When was Wayne County founded?

Wayne County was founded in 1811, formed from Clark County, Dearborn County and Knox County, and named after Anthony Wayne.

What is the county seat of Wayne County?

The county seat of Wayne County is Richmond.

Is there an online parcel map for Wayne County?

Yes. Indiana Geographic Information Office (IndianaMap) publishes a parcel map of 35,529 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Wayne County's boundary or name changed?

Wayne County was created in 1811 from Clark County, Dearborn County and Knox County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 9 later changes, chiefly involving Adams County, Delaware County and Henry County.

Who issues building permits in Wayne County?

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

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 18177

Wayne CountyIndiana

Wayne County is a county in Indiana with its seat in Richmond. It was created in 1811 from Clark, Dearborn, and Knox counties and named after Anthony Wayne.

Founded1811
County seatRichmond
Named forAnthony Wayne
Land area402 sq mi + 2.6 sq mi water
Population66,553 2020 Census
Parcels mapped35,529 checked 15 October 2026

Open the free map Click any parcel in Wayne 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, Dearborn County and Knox County

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

Wayne County was created by Indiana Territory in 1811 from Clark, Dearborn, and Knox counties. When Indiana became a state in 1816, Wayne County became an official county of Indiana. The county lost territory to the creation of Randolph County in 1818, exchanged lands in 1819 with territory that became Fayette County, and experienced multiple boundary adjustments with Henry County between 1823 and 1827.

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

1811
Wayne County created Wayne created by Indiana Territory from Clark, Dearborn, and Knox.
from Clark from Dearborn from Knox
1 January 1811 · Ind. Terr. Laws, 1809-1816, chs. 6, 60/pp. 108-111, 190
1816
Became part of Indiana Wayne 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
1818
Lost territory Wayne lost to creation of Randolph.
to Randolph
10 August 1818 · Ind. Acts 1817, 2d sess., spec., ch. 8, secs. 1-2/p. 18
1819
Exchanged territory Wayne exchanged with Non-County Area 4, lost to creation of Fayette.
with Fayette
1 January 1819 · Ind. Acts 1818, 3d sess., ch. 28, secs. 1, 9/pp. 103, 106
1820
Wayne County created Delaware New Purchase (later Adams New Purchase) created from Non-County Area 4; Delaware New Purchase not fully organized, concurrently attached to Wayne and six other counties for administrative and judicial purposes.
from Delaware from Adams
20 January 1820 · Ind. Acts 1819, 4th sess., ch. 54/p. 95

Show all 10 changes (5 more)

1811
Wayne County created Wayne created by Indiana Territory from Clark, Dearborn, and Knox.
from Clark from Dearborn from Knox
1 January 1811 · Ind. Terr. Laws, 1809-1816, chs. 6, 60/pp. 108-111, 190
1816
Became part of Indiana Wayne 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
1818
Lost territory Wayne lost to creation of Randolph.
to Randolph
10 August 1818 · Ind. Acts 1817, 2d sess., spec., ch. 8, secs. 1-2/p. 18
1819
Exchanged territory Wayne exchanged with Non-County Area 4, lost to creation of Fayette.
with Fayette
1 January 1819 · Ind. Acts 1818, 3d sess., ch. 28, secs. 1, 9/pp. 103, 106
1820
Wayne County created Delaware New Purchase (later Adams New Purchase) created from Non-County Area 4; Delaware New Purchase not fully organized, concurrently attached to Wayne and six other counties for administrative and judicial purposes.
from Delaware from Adams
20 January 1820 · Ind. Acts 1819, 4th sess., ch. 54/p. 95
1821
Gained territory Wayne gained from Delaware New Purchase attachment (later Adams New Purchase), lost to creation of Union.
from Delaware from Adams from Union
1 February 1821 · Ind. Acts 1820, 5th sess., ch. 58, secs. 1, 8/pp. 126, 129
1821
Changed Delaware New Purchase (later Adams New Purchase) was detached from concurrent jurisdiction of Wayne and six other counties and attached to Bartholomew for administrative and judicial purposes.
Delaware Adams Bartholomew
12 February 1821 · Ind. Acts 1820, 5th sess., ch. 31, secs. 1-2, 8/pp. 79-80, 82 and ch. 32/p. 83
1823
Lost territory Wayne lost to Henry.
to Henry
11 January 1823 · Ind. Acts 1822, 7th sess., ch. 85/p. 138
1824
Gained territory Wayne gained from Henry.
from Henry
22 January 1824 · Ind. Acts 1823, 8th sess., spec., ch. 29/p. 51
1827
Lost territory Wayne lost to Henry.
to Henry
26 January 1827 · Ind. Acts 1826, 11th sess., ch. 8/p. 11

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Wayne

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 35,529 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, 36,221 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

Wayne by the Census

Population

66,553 2020 Census count

Housing units

30,752 2020 Census count

Land area

402 square miles

Water area

2.6 square miles

People per sq mi

166 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

Building Commissionfrom waynecounty.in.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Wayne County.
co.wayne.in.us

See your own lot on these maps

Open Wayne 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 Wayne County

When was Wayne County founded?: Wayne County was founded in 1811, formed from Clark County, Dearborn County and Knox County, and named after Anthony Wayne.
What is the county seat of Wayne County?: The county seat of Wayne County is Richmond.
Is there an online parcel map for Wayne County?: Yes. Indiana Geographic Information Office (IndianaMap) publishes a parcel map of 35,529 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Wayne County's boundary or name changed?: Wayne County was created in 1811 from Clark County, Dearborn County and Knox County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 9 later changes, chiefly involving Adams County, Delaware County and Henry County.
Who issues building permits in Wayne County?: The county's page on building permits: Building Commission. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Wayne County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby