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County · code 26035

Clare CountyMichigan

Clare County, Michigan was created in 1840 from Michilimackinac (now Mackinac) and Saginaw counties, with its county seat at Harrison.

  • Founded1840
  • County seatHarrison
  • Named forCounty Clare, Ireland
  • Land area564 sq mi + 11 sq mi water
  • Population30,856 2020 Census
Open the free map Click any parcel in Clare County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

IsabellaMissaukeeGladwinOsceola Harrison Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Clare on the map of Michigan

Michigan has 83 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Alcona CountyAlger CountyAllegan CountyAlpena CountyAntrim CountyArenac CountyBaraga CountyBarry CountyBay CountyBenzie CountyBerrien CountyBranch CountyCalhoun CountyCass CountyCharlevoix CountyCheboygan CountyChippewa CountyClinton CountyCrawford CountyDelta CountyDickinson CountyEaton CountyEmmet CountyGenesee CountyGladwin CountyGogebic CountyGrand Traverse CountyGratiot CountyHillsdale CountyHoughton CountyHuron CountyIngham CountyIonia CountyIosco CountyIron CountyIsabella CountyJackson CountyKalamazoo CountyKalkaska CountyKent CountyKeweenaw CountyLake CountyLapeer CountyLeelanau CountyLenawee CountyLivingston CountyLuce CountyMackinac CountyMacomb CountyManistee CountyMarquette CountyMason CountyMecosta CountyMenominee CountyMidland CountyMissaukee CountyMonroe CountyMontcalm CountyMontmorency CountyMuskegon CountyNewaygo CountyOakland CountyOceana CountyOgemaw CountyOntonagon CountyOsceola CountyOscoda CountyOtsego CountyOttawa CountyPresque Isle CountyRoscommon CountySaginaw CountySt. Clair CountySt. Joseph CountySanilac CountySchoolcraft CountyShiawassee CountyTuscola CountyVan Buren CountyWashtenaw CountyWayne CountyWexford CountyClare County Clare
Counties of Michigan · Clare highlighted

History

Formed in 1840 from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Saginaw County

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

Clare County was formed in 1840 from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Saginaw County, and named after County Clare, Ireland. Harrison is the county seat.

Deeds and plats from before 1840 for land now in Clare County may have been recorded in Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Saginaw County.

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

  1. 1840
    Clare County created Kaykakee (now Clare) created from Michilimackinac (now Mackinac) and Non-County Area 2 attached to Saginaw; Kaykakee not fully organized, attached to Saginaw "for judicial purposes."
    from Michilimackinacfrom Mackinacfrom Saginaw
    · Mich. Acts 1840, ann. sess., no. 119, secs. 8, 34/pp. 197, 200
  2. 1843
    Renamed Kaykakee renamed Clare.
    formerly Kaykakee
    · Mich. Acts 1843, ann. sess., no. 67/p. 145
  3. 1858
    Changed Clare detached from Saginaw, attached to Midland "for judicial and municipal purposes."
    SaginawMidland
    · Mich. Acts 1858, ext. sess., no. 5, sec. 1/p. 15
  4. 1859
    Changed Clare detached from Midland, attached to Isabella "for judicial and municipal purposes."
    MidlandIsabella
    · Mich. Acts 1859, reg. sess., no. 118/p. 318
  5. 1869
    Changed Part of Clare was detached from Isabella, attached to Mecosta "for judicial and other purposes."
    IsabellaMecosta
    · Mich. Acts 1869, reg. sess., no. 320/p. 621
  6. 1871
    Changed Clare fully organized, detached from Isabella and Mecosta.
    IsabellaMecosta
    · Mich. Acts 1871, reg. sess., no. 345/p. 59

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Clare

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

Clare by the Census

Population
30,856 2020 Census count
Housing units
21,818 2020 Census count
Land area
564 square miles
Water area
11 square miles
People per sq mi
55 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

Who to ask before you build, dig or sell

Official county pages only. We link to them; we do not copy them, because they change.

Inside a city or town, permits usually come from that city rather than the county.

Permits

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Clare 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 Clare County

When was Clare County founded?
Clare County was founded in 1840, formed from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Saginaw County, and named after County Clare, Ireland.
What is the county seat of Clare County?
The county seat of Clare County is Harrison.
Is there an online parcel map for Clare County?
Not that we have found yet. Lot lines and owners of record are kept by the county assessor's office. When a public parcel map appears, it shows here.
Has Clare County's boundary or name changed?
Clare County was created in 1840 from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Saginaw County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Isabella County, Mecosta County and Midland County. It was formerly called Kaykakee.
Who issues septic and well permits in Clare County?
The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health department: septic and well.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Clare 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