When was Delta County founded?

Delta County was founded in 1843, formed from Michilimackinac County and Mackinac County, and named after delta.

What is the county seat of Delta County?

The county seat of Delta County is Escanaba.

Is there an online parcel map for Delta County?

Yes. Delta County publishes a parcel map of 22,544 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Delta County's boundary or name changed?

Delta County was created in 1843 from Michilimackinac County and Mackinac County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 7 later changes, chiefly involving U.s. County, Door (Wis.) County and Schoolcraft County.

Who issues building permits in Delta County?

The county's page on building permits: Building Permit. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 26041

Delta CountyMichigan

Delta County is a county in Michigan with its seat in Escanaba, formed in 1843.

Founded1843
County seatEscanaba
Named fordelta
Land area1,171 sq mi + 820 sq mi water
Population36,903 2020 Census
Parcels mapped22,544 checked 15 October 2026

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

Updated 20 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1843 from Michilimackinac County and Mackinac County

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

Delta County was created from Michilimackinac County in 1843 but was not fully organized and was attached to Michilimackinac for judicial purposes. In 1861, Delta gained territory from Schoolcraft County and became fully organized and detached from Mackinac County. From 1923 to 1936, Delta County was involved in a boundary dispute with Wisconsin over islands in Green Bay, which was resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court in Delta's favor in 1936.

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

1843
Delta County created Delta created from Michilimackinac (now Mackinac) and Non-County Area 6; Delta not fully organized, attached to Michilimackinac "for judicial purposes."
from Michilimackinacfrom Mackinac
9 March 1843 · Mich. Acts 1843, ann. sess., no. 89, secs. 6-7/pp. 202-203
1861
Gained territory Delta gained from Schoolcraft (which was attached to Marquette), lost to creation of Non-County Areas 8 and 9; Delta fully organized, detached from Mackinac.
from Schoolcraft from Marquette from Mackinac
12 March 1861 · Mich. Acts 1861, reg. sess., no. 129, secs. 1, 5/pp. 174-175; Mich. Acts 1863, reg. sess., no. 16/p. 14
1861
Changed Non-County Area 8 attached to Delta for administrative and judicial purposes. 15 March 1861 · Mich. Acts 1861, reg. sess., no. 199/p. 409
1862
Lost territory Delta lost all of attached Non-County Area 8 to Schoolcraft.
to Schoolcraft
18 January 1862 · Mich. Acts 1862, ext. sess., no. 23/p. 53
1923
Delta County created Delta implicitly overlapped Door (Wisconsin) when Michigan took its 1909 boundary dispute with Wisconsin to the U.S. Supreme Court and expanded its scope by claiming more territory on the Upper Peninsula and more of the waters and islands of Green Bay. Wisconsin claimed the old, established line and never lost control of the disputed area. Delta claimed Washington, Rock, Chambers, Plum, and smaller islands in Green Bay.
from Door (Wis.)from U.s.
8 October 1923 · Martin, "Michigan-Wisconsin," 116, 118, 132

Show all 9 changes (4 more, mostly small adjustments)

1843
Delta County created Delta created from Michilimackinac (now Mackinac) and Non-County Area 6; Delta not fully organized, attached to Michilimackinac "for judicial purposes."
from Michilimackinacfrom Mackinac
9 March 1843 · Mich. Acts 1843, ann. sess., no. 89, secs. 6-7/pp. 202-203
1861
Gained territory Delta gained from Schoolcraft (which was attached to Marquette), lost to creation of Non-County Areas 8 and 9; Delta fully organized, detached from Mackinac.
from Schoolcraft from Marquette from Mackinac
12 March 1861 · Mich. Acts 1861, reg. sess., no. 129, secs. 1, 5/pp. 174-175; Mich. Acts 1863, reg. sess., no. 16/p. 14
1861
Changed Non-County Area 8 attached to Delta for administrative and judicial purposes. 15 March 1861 · Mich. Acts 1861, reg. sess., no. 199/p. 409
1862
Lost territory Delta lost all of attached Non-County Area 8 to Schoolcraft.
to Schoolcraft
18 January 1862 · Mich. Acts 1862, ext. sess., no. 23/p. 53
1871
Boundary clarified Delta boundaries were clarified to include Big Summer Island, St. Martin's Island, Gull Island, and Poverty Island (no change).
no change
15 April 1871 · Mich. Acts 1871, reg. sess., no. 470/p. 219
1923
Delta County created Delta implicitly overlapped Door (Wisconsin) when Michigan took its 1909 boundary dispute with Wisconsin to the U.S. Supreme Court and expanded its scope by claiming more territory on the Upper Peninsula and more of the waters and islands of Green Bay. Wisconsin claimed the old, established line and never lost control of the disputed area. Delta claimed Washington, Rock, Chambers, Plum, and smaller islands in Green Bay.
from Door (Wis.)from U.s.
8 October 1923 · Martin, "Michigan-Wisconsin," 116, 118, 132
1926
Changed Delta's claimed overlap of Wisconsin ended when the U.S. Supreme Court decided the dispute between Michigan and Wisconsin entirely in favor of Wisconsin.
U.s.
1 March 1926 · Martin, "Michigan-Wisconsin," 141-143
1926
Changed Delta appeared to lose islands north of the Rock Island Passage to Door (Wisconsin) when the U.S. Supreme Court decreed the precise course of the Michigan-Wisconsin boundary through Lake Michigan and Green Bay and introduced some unintentional errors.
Door (Wis.)U.s.
22 November 1926 · Martin, "Michigan-Wisconsin," 143-145, 158; Paullin, 86, pl. 101
1936
Changed Delta regained full control of the area overlapped with Door (Wisconsin); dispute with Wisconsin ended when the U.S. Supreme Court decreed the precise course of the revised Michigan-Wisconsin boundary through Green Bay and Lake Michigan, restoring to Delta the area it appeared to lose in 1926.
Door (Wis.)U.s.
16 March 1936 · Martin, "Second Wisconsin-Michigan," 86, 118-121

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Delta

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 22,544 parcels from Delta County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 15 April 2026 · checked 15 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Delta County yet.
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

Delta by the Census

Population

36,903 2020 Census count

Housing units

19,786 2020 Census count

Land area

1,171 square miles

Water area

820 square miles · 41% of the county, including large bodies of water

People per sq mi

32 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

Building Permitfrom deltacountymi.gov

Zoning and code

County Ordinancesfrom deltacountymi.gov
Building & Zoningfrom deltacountymi.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Delta County.
deltacountymi.org

See your own lot on these maps

Open Delta 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 Delta County

When was Delta County founded?: Delta County was founded in 1843, formed from Michilimackinac County and Mackinac County, and named after delta.
What is the county seat of Delta County?: The county seat of Delta County is Escanaba.
Is there an online parcel map for Delta County?: Yes. Delta County publishes a parcel map of 22,544 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Delta County's boundary or name changed?: Delta County was created in 1843 from Michilimackinac County and Mackinac County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 7 later changes, chiefly involving U.s. County, Door (Wis.) County and Schoolcraft County.
Who issues building permits in Delta County?: The county's page on building permits: Building Permit. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Delta County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby