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County · code 26107

Mecosta CountyMichigan

Mecosta County is a county in Michigan with its seat in Big Rapids. The county was created on April 1, 1840.

  • Founded1840
  • County seatBig Rapids
  • Named forMecosta
  • Land area555 sq mi + 16 sq mi water
  • Population39,714 2020 Census
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Updated

MontcalmIsabella Big Rapids Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Mecosta 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 CountyKent CountyKeweenaw CountyLake CountyLapeer CountyLeelanau CountyLenawee CountyLivingston CountyLuce CountyMackinac CountyMacomb CountyManistee CountyMarquette CountyMason 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 CountyMecosta County Mecosta
Counties of Michigan · Mecosta highlighted

History

Formed in 1840 from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County, Oceana County and Kent County

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

Mecosta County was created from Michilimackinac (now Mackinac), Oceana, and Kent, but was initially unorganized and attached to Kent for judicial purposes. The county was reattached to Newaygo in 1857, then fully organized and detached from Newaygo in 1859, when Osceola was also attached to Mecosta for judicial and municipal purposes. Over the following decade, Mecosta's boundaries shifted as Osceola, Clare, and portions of Lake County were organized and detached from it.

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

  1. 1840
    Mecosta County created Mecosta created from Michilimackinac (now Mackinac) and Oceana (which was attached to Kent); Mecosta not fully organized, attached to Kent "for judicial purposes."
    from Michilimackinacfrom Mackinacfrom Oceanafrom Kent
    · Mich. Acts 1840, ann. sess., no. 119, secs. 3, 35/pp. 196, 200
  2. 1857
    Changed Mecosta detached from Kent, attached to Newaygo "for judicial and municipal purposes."
    KentNewaygo
    · Mich. Acts 1857, reg. sess., no. 180/p. 463
  3. 1859
    Lost territory Mecosta lost to Montcalm; Mecosta fully organized, detached from Newaygo. Osceola detached from Newaygo, attached to Mecosta "for judicial and municipal purposes."
    to Montcalmto Newaygoto Osceola
    · Mich. Acts 1859, reg. sess., no. 99, secs. 1, 6/pp. 257-259; and reg. sess., no. 103/p. 261
  4. 1867
    Changed Part of Lake was detached from Mason, attached to Mecosta "for municipal and judicial purposes."
    LakeMason
    · Mich. Acts 1867, reg. sess., no. 444/p. 925
  5. 1869
    Changed Osceola fully organized, detached from Mecosta.
    Osceola
    · Mich. Acts 1869, reg. sess., no. 301/p. 487
  6. 1869
    Changed Part of Lake was detached from Mecosta, attached to Osceola; part of Clare was detached from Isabella, attached to Mecosta. All attachments were "for judicial and other purposes."
    LakeOsceolaClareIsabella
    · Mich. Acts 1869, reg. sess., no. 308/p. 605; and reg. sess., no. 320/p. 621
  7. 1871
    Changed Clare fully organized, detached from Mecosta.
    Clare
    · Mich. Acts 1871, reg. sess., no. 345/p. 59

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Mecosta

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

Mecosta by the Census

Population
39,714 2020 Census count
Housing units
20,884 2020 Census count
Land area
555 square miles
Water area
16 square miles
People per sq mi
72 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.

Records

Permits

Zoning and code

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Mecosta 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 Mecosta County

When was Mecosta County founded?
Mecosta County was founded in 1840, formed from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County, Oceana County and Kent County, and named after Mecosta.
What is the county seat of Mecosta County?
The county seat of Mecosta County is Big Rapids.
Is there an online parcel map for Mecosta 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 Mecosta County's boundary or name changed?
Mecosta County was created in 1840 from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County, Oceana County and Kent County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 6 later changes, chiefly involving Osceola County, Clare County and Lake County.
Who issues building permits in Mecosta County?
The county's page on building permits: Building Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Mecosta 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