County · code 23031
York CountyMaine
York County is a county in southwestern Maine with its seat in Alfred. Massachusetts created it as Yorkshire in 1652, and it became a Maine county in 1820 when Maine was admitted to the Union.
- Founded1636
- County seatAlfred
- Named forYork, England
- Land area991 sq mi + 279 sq mi water
- Population211,972 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped104,765 checked 16 October 2026
Where it is
York on the map of Maine
Maine has 16 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Founded in 1636
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Massachusetts created York County as Yorkshire in 1652 after southern Maine towns between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers acknowledged Massachusetts's jurisdiction. The county went into abeyance in 1664 when the Gorges family rejected Massachusetts's claim, was reinstated in 1668 when Massachusetts reasserted authority, and was eliminated in 1680 when Massachusetts organized a new government for Maine under Ferdinando Gorges's proprietary grant. York County was reinstated in 1691 under the new Massachusetts charter issued by King William Iii and Queen Mary II. When Maine was separated from Massachusetts and admitted to the Union in 1820, York became a county in the state of Maine.
- 1652York County created Massachusetts created Yorkshire (now York) in Maine after southern Maine towns (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers) acknowledged Massachusetts's jurisdiction over all territory within the new boundaries that it declared on 26 May 1652. Towns located farther north near Casco Bay gave their allegiance later, the last in 1658, practically eliminating the Province of Lygonia. Massachusetts claim conflicted with the 1635 grant of Maine to Ferdinando Gorges. · Farnham, 7:274, 288; Mass. Recs., vol. 4, pt. 1:124; Reid, Maine, 21
- c. 1680Eliminated York eliminated when Massachusetts organized a new government for Maine (area between the Piscataqua and Kennebec Rivers) in accordance with terms of Ferdinando Gorges's 1635 grant. · Farnham, 7:356; Williamson, 1:556, 563
- 1716Gained territory York gained all Massachusetts territory between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers in present Maine. Northern limit was indefinite. · Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 9, ch. 75 [1716-1717]/p. 485
- 1763York County created York was extended northward to the Atlantic watershed when King George Iii created the new royal province of Quebec, which was bounded on the south by the watershed between the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean. This implicitly set the northern limit of Maine.from Iii· Cappon, Petchenik, and Long, 1, 77; Shortt and Doughty, 119-120
- 1820Became part of Maine York became a county in the state of Maine when Maine was separated from Massachusetts and admitted to the Union. · U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 19 [1820]/p. 544
Show all 15 changes
- 1652York County created Massachusetts created Yorkshire (now York) in Maine after southern Maine towns (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers) acknowledged Massachusetts's jurisdiction over all territory within the new boundaries that it declared on 26 May 1652. Towns located farther north near Casco Bay gave their allegiance later, the last in 1658, practically eliminating the Province of Lygonia. Massachusetts claim conflicted with the 1635 grant of Maine to Ferdinando Gorges. · Farnham, 7:274, 288; Mass. Recs., vol. 4, pt. 1:124; Reid, Maine, 21
- 1664Changed In November 1664, Yorkshire (now York) went into abeyance after representatives of the Gorges family rejected Massachusetts's claim and resumed government of Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers). · York County, 2:5
- 1668Changed York (formerly called Yorkshire) was reinstated when Massachusetts reasserted authority over all of Maine west of the Kennebec River, an area that had been put under royal government in June 1665.Yorkshire· Farnham, 7:317
- 1677Changed York continued as a de facto county in present southwestern Maine after England's Committee for Trade and Plantations ruled that the 1639 proprietary grant of Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers) to Ferdinando Gorges was valid and that Massachusetts had exceeded the intent of its charter by extending its jurisdiction more than three miles north of where the Merrimack River meets the Atlantic coast. · Farnham, 7:339
- c. 1680Eliminated York eliminated when Massachusetts organized a new government for Maine (area between the Piscataqua and Kennebec Rivers) in accordance with terms of Ferdinando Gorges's 1635 grant. · Farnham, 7:356; Williamson, 1:556, 563
- 1691Changed York was reinstated under the new Massachusetts charter issued by King William Iii and Queen Mary Ii for the province of Massachusetts Bay. The new charter included the former colonies of Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers), Acadia (now Nova Scotia), and all remaining territory of present Maine between Acadia and the Kennebec River.IiiIi· Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 1, ch. 27 [1692-1693], sec. 1/p. 63; Swindler, 5:80
- 1716Gained territory York gained all Massachusetts territory between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers in present Maine. Northern limit was indefinite. · Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 9, ch. 75 [1716-1717]/p. 485
- 1753Boundary clarified York was redefined to cover all territory east of New Hampshire that was not specifically part of any other Massachusetts county (no change).no change· Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 3, ch. 27 [1752-1753]/p. 656
- 1760Lost territory York lost to creation of Cumberland and Lincoln. · Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 4, ch. 7 [1760-1761], secs. 1, 2, 6/pp. 372-374
- 1763York County created York was extended northward to the Atlantic watershed when King George Iii created the new royal province of Quebec, which was bounded on the south by the watershed between the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean. This implicitly set the northern limit of Maine.from Iii· Cappon, Petchenik, and Long, 1, 77; Shortt and Doughty, 119-120
- 1786
- 1805Lost territory York lost to Cumberland, and lost to creation of Oxford. · Mass. Acts 1805, ch. 24, secs. 1-2/pp. 573-574
- 1820Became part of Maine York became a county in the state of Maine when Maine was separated from Massachusetts and admitted to the Union. · U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 19 [1820]/p. 544
- 1824Lost territory York lost small area to Cumberland. · Me. Priv. Acts 1824, ch. 276/p. 397
- 1841Gained territory York gained small area from Cumberland when town of Saco gained from town of Scarborough. · Me. Laws 1841, ch. 136, sec. 1/p. 330
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in York
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 104,765 parcels from Maine GeoLibrary (Maine Office of GIS). Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 17 August 2026 · checked 16 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for York 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
York 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
York County's official site
We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.
In Maine, 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.
County government
- County government
The official website of York County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open York 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 York County
- When was York County founded?
- York County was founded in 1636, and named after York, England.
- What is the county seat of York County?
- The county seat of York County is Alfred.
- Is there an online parcel map for York County?
- Yes. Maine GeoLibrary (Maine Office of GIS) publishes a parcel map of 104,765 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has York County's boundary or name changed?
- York County was created in 1652. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 13 later changes, chiefly involving Cumberland County, Iii County and Ii County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for York County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby