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County · code 21179

Nelson CountyKentucky

Nelson County is a county in Kentucky with its seat in Bardstown, formed in 1785 from Jefferson County.

  • Founded1785
  • County seatBardstown
  • Named forThomas Nelson
  • Land area418 sq mi + 6.6 sq mi water
  • Population46,738 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped26,743 checked 14 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Nelson County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

SpencerBullittWashingtonMarionLarueHardinAnderson Bardstown Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Nelson on the map of Kentucky

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

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Counties of Kentucky · Nelson highlighted

History

Formed in 1785 from Jefferson County

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

Nelson County was created by Virginia from Jefferson County and was named after Thomas Nelson. When Kentucky became a state in 1792, Nelson became a Kentucky county. Over the following decades, it lost territory to the creation of Washington, Green, Hardin, Bullitt, and Spencer counties, while gaining small areas from Jefferson and Shelby.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

  1. 1785
    Nelson County created Nelson created by Virginia from Jefferson.
    from Jefferson
    · Hening, 11:469-470
  2. 1792
    Became part of Kentucky Nelson 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
  3. 1792
    Lost territory Nelson lost to creation of Washington.
    to Washington
    · Ky. Acts 1792, 1st assy., 1st sess., ch. 2, sec. 1/p. 4
  4. 1793
    Lost territory Nelson lost to creation of Green.
    to Green
    · Ky. Acts 1792, 1st assy., 1st sess., ch. 44, sec.1/pp. 46-47
  5. 1793
    Lost territory Nelson lost to creation of Hardin.
    to Hardin
    · Ky. Acts 1792, 1st assy., 2d sess., ch. 17, sec. 1/pp. 22-23
  6. 1797
    Gained territory Nelson gained small area from Jefferson, lost to creation of Bullitt.
    from Jeffersonfrom Bullitt
    · Ky. Acts 1796-1797, 5th assy., 1st sess., sec. 1/pp. 3-4
  7. 1824
    Gained territory Nelson gained small area along Salt River meander from Shelby, lost to creation of Spencer.
    from Shelbyfrom Spencer
    · Ky. Acts 1823-1824, 32d assy., ch. 708, sec. 1/pp. 441-443

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Nelson

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

Nelson by the Census

Population
46,738 2020 Census count
Housing units
19,716 2020 Census count
Land area
418 square miles
Water area
6.6 square miles
People per sq mi
112 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

Nelson 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

Open Nelson 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.

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Questions

Common questions about Nelson County

When was Nelson County founded?
Nelson County was founded in 1785, formed from Jefferson County, and named after Thomas Nelson.
What is the county seat of Nelson County?
The county seat of Nelson County is Bardstown.
Is there an online parcel map for Nelson County?
Yes. Nelson County publishes a parcel map of 26,743 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Nelson County's boundary or name changed?
Nelson County was created in 1785 from Jefferson County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 6 later changes, chiefly involving Bullitt County, Green County and Hardin County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Nelson 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