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County · code 21111

Jefferson CountyKentucky

Jefferson County is a county in Kentucky with its seat in Louisville. It was formed on November 1, 1780, and named after Thomas Jefferson.

  • Founded1780
  • County seatLouisville
  • Named forThomas Jefferson
  • Land area381 sq mi + 17 sq mi water
  • Population782,969 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped293,219 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

BullittFloyd, INClark, INOldhamSpencerHarrison, INShelbyHardin Louisville Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Jefferson 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 CountyBreathitt 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 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 CountyJefferson County Jefferson
Counties of Kentucky · Jefferson highlighted

History

Formed in 1780 from Kentucky County

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

Jefferson County was created by Virginia from Kentucky County on November 1, 1780. In 1792, when Kentucky became a state, Jefferson became a county in the new state. Over the following decades, Jefferson lost territory to the creation of Nelson County in 1785, Shelby County in 1792, Bullitt County in 1797 and again in 1811, and Oldham County in 1824 and 1874.

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

  1. 1780
    Jefferson County created Jefferson created by Virginia from Kentucky County (Va., extinct).
    from Kentucky
    · Hening, 10:315-317
  2. 1782
    Jefferson County created Jefferson was included in Kentucky District (Virginia), a special judicial district, which was created to serve Virginians living west of the Allegheny Mountains. This district became the state of Kentucky in 1792. · Hening, 11:85
  3. 1785
    Lost territory Jefferson lost to creation of Nelson.
    to Nelson
    · Hening, 11:469-470
  4. 1792
    Became part of Kentucky Jefferson became a Kentucky county when the state of Kentucky was created from the Kentucky District of Virginia. · Hening, 11:85; U.S. Stat., vol. 1, ch. 4 [1791]/p 189
  5. 1792
    Lost territory Jefferson lost to creation of Shelby.
    to Shelby
    · Ky. Acts 1792, 1st assy., 1st sess., ch. 9, sec. 1/pp. 17-18
Show all 10 changes (5 more)
  1. 1780
    Jefferson County created Jefferson created by Virginia from Kentucky County (Va., extinct).
    from Kentucky
    · Hening, 10:315-317
  2. 1782
    Jefferson County created Jefferson was included in Kentucky District (Virginia), a special judicial district, which was created to serve Virginians living west of the Allegheny Mountains. This district became the state of Kentucky in 1792. · Hening, 11:85
  3. 1785
    Lost territory Jefferson lost to creation of Nelson.
    to Nelson
    · Hening, 11:469-470
  4. 1792
    Became part of Kentucky Jefferson became a Kentucky county when the state of Kentucky was created from the Kentucky District of Virginia. · Hening, 11:85; U.S. Stat., vol. 1, ch. 4 [1791]/p 189
  5. 1792
    Lost territory Jefferson lost to creation of Shelby.
    to Shelby
    · Ky. Acts 1792, 1st assy., 1st sess., ch. 9, sec. 1/pp. 17-18
  6. 1797
    Lost territory Jefferson lost to creation of Bullitt and lost small area to Nelson.
    to Bullittto Nelson
    · Ky. Acts 1796-1797, 5th assy., 1st sess., sec. 1/pp. 3-4
  7. 1811
    Lost territory Jefferson lost to Bullitt.
    to Bullitt
    · Ky. Acts 1810-1811, 19th assy., ch. 226, sec. 1/p. 50
  8. 1824
    Lost territory Jefferson lost to creation of Oldham.
    to Oldham
    · Ky. Acts 1823-1824, 32d assy., ch. 602, sec. 1/pp. 328-329; Ky. Acts 1877-1878, vol. 1, ch. 281, sec. 1/p. 345
  9. 1874
    Lost territory Jefferson lost to Oldham.
    to Oldham
    · Ky. Acts 1873-1874, ch. 42, sec. 1/p. 7
  10. 1878
    Boundary clarified Boundary between Jefferson and Oldham was clarified (no change).
    with Oldhamno change
    · Ky. Acts 1877-1878, vol. 1, ch. 281, sec. 1/p. 345

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Jefferson

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

Jefferson by the Census

Population
782,969 2020 Census count
Housing units
356,887 2020 Census count
Land area
381 square miles
Water area
17 square miles
People per sq mi
2,056 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

Jefferson 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 Jefferson County

When was Jefferson County founded?
Jefferson County was founded in 1780, formed from Kentucky County, and named after Thomas Jefferson.
What is the county seat of Jefferson County?
The county seat of Jefferson County is Louisville.
Is there an online parcel map for Jefferson County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 293,219 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 1780 from Kentucky County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Bullitt County, Nelson County and Oldham County.
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.

Nearby

Counties next door