County · code 24039
Somerset CountyMaryland
Somerset County is a county in Maryland, on the border with Virginia, founded in 1666, with its seat at Princess Anne.
- Founded1666
- County seatPrincess Anne
- Named forMary, Lady Somerset
- Land area320 sq mi + 291 sq mi water
- Population24,620 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped17,004 checked 15 October 2026
Where it is
Somerset on the map of Maryland
Maryland has 24 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Formed in 1666 from Talbot County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Somerset County was formed in 1666 from Talbot County, and named after Mary, Lady Somerset. Princess Anne is the county seat.
Deeds and plats from before 1666 for land now in Somerset County may have been recorded in Talbot County.
- 1666Somerset County created Somerset created from Non-County Area 2 south of Talbot. Area included all land between the Nanticoke River and the Atlantic Ocean (including part of southern Delaware), but Maryland did not try to exercise jurisdiction in the eastern part. · Archives of Md., 3:553-555
- 1669Lost territory Somerset lost to creation of an unnamed county located in Maryland and present southern Delaware, and to creation of Durham (extinct). These counties never became operational.to Durham· Archives of Md., 5:56-57
- 1685Lost territory King James Ii approved the decision of the Committee for Trade and Plantations (7 November 1685) settling the rival claims of Maryland and Pennsylvania to Pennsylvania's Lower Counties, now Delaware. Where the boundary should run was not settled until 1760. Somerset implicitly regained area along the Atlantic coast between Delaware and Virginia, and lost to Sussex (Delaware).to Iito Sussex (Del.)· Lunt, 47; Report on the Resurvey, 145; Van Zandt, 81
- 1742
- 1867
Show all 8 changes
- 1666Somerset County created Somerset created from Non-County Area 2 south of Talbot. Area included all land between the Nanticoke River and the Atlantic Ocean (including part of southern Delaware), but Maryland did not try to exercise jurisdiction in the eastern part. · Archives of Md., 3:553-555
- 1669Lost territory Somerset lost to creation of an unnamed county located in Maryland and present southern Delaware, and to creation of Durham (extinct). These counties never became operational.to Durham· Archives of Md., 5:56-57
- 1684Boundary clarified Boundary between Somerset and Dorchester was clarified (no change).with Dorchesterno change· Archives of Md., 17:286-287
- 1685Lost territory King James Ii approved the decision of the Committee for Trade and Plantations (7 November 1685) settling the rival claims of Maryland and Pennsylvania to Pennsylvania's Lower Counties, now Delaware. Where the boundary should run was not settled until 1760. Somerset implicitly regained area along the Atlantic coast between Delaware and Virginia, and lost to Sussex (Delaware).to Iito Sussex (Del.)· Lunt, 47; Report on the Resurvey, 145; Van Zandt, 81
- 1742
- 1750Boundary clarified Somerset boundaries were clarified (no change).no change· Archives of Md., 46:468
- 1867
- 1879Lost territory Somerset lost a small part of Smith's Island to Accomack (Virginia) when the United States approved the Maryland-Virginia boundary down the south side of the Potomac River and across Chesapeake Bay. · Paullin, 85; Van Zandt, 87
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Somerset
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 17,004 parcels from Somerset County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 29 October 2024 · checked 15 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for Somerset County yet.
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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
Somerset 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
Somerset 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 Somerset County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Somerset 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 Somerset County
- When was Somerset County founded?
- Somerset County was founded in 1666, formed from Talbot County, and named after Mary, Lady Somerset.
- What is the county seat of Somerset County?
- The county seat of Somerset County is Princess Anne.
- Is there an online parcel map for Somerset County?
- Yes. Somerset County publishes a parcel map of 17,004 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Somerset County's boundary or name changed?
- Somerset County was created in 1666 from Talbot County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Accomack (Va.) County, Durham County and Ii County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Somerset County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby