferson lost to creation of Ripley; Ripley not fully organized, part attached to Jefferson for administrative and judicial purposes.
to Ripley
27 December 1816 · Ind. Acts 1816, 1st sess., ch. 45, sec. 10/p. 199
1817
Lost territory Jefferson lost to creation of Jennings; Ripley was detached from Jefferson and attached to Jennings for administrative and judicial purposes.
to Jennings to Ripley
1 February 1817 · Ind. Acts 1816, 1st sess., ch. 45, secs. 1-2, 8/pp. 197, 199
1820
Lost territory Jefferson lost to creation of Scott.
to Scott
1 February 1820 · Ind. Acts 1819, 4th sess., ch. 30, sec. 1/p. 51
1830
Lost territory Jefferson lost to Scott.
to Scott
22 January 1830 · Ind. Acts 1829, 14th sess., ch. 12/p. 21
1830
Lost territory Jefferson lost small area in the town of Paris to Jennings.
to Jennings
25 January 1830 · Ind. Acts 1829, 14th sess., ch. 11/p. 20
1835
Lost territory Jefferson lost small area to Jennings.
to Jennings
6 February 1835 · Ind. Acts 1834, 19th sess., gen., ch. 59/p. 78
1836
Exchanged territory Jefferson exchanged with Clark.
with Clark
8 February 1836 · Ind. Acts 1835, 20th sess., gen., ch. 48/p. 80
1837
Gained territory Jefferson gained from Clark.
from Clark
2 February 1837 · Ind. Acts 1836, 21st sess., gen., ch. 52/p. 97
1851
Lost territory Jefferson lost small area to Scott.
to Scott
13 February 1851 · Ind. Acts 1850, 35th sess., gen., ch. 34/p. 58

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Jefferson

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 20,347 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, 17,214 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

Jefferson by the Census

Population

33,147 2020 Census count

Housing units

14,386 2020 Census count

Land area

361 square miles

Water area

2.4 square miles

People per sq mi

92 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 jeffersoncounty.in.gov · checked 13 October 2026

Permits

Health department: septic and wellfrom jeffersoncounty.in.gov · checked 13 October 2026
Gun Permitsfrom jeffersoncounty.in.gov
Reports & Permitsfrom jeffersoncounty.in.gov

Zoning and code

Ordinancesfrom jeffersoncounty.in.gov
Unified Development Ordinance (UDO)from jeffersoncounty.in.gov
Report A Zoning Issuefrom jeffersoncounty.in.gov
Board of Zoning Appealsfrom jeffersoncounty.in.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Jefferson County.
jeffersoncounty.in.gov

See your own lot on these maps

Open Jefferson 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 Jefferson County

When was Jefferson County founded?: Jefferson County was founded in 1811, formed from Clark County and Dearborn County, and named after Thomas Jefferson.
What is the county seat of Jefferson County?: The county seat of Jefferson County is Madison.
Is there an online parcel map for Jefferson County?: Yes. Indiana Geographic Information Office (IndianaMap) publishes a parcel map of 20,347 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Jefferson County's boundary or name changed?: Jefferson County was created in 1811 from Clark County and Dearborn County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 12 later changes, chiefly involving Jennings County, Scott County and Clark County.
Who issues building permits in Jefferson County?: The county's page on building permits: Gun Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Jefferson County?: The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health and Human Relations Commission.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Jefferson 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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