When was Norfolk County founded?

Norfolk County was founded in 1793, formed from Suffolk County, and named after Norfolk, England.

What is the county seat of Norfolk County?

The county seat of Norfolk County is Dedham.

Is there an online parcel map for Norfolk County?

Yes. MassGIS (Bureau of Geographic Information), Commonwealth of Massachusetts publishes a parcel map of 207,269 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Norfolk County's boundary or name changed?

Norfolk County was created in 1793 from Suffolk County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 26 later changes, most of them small boundary adjustments, chiefly involving Suffolk County, Middlesex County and Plymouth County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 25021

Norfolk CountyMassachusetts

Norfolk County is a county in Massachusetts with its seat in Dedham, formed in 1793.

Founded1793
County seatDedham
Named forNorfolk, England
Land area396 sq mi + 48 sq mi water
Population725,981 2020 Census
Parcels mapped207,269 checked 15 October 2026

Open the free map Click any parcel in Norfolk County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Norfolk on the map of Massachusetts

Massachusetts has 14 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Counties of Massachusetts · Norfolk highlighted

History

Formed in 1793 from Suffolk County

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

Norfolk County was created from Suffolk County on June 20, 1793, and was named after Norfolk. Over the following decades, Norfolk's boundaries shifted through multiple exchanges and adjustments with neighboring counties including Suffolk, Middlesex, and Plymouth.

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

1793
Norfolk County created Norfolk created from Suffolk.
from Suffolk
20 June 1793 · Mass. Acts 1793, ch. 43, sec. 1/p. 272 and ch. 9, sec. 1/p. 314
1797
Exchanged territory Norfolk exchanged with Middlesex when town of Natick exchanged with town of Needham.
with Middlesex
22 June 1797 · Mass. Acts 1797, ch. 22, sec. 1/p. 142
1804
Lost territory Norfolk lost to Suffolk when Boston gained from Dorchester.
to Suffolk
6 March 1804 · Mass. Acts 1804, ch. 45, sec. 1/p. 412
1829
Exchanged territory Norfolk exchanged with Middlesex when town of Holliston gained from town of Medway.
with Middlesex
3 March 1829 · Mass. Acts 1829, ch. 125/p. 200 and ch. 133/p. 209
1834
Lost territory Norfolk lost to Suffolk when Boston gained Thompson Island from Dorchester.
to Suffolk
25 March 1834 · Mass. Acts 1834, ch. 102/p. 129

Show all 34 changes (29 more, mostly small adjustments)

1793
Norfolk County created Norfolk created from Suffolk.
from Suffolk
20 June 1793 · Mass. Acts 1793, ch. 43, sec. 1/p. 272 and ch. 9, sec. 1/p. 314
1797
Exchanged territory Norfolk exchanged with Middlesex when town of Natick exchanged with town of Needham.
with Middlesex
22 June 1797 · Mass. Acts 1797, ch. 22, sec. 1/p. 142
1798
Lost territory Norfolk lost small strip to Plymouth when town of Bridgewater gained from town of Stoughton.
to Plymouth
8 February 1798 · Mass. Acts 1798, ch. 10, sec. 1/p. 164
1804
Lost territory Norfolk lost to Suffolk when Boston gained from Dorchester.
to Suffolk
6 March 1804 · Mass. Acts 1804, ch. 45, sec. 1/p. 412
1823
Gained territory Norfolk gained small area from Plymouth when town of Cohasset gained from town of Scituate to accommodate local property owners.
from Plymouth
14 June 1823 · Mass. Acts 1823, ch. 28/p. 237
1825
Changed Boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk was adjusted when the line between Boston and Brookline was adjusted.
Suffolk
22 February 1825 · Mass. Acts 1825, ch. 90/p. 73
1829
Exchanged territory Norfolk exchanged with Middlesex when town of Holliston gained from town of Medway.
with Middlesex
3 March 1829 · Mass. Acts 1829, ch. 125/p. 200 and ch. 133/p. 209
1830
Boundary clarified Boundary between Norfolk and Bristol was clarified when line between towns of Attleborough and Wrentham was clarified (no change).
with Bristolno change
18 February 1830 · Mass. Acts 1830, ch. 48/p. 319
1834
Lost territory Norfolk lost to Suffolk when Boston gained Thompson Island from Dorchester.
to Suffolk
25 March 1834 · Mass. Acts 1834, ch. 102/p. 129
1836
Boundary clarified Boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk was redefined when line between Boston and Roxbury was redefined.
with Suffolkno change
16 March 1836 · Mass. Acts 1836, ch. 37/p. 681
1837
Changed Boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk was adjusted slightly when line through water between Roxbury and Boston was adjusted.
Suffolk
19 April 1837 · Mass. Acts 1837, ch. 202, sec. 1/p. 222
1838
Gained territory Norfolk gained from Middlesex when town of Roxbury gained from town of Newton.
from Middlesex
23 April 1838 · Mass. Acts 1838, ch. 167, sec. 1/p. 481
1840
Lost territory Norfolk lost small area to Plymouth when town of Scituate gained from town of Cohasset to accommodate local property owner.
to Plymouth
20 March 1840 · Mass. Acts 1840, ch. 58, sec. 1/p. 206
1847
Boundary clarified Boundary between Norfolk and Plymouth was clarified in part when line between towns of Weymouth and Abington was clarified (no change).
with Plymouthno change
31 March 1847 · Mass. Acts 1847, ch. 138/p. 391
1850
Changed Boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk was adjusted when line through water between Boston and Roxbury was adjusted.
Suffolk
3 May 1850 · Mass. Acts 1850, ch. 281, sec. 1/p. 460
1855
Lost territory Norfolk lost small area to Suffolk when Boston gained from Dorchester.
to Suffolk
21 May 1855 · Mass. Acts 1855, ch. 468, sec. 1/p. 907
1860
Changed Boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk was adjusted slightly when line along streets between Boston and Roxbury was shifted to sides of streets from centerlines.
Suffolk
3 April 1860 · Mass. Acts 1860, ch. 172, sec. 1/p. 138
1861
Boundary clarified Boundary between Norfolk and Plymouth was clarified in part when boundary between towns of Abington and Randolph was clarified (no change).
with Plymouthno change
21 March 1861 · Mass. Acts 1861, ch. 86/p. 390
1868
Lost territory Norfolk lost to Suffolk when Boston gained all of Roxbury.
to Suffolk
6 January 1868 · Mass. Acts 1867, ch. 359, sec. 1/p. 754
1870
Lost territory Norfolk lost to Suffolk when Boston gained all of Dorchester.
to Suffolk
3 January 1870 · Mass. Acts 1869, ch. 349, sec. 1/p. 646
1870
Changed Boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk was adjusted slightly when line along streets between Boston and West Roxbury was shifted from one side to the other.
Suffolk
2 April 1870 · Mass. Acts 1870, ch. 146, sec. 1/pp. 21, 95
1870
Lost territory Norfolk lost small area to Suffolk when Boston gained from Brookline.
to Suffolk
18 June 1870 · Mass. Acts 1870, ch. 374, sec. 1/p. 290
1872
Exchanged territory Norfolk exchanged small areas with Worcester when town of Bellingham exchanged with town of Mendon.
with Worcester
7 March 1872 · Mass. Acts 1872, ch. 69, sec. 1/p. 57
1872
Lost territory Norfolk lost small area to Suffolk when Boston gained Mt. Hope Cemetery from town of West Roxbury.
to Suffolk
12 April 1872 · Mass. Acts 1872, ch. 197, sec. 1/p. 143
1872
Exchanged territory Norfolk exchanged small areas with Suffolk when Boston exchanged with Brookline.
with Suffolk
27 April 1872 · Mass. Acts 1872, ch. 267, sec. 1/p. 210
1874
Lost territory Norfolk lost to Suffolk when Boston gained West Roxbury.
to Suffolk
5 January 1874 · Mass. Acts 1873, ch. 286, sec. 1/p. 716, ch. 303, sec. 1/p. 747, and ch. 314, sec. 1/p. 810
1874
Lost territory Norfolk lost small area to Suffolk when Boston gained from Brookline.
to Suffolk
8 May 1874 · Mass. Acts 1874, ch. 220, sec. 1/p. 143
1890
Changed Boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk was adjusted when line between Boston and Brookline was adjusted.
Suffolk
27 May 1890 · Mass. Acts 1890, ch. 339, sec. 1/p. 299
1894
Changed Boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk was adjusted slightly when line between northern Brookline and Boston was adjusted.
Suffolk
13 April 1894 · Mass. Acts 1894, ch. 242, sec. 1/p. 219
1897
Changed Boundary between Norfolk and Plymouth was adjusted when line between towns of Cohasset and Hingham was adjusted (no change).
Plymouth
30 April 1897 · Mass. Acts 1897, ch. 330, sec. 1/p. 318
1898
Changed Boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk was adjusted when line between Boston and Hyde Park was adjusted.
Suffolk
1 April 1898 · Mass. Acts 1898, ch. 251, sec. 1/p. 185
1907
Boundary clarified Boundary between Norfolk and Middlesex was redefined in part when line between towns of Newton and Brookline was redefined (no change).
with Middlesexno change
28 March 1907 · Mass. Acts 1907, ch. 249, sec. 1/p. 194
1912
Lost territory Norfolk lost to Suffolk when Boston gained all of Hyde Park.
to Suffolk
1 January 1912 · Mass. Acts 1911, ch. 469, sec. 1/p. 450 and ch. 583, sec. 1/p. 600
1928
Changed Boundary between Norfolk and Plymouth was adjusted when line between towns of Hingham and Cohasset was adjusted (no change).
Plymouth
23 March 1928 · Mass. Acts 1928, ch. 160, sec. 1/p. 184

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Norfolk

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 207,269 parcels from MassGIS (Bureau of Geographic Information), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 15 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 347,912 in all from MassGIS.
checked 14 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

Norfolk by the Census

Population

725,981 2020 Census count

Housing units

291,489 2020 Census count

Land area

396 square miles

Water area

48 square miles

People per sq mi

1,833 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

Norfolk County's official site

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

In Massachusetts, permits, zoning and assessing are handled by each city or town, not the county, and deeds are recorded at the county's registry of deeds (search the registries).

County government

County government
The official website of Norfolk County.
norfolkcounty.org

See your own lot on these maps

Open Norfolk 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 Norfolk County

When was Norfolk County founded?: Norfolk County was founded in 1793, formed from Suffolk County, and named after Norfolk, England.
What is the county seat of Norfolk County?: The county seat of Norfolk County is Dedham.
Is there an online parcel map for Norfolk County?: Yes. MassGIS (Bureau of Geographic Information), Commonwealth of Massachusetts publishes a parcel map of 207,269 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Norfolk County's boundary or name changed?: Norfolk County was created in 1793 from Suffolk County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 26 later changes, most of them small boundary adjustments, chiefly involving Suffolk County, Middlesex County and Plymouth County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Norfolk County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby