County · code 20177
Shawnee CountyKansas
Shawnee County is a county in Kansas with its seat at Topeka. The county was created on August 25, 1855, by Kansas Territory from non-county area, and named after the Shawnee.
- Founded1855
- County seatTopeka
- Named forShawnee
- Land area544 sq mi + 12 sq mi water
- Population178,909 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped77,008 checked 14 October 2026
Where it is
Shawnee on the map of Kansas
Kansas has 105 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Formed in 1855 from Richardson County, Wabaunsee County, Weller County and Osage County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Shawnee County was created in 1855 from non-county area, with Richardson and Weller temporarily attached for civil and military purposes. Osage and Wabaunsee were fully organized and detached from Shawnee in 1859. Shawnee became a county in the state of Kansas on January 29, 1861, and subsequently gained and lost territory through boundary adjustments with neighboring counties.
- 1855Shawnee County created Shawnee created by Kansas Territory from non-county area. Richardson (now Wabaunsee) and Weller (now Osage) not fully organized, attached to Shawnee "for civil and military purposes." · Kans. Terr. Laws 1855, 1st leg., ch. 30, secs. 11, 34/pp. 207, 210
- 1859
- 1860Gained territory Shawnee gained from Jackson and a small area of Pottawatomie, lost to Osage. · Kans. Terr. Laws 1860, ch. 46/p. 88
- 1861Became part of Kansas Shawnee became a county in the state of Kansas. · U.S. Stat., vol. 12, ch. 20 [1861]/pp. 126-128; Van Zandt, 138-139
- 1868Gained territory Shawnee gained from Jackson. · Kans. Laws 1868, 8th leg., spec., ch. 15/p. 50
Show all 9 changes
- 1855Shawnee County created Shawnee created by Kansas Territory from non-county area. Richardson (now Wabaunsee) and Weller (now Osage) not fully organized, attached to Shawnee "for civil and military purposes." · Kans. Terr. Laws 1855, 1st leg., ch. 30, secs. 11, 34/pp. 207, 210
- 1857Boundary clarified Shawnee boundaries redefined to run on federal land survey lines (no change).no change· Kans. Terr. Laws 1857, 2d leg., sec. 11/p. 40
- 1859
- 1860Gained territory Shawnee gained from Jackson and a small area of Pottawatomie, lost to Osage. · Kans. Terr. Laws 1860, ch. 46/p. 88
- 1861Became part of Kansas Shawnee became a county in the state of Kansas. · U.S. Stat., vol. 12, ch. 20 [1861]/pp. 126-128; Van Zandt, 138-139
- 1868Gained territory Shawnee gained from Jackson. · Kans. Laws 1868, 8th leg., spec., ch. 15/p. 50
- 1868Changed Shawnee was authorized to lose to Wabaunsee, according to the Wabaunsee boundary description, but no comparable change was noted in the Shawnee description; mistake corrected 24 March 1870 when Wabaunsee boundaries were changed. · Kans. Laws 1868, 8th leg., gen., ch. 24, secs. 70, 75/pp. 245-247
- 1870Changed Mistake of 3 March 1868, which would have added part of Shawnee to Wabaunsee was corrected (no change). · Kans. Laws 1870, 10th leg., ch. 40/pp. 89-90
- 1899Changed Boundary between Shawnee and Jefferson in sections 23 and 26, township 11 south, range 16 east was adjusted to run on the Kansas River. · Kans. Laws 1899, 28th leg., ch. 56/p. 121
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Shawnee
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 77,008 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 14 October 2026 -
Address points Official
One point per address, 75,975 in all from Kansas 911 Coordinating Council NG911 program, hosted by DASC (Data Access and Support Center for the Kansas GIS Policy Board).
edited 13 July 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
Shawnee 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
Shawnee County's official site
We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.
County government
- County government
The official website of Shawnee County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Shawnee 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 Shawnee County
- When was Shawnee County founded?
- Shawnee County was founded in 1855, formed from Richardson County, Wabaunsee County, Weller County and Osage County, and named after Shawnee.
- What is the county seat of Shawnee County?
- The county seat of Shawnee County is Topeka.
- Is there an online parcel map for Shawnee County?
- Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 77,008 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Shawnee County's boundary or name changed?
- Shawnee County was created in 1855 from Richardson County, Wabaunsee County, Weller County and Osage County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 6 later changes, chiefly involving Jackson County, Osage County and Wabaunsee County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Shawnee County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby