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County · code 26081

Kent CountyMichigan

Kent County is in Michigan, with Grand Rapids as its seat. The county was formed on March 2, 1831, from Michilimackinac County and named after James Kent.

  • Founded1831
  • County seatGrand Rapids
  • Named forJames Kent
  • Land area849 sq mi + 23 sq mi water
  • Population657,974 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped232,122 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Kent County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

IoniaMontcalmNewaygoAlleganOttawaMuskegon Grand Rapids Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Kent 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 CountyClare CountyClinton CountyCrawford CountyDelta CountyDickinson CountyEaton CountyEmmet CountyGenesee CountyGladwin CountyGogebic CountyGrand Traverse CountyGratiot CountyHillsdale CountyHoughton CountyHuron CountyIngham CountyIonia CountyIosco CountyIron CountyIsabella CountyJackson CountyKalamazoo CountyKalkaska 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 CountyKent County Kent
Counties of Michigan · Kent highlighted

History

Formed in 1831 from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Kalamazoo County

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

Kent County was created by Michigan Territory from Michilimackinac County (now Mackinac County) on March 2, 1831, but was not fully organized at first. In 1836, Kent County was fully organized and several neighboring counties—Clinton, Ionia, and Ottawa—were attached to it for judicial purposes. Over the following decades, these attached counties were gradually organized and detached from Kent County: Ionia in 1837, Ottawa in 1837, and Newaygo in 1851.

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

  1. 1831
    Kent County created Kent created by Michigan Territory from Michilimackinac (now Mackinac) and Non-County Area 5 attached to Kalamazoo; Kent not fully organized, not attached.
    from Michilimackinacfrom Mackinacfrom Kalamazoo
    · Mich. Terr. Laws, 3:sec. 3/p. 871
  2. 1834
    Changed Part of Kent was organized as the township of Kent and may have been attached to Kalamazoo for administrative and judicial purposes.
    Kalamazoo
    · Mich. Terr. Laws, 3:1275; History of Kent, 1:284
  3. 1836
    Changed Kent fully organized; Clinton, Ionia, and Ottawa attached to Kent "for judicial purposes."
    ClintonIoniaOttawa
    · Mich. Acts 1836, ann. sess., p. 65
  4. 1837
    Changed Clinton detached from Kent, attached to Shiawassee "for judicial purposes."
    ClintonShiawassee
    · Mich. Acts 1837, ann. sess., no. 56/p. 106
  5. 1840
    Gained territory Kent gained from Oceana. Kent lost part of Oceana attachment to creation of Mecosta and Newaygo; Mecosta and Newaygo attached to Kent. Oceana detached from Kent, attached to Ottawa. All attachments were "for judicial purposes."
    from Oceanafrom Mecostafrom Newaygofrom Ottawa
    · Mich. Acts 1840, ann. sess., no. 119, secs. 1-4, 33-35/pp. 196, 200
Show all 10 changes (5 more)
  1. 1831
    Kent County created Kent created by Michigan Territory from Michilimackinac (now Mackinac) and Non-County Area 5 attached to Kalamazoo; Kent not fully organized, not attached.
    from Michilimackinacfrom Mackinacfrom Kalamazoo
    · Mich. Terr. Laws, 3:sec. 3/p. 871
  2. 1834
    Changed Part of Kent was organized as the township of Kent and may have been attached to Kalamazoo for administrative and judicial purposes.
    Kalamazoo
    · Mich. Terr. Laws, 3:1275; History of Kent, 1:284
  3. 1836
    Changed Kent fully organized; Clinton, Ionia, and Ottawa attached to Kent "for judicial purposes."
    ClintonIoniaOttawa
    · Mich. Acts 1836, ann. sess., p. 65
  4. 1837
    Changed Clinton detached from Kent, attached to Shiawassee "for judicial purposes."
    ClintonShiawassee
    · Mich. Acts 1837, ann. sess., no. 56/p. 106
  5. 1837
    Changed Ionia fully organized, detached from Kent; Oceana attached to Kent "for judicial purposes."
    IoniaOceana
    · Mich. Acts 1837, ann. sess., no. 51/p. 97
  6. 1837
    Changed Ottawa fully organized, detached from Kent.
    Ottawa
    · Mich. Acts 1837, adj. sess., no. 8/p. 9
  7. 1840
    Gained territory Kent gained from Oceana. Kent lost part of Oceana attachment to creation of Mecosta and Newaygo; Mecosta and Newaygo attached to Kent. Oceana detached from Kent, attached to Ottawa. All attachments were "for judicial purposes."
    from Oceanafrom Mecostafrom Newaygofrom Ottawa
    · Mich. Acts 1840, ann. sess., no. 119, secs. 1-4, 33-35/pp. 196, 200
  8. 1846
    Changed Part of Newaygo detached from Kent, attached to Ottawa "for judicial purposes."
    NewaygoOttawa
    · Mich. Acts 1846, ann. sess., no. 33, secs. 21-22/p. 31
  9. 1851
    Changed Newaygo fully organized, detached from Kent.
    Newaygo
    · Mich. Acts 1851, ext. sess., no. 177/p. 305
  10. 1857
    Changed Mecosta detached from Kent, attached to Newaygo "for judicial and municipal purposes."
    MecostaNewaygo
    · Mich. Acts 1857, reg. sess., no. 180/p. 463

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Kent

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

Kent by the Census

Population
657,974 2020 Census count
Housing units
265,002 2020 Census count
Land area
849 square miles
Water area
23 square miles
People per sq mi
775 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

Kent County's official site

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

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Kent 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 Kent County

When was Kent County founded?
Kent County was founded in 1831, formed from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Kalamazoo County, and named after James Kent.
What is the county seat of Kent County?
The county seat of Kent County is Grand Rapids.
Is there an online parcel map for Kent County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 232,122 parcels, rated official here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Kent County's boundary or name changed?
Kent County was created in 1831 from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Kalamazoo County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 9 later changes, chiefly involving Newaygo County, Ottawa County and Clinton County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Kent 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