When was Lake County founded?

Lake County was founded in 1840, formed from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Ottawa County, and named after lake.

What is the county seat of Lake County?

The county seat of Lake County is Baldwin.

Is there an online parcel map for Lake County?

Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 27,192 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Lake County's boundary or name changed?

Lake County was created in 1840 from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Ottawa County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 7 later changes, chiefly involving Mason County, Mecosta County and Newaygo County. It was formerly called Aishcum.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 26085

Lake CountyMichigan

Lake County is a county in Michigan, with its seat in Baldwin. It was created in 1840 as Aishcum County from Michilimackinac County and renamed Lake in 1843.

Founded1840
County seatBaldwin
Named forlake
Land area568 sq mi + 6.8 sq mi water
Population12,096 2020 Census
Parcels mapped27,192 checked 15 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

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

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

Lake County was created on April 1, 1840, from Michilimackinac County and initially attached to Ottawa County for judicial purposes. It was renamed from Aishcum to Lake on March 8, 1843. The county was attached to various neighboring counties—Mason, Newaygo, and Osceola—for judicial and municipal purposes over the following decades before becoming fully organized on March 18, 1871.

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

1840
Lake County created Aishcum (now Lake) created from Michilimackinac (now Mackinac); Aishcum not fully organized, attached to Ottawa "for judicial purposes."
from Michilimackinac from Mackinacfrom Ottawa
1 April 1840 · Mich. Acts 1840, ann. sess., no. 119, secs. 6, 35/pp. 196, 200
1843
Renamed Aishcum renamed Lake.
formerly Aishcum
8 March 1843 · Mich. Acts 1843, ann. sess., no. 67/p. 145
1855
Changed Lake detached from Ottawa, attached to Mason "for judicial purposes."
Ottawa Mason
13 February 1855 · Mich. Acts 1855, reg. sess., no. 171, secs. 1-3/pp. 423-424
1857
Changed Lake detached from Mason, attached to Newaygo "for judicial and municipal purposes."
Mason Newaygo
17 February 1857 · Mich. Acts 1857, reg. sess., no. 180/p. 463
1858
Changed Lake detached from Newaygo, re-attached to Mason "for judicial and municipal purposes."
Newaygo Mason
29 January 1858 · Mich. Acts 1858, ext. sess., no. 5, sec. 1/p. 15

Show all 8 changes (3 more)

1840
Lake County created Aishcum (now Lake) created from Michilimackinac (now Mackinac); Aishcum not fully organized, attached to Ottawa "for judicial purposes."
from Michilimackinac from Mackinacfrom Ottawa
1 April 1840 · Mich. Acts 1840, ann. sess., no. 119, secs. 6, 35/pp. 196, 200
1843
Renamed Aishcum renamed Lake.
formerly Aishcum
8 March 1843 · Mich. Acts 1843, ann. sess., no. 67/p. 145
1855
Changed Lake detached from Ottawa, attached to Mason "for judicial purposes."
Ottawa Mason
13 February 1855 · Mich. Acts 1855, reg. sess., no. 171, secs. 1-3/pp. 423-424
1857
Changed Lake detached from Mason, attached to Newaygo "for judicial and municipal purposes."
Mason Newaygo
17 February 1857 · Mich. Acts 1857, reg. sess., no. 180/p. 463
1858
Changed Lake detached from Newaygo, re-attached to Mason "for judicial and municipal purposes."
Newaygo Mason
29 January 1858 · Mich. Acts 1858, ext. sess., no. 5, sec. 1/p. 15
1867
Changed Part of Lake was detached from Mason, attached to Mecosta "for municipal and judicial purposes."
Mason Mecosta
26 March 1867 · Mich. Acts 1867, reg. sess., no. 444/p. 925
1869
Changed Part of Lake was detached from both Mason and Mecosta, attached to Osceola "for judicial and municipal purposes."
Mason Mecosta Osceola
22 March 1869 · Mich. Acts 1869, reg. sess., no. 308/p. 605
1871
Changed Lake fully organized, detached from Mason and Osceola.
Mason Osceola
18 March 1871 · Mich. Acts 1871, reg. sess., no. 357, secs. 1, 7/pp. 71, 73

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Lake

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 27,192 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 28 September 2026 · checked 15 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Lake 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

Lake by the Census

Population

12,096 2020 Census count

Housing units

13,315 2020 Census count

Land area

568 square miles

Water area

6.8 square miles

People per sq mi

21 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

Lake 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 Lake County.
lakecounty-michigan.com

See your own lot on these maps

Open Lake 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 Lake County

When was Lake County founded?: Lake County was founded in 1840, formed from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Ottawa County, and named after lake.
What is the county seat of Lake County?: The county seat of Lake County is Baldwin.
Is there an online parcel map for Lake County?: Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 27,192 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Lake County's boundary or name changed?: Lake County was created in 1840 from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Ottawa County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 7 later changes, chiefly involving Mason County, Mecosta County and Newaygo County. It was formerly called Aishcum.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Lake County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby