When was LaPorte County founded?

LaPorte County was founded in 1832, formed from St. Joseph County.

What is the county seat of LaPorte County?

The county seat of LaPorte County is La Porte.

Is there an online parcel map for LaPorte County?

Yes. Indiana Geographic Information Office (IndianaMap) publishes a parcel map of 64,770 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has LaPorte County's boundary or name changed?

LaPorte County was created in 1832 from St. Joseph County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 7 later changes, most of them small boundary adjustments, chiefly involving St. Joseph County and Starke County.

Who issues building permits in LaPorte County?

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

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 18091

LaPorte CountyIndiana

LaPorte County is a county in Indiana with its seat in La Porte. The county was created on April 1, 1832.

Founded1832
County seatLa Porte
Land area598 sq mi + 15 sq mi water
Population112,417 2020 Census
Parcels mapped64,770 checked 15 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1832 from St. Joseph County

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

LaPorte County was formed in 1832 from St. Joseph County. La Porte is the county seat.

Deeds and plats from before 1832 for land now in LaPorte County may have been recorded in St. Joseph County.

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

1832
LaPorte County created La Porte created from St. Joseph and from Non-County Area 14 attached to St. Joseph.
from St. Joseph
1 April 1832 · Ind. Acts 1831, 16th sess., ch. 2/p. 9
1839
Gained territory La Porte gained from St. Joseph and from Non-County Area 14 attached to St. Joseph.
from St. Joseph
16 February 1839 · Ind. Acts 1838, 23d sess., gen., ch. 56/p. 70
1842
Gained territory La Porte gained from part of Starke attached to St. Joseph.
from Starke from St. Joseph
29 January 1842 · Ind. Acts 1841, 26th sess., gen., ch. 147/p. 152
1842
Lost territory La Porte lost to non-county area over the waters of Lake Michigan when its jurisdiction was restricted to land. 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
1850
Gained territory La Porte gained from St. Joseph.
from St. Joseph
4 July 1850 · Ind. Acts 1849, 34th sess., gen., ch. 141/p. 114

Show all 8 changes (3 more, mostly small adjustments)

1832
LaPorte County created La Porte created from St. Joseph and from Non-County Area 14 attached to St. Joseph.
from St. Joseph
1 April 1832 · Ind. Acts 1831, 16th sess., ch. 2/p. 9
1839
Gained territory La Porte gained from St. Joseph and from Non-County Area 14 attached to St. Joseph.
from St. Joseph
16 February 1839 · Ind. Acts 1838, 23d sess., gen., ch. 56/p. 70
1842
Gained territory La Porte gained from part of Starke attached to St. Joseph.
from Starke from St. Joseph
29 January 1842 · Ind. Acts 1841, 26th sess., gen., ch. 147/p. 152
1842
Lost territory La Porte lost to non-county area over the waters of Lake Michigan when its jurisdiction was restricted to land. 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
1850
Gained territory La Porte gained from St. Joseph.
from St. Joseph
4 July 1850 · Ind. Acts 1849, 34th sess., gen., ch. 141/p. 114
1851
Gained territory La Porte gained from non-county area over the waters of Lake Michigan when the county line was extended to the northern boundary of Indiana. 10 February 1851 · Ind. Acts 1850, 35th sess., gen., ch. 35/p. 58
1925
Changed Southern boundary of La Porte along Kankakee River was adjusted to match ditching of streambed. 2 March 1925 · Ind. Acts 1925, 74th sess., ch. 41, secs. 1-3/pp. 122-123
1931
Exchanged territory La Porte exchanged small areas with St. Joseph.
with St. Joseph
9 March 1931 · Ind. Acts 1931, 77th sess., ch. 115, secs. 1-4/pp. 450-452

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in LaPorte

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 64,770 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, 48,167 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

LaPorte by the Census

Population

112,417 2020 Census count

Housing units

49,780 2020 Census count

Land area

598 square miles

Water area

15 square miles

People per sq mi

188 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

Septic Divisionfrom laporteco.in.gov
Permits & Licensingfrom laporteco.in.gov

Zoning and code

Meeting Agendas, Minutes & Ordinancesfrom laporteco.in.gov
Board of Zoning Appealsfrom laporteco.in.gov

County government

County government
The official website of LaPorte County.
laportecounty.org

See your own lot on these maps

Open LaPorte 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 LaPorte County

When was LaPorte County founded?: LaPorte County was founded in 1832, formed from St. Joseph County.
What is the county seat of LaPorte County?: The county seat of LaPorte County is La Porte.
Is there an online parcel map for LaPorte County?: Yes. Indiana Geographic Information Office (IndianaMap) publishes a parcel map of 64,770 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has LaPorte County's boundary or name changed?: LaPorte County was created in 1832 from St. Joseph County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 7 later changes, most of them small boundary adjustments, chiefly involving St. Joseph County and Starke County.
Who issues building permits in LaPorte County?: The county's page on building permits: Permits & Licensing. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for LaPorte County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby