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County · code 21025

Breathitt CountyKentucky

Breathitt County is a county in Kentucky, formed in 1839 from Clay, Estill, and Perry counties, with its seat in Jackson. It is named after John Breathitt.

  • Founded1839
  • County seatJackson
  • Named forJohn Breathitt
  • Land area492 sq mi + 2.9 sq mi water
  • Population13,718 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped9,842 checked 16 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Breathitt County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

WolfePerryMagoffinOwsleyLeeKnott Jackson Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Breathitt on the map of Kentucky

Kentucky has 120 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Adair CountyAllen CountyAnderson CountyBallard CountyBarren CountyBath CountyBell CountyBoone CountyBourbon CountyBoyd CountyBoyle CountyBracken CountyBreckinridge CountyBullitt CountyButler CountyCaldwell CountyCalloway CountyCampbell CountyCarlisle CountyCarroll CountyCarter CountyCasey CountyChristian CountyClark CountyClay CountyClinton CountyCrittenden CountyCumberland CountyDaviess CountyEdmonson CountyElliott CountyEstill CountyFayette CountyFleming CountyFloyd CountyFranklin CountyFulton CountyGallatin CountyGarrard CountyGrant CountyGraves CountyGrayson CountyGreen CountyGreenup CountyHancock CountyHardin CountyHarlan CountyHarrison CountyHart CountyHenderson CountyHenry CountyHickman CountyHopkins CountyJackson CountyJefferson CountyJessamine CountyJohnson CountyKenton CountyKnott CountyKnox CountyLarue CountyLaurel CountyLawrence CountyLee CountyLeslie CountyLetcher CountyLewis CountyLincoln CountyLivingston CountyLogan CountyLyon CountyMcCracken CountyMcCreary CountyMcLean CountyMadison CountyMagoffin CountyMarion CountyMarshall CountyMartin CountyMason CountyMeade CountyMenifee CountyMercer CountyMetcalfe CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyMorgan CountyMuhlenberg CountyNelson CountyNicholas CountyOhio CountyOldham CountyOwen CountyOwsley CountyPendleton CountyPerry CountyPike CountyPowell CountyPulaski CountyRobertson CountyRockcastle CountyRowan CountyRussell CountyScott CountyShelby CountySimpson CountySpencer CountyTaylor CountyTodd CountyTrigg CountyTrimble CountyUnion CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWebster CountyWhitley CountyWolfe CountyWoodford CountyBreathitt County Breathitt
Counties of Kentucky · Breathitt highlighted

History

Formed in 1839 from Clay County, Estill County and Perry County

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

Breathitt County was created in 1839 from Clay, Estill, and Perry counties. Over the following decades, the county lost territory to the creation of Owsley, Wolfe, Lee, and Knott counties, and exchanged small boundary adjustments with Owsley and Perry.

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

  1. 1839
    Breathitt County created Breathitt created from Clay, Estill, and Perry.
    from Clayfrom Estillfrom Perry
    · Ky. Acts 1838-1839, ch. 1192, sec. 1/pp. 144-145
  2. 1843
    Gained territory Breathitt gained from Estill, lost to creation of Owsley.
    from Estillfrom Owsley
    · Ky. Acts 1842-1843, ch. 43, secs. 1, 6/pp. 11-13
  3. 1846
    Gained territory Breathitt gained from Perry.
    from Perry
    · Ky. Acts 1845-1846, ch. 284/p. 16
  4. 1860
    Lost territory Breathitt lost to Owsley.
    to Owsley
    · Ky. Acts 1859-1860, vol. 2, ch. 1264, sec. 1/p. 822
  5. 1860
    Lost territory Breathitt lost to creation of Wolfe.
    to Wolfe
    · Ky. Acts 1859-1860, vol. 1, ch. 1326, sec. 1/pp. 138-141
Show all 14 changes (9 more, mostly small adjustments)
  1. 1839
    Breathitt County created Breathitt created from Clay, Estill, and Perry.
    from Clayfrom Estillfrom Perry
    · Ky. Acts 1838-1839, ch. 1192, sec. 1/pp. 144-145
  2. 1843
    Gained territory Breathitt gained from Estill, lost to creation of Owsley.
    from Estillfrom Owsley
    · Ky. Acts 1842-1843, ch. 43, secs. 1, 6/pp. 11-13
  3. 1844
    Gained territory Breathitt gained small area from Owsley to accommodate local property owner.
    from Owsley
    · Ky. Acts 1843-1844, ch. 299, sec. 1/pp. 68-69
  4. 1846
    Gained territory Breathitt gained from Perry.
    from Perry
    · Ky. Acts 1845-1846, ch. 284/p. 16
  5. 1849
    Lost territory Breathitt lost small area to Perry to accommodate local property owner.
    to Perry
    · Ky. Acts 1848-1849, ch. 627/p. 40
  6. 1856
    Gained territory Breathitt gained small area from Perry to accommodate local property owners.
    from Perry
    · Ky. Acts 1855-1856, vol. 1, ch. 611/p. 91
  7. 1860
    Lost territory Breathitt lost to Owsley.
    to Owsley
    · Ky. Acts 1859-1860, vol. 2, ch. 1264, sec. 1/p. 822
  8. 1860
    Lost territory Breathitt lost to creation of Wolfe.
    to Wolfe
    · Ky. Acts 1859-1860, vol. 1, ch. 1326, sec. 1/pp. 138-141
  9. 1870
    Lost territory Breathitt lost to creation of Lee.
    to Lee.
    · Ky. Acts 1869-1870, vol. 1, ch. 202, sec. 1/pp. 14-18
  10. 1871
    Boundary clarified Boundary between Breathitt and Lee was clarified (no change).
    with Leeno change
    · Ky. Acts 1871, Jan. adj. sess., ch. 1400, sec. 1/p. 38
  11. 1878
    Gained territory Breathitt gained small area from Perry to accommodate local property owner.
    from Perry
    · Ky. Acts 1877-1878, vol. 1, ch. 362, sec. 1/pp. 423-424
  12. 1884
    Lost territory Breathitt lost to creation of Knott.
    to Knott
    · Ky. Acts 1883-1884, vol. 1, ch. 1313, sec. 1/pp. 103-108
  13. 1886
    Lost territory Breathitt lost to Wolfe.
    to Wolfe
    · Ky. Acts 1885-1886, vol. 1, ch. 536, secs. 1-3/pp. 1219-1220
  14. 1890
    Lost territory Breathitt lost small area to Lee.
    to Lee
    · Ky. Acts 1889-1890, vol. 3, ch. 1807, sec. 1/p. 1483

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Breathitt

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

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

Breathitt by the Census

Population
13,718 2020 Census count
Housing units
6,551 2020 Census count
Land area
492 square miles
Water area
2.9 square miles
People per sq mi
28 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

Breathitt County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Breathitt County

When was Breathitt County founded?
Breathitt County was founded in 1839, formed from Clay County, Estill County and Perry County, and named after John Breathitt.
What is the county seat of Breathitt County?
The county seat of Breathitt County is Jackson.
Is there an online parcel map for Breathitt County?
Yes. Breathitt County publishes a parcel map of 9,842 parcels, rated fallback here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Breathitt County's boundary or name changed?
Breathitt County was created in 1839 from Clay County, Estill County and Perry County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 12 later changes, chiefly involving Perry County, Owsley County and Wolfe County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Breathitt County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door