County · code 26139
Ottawa CountyMichigan
Ottawa County is located in Michigan and has its county seat in Grand Haven. The county was created on March 2, 1831 from Michilimackinac County (now Mackinac County).
- Founded1831
- County seatGrand Haven
- Named forOdawa
- Land area564 sq mi + 1,068 sq mi water
- Population296,200 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped115,237 checked 15 October 2026
Where it is
Ottawa on the map of Michigan
Michigan has 83 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Formed in 1831 from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Cass County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Ottawa County was formed in 1831 from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Cass County, and named after Odawa. Grand Haven is the county seat.
Deeds and plats from before 1831 for land now in Ottawa County may have been recorded in Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Cass County.
- 1831Ottawa County created Ottawa created by Michigan Territory from Michilimackinac (now Mackinac) and Non-County Area 1 attached to Cass; Ottawa not fully organized, not attached. · Mich. Terr. Laws, 3:sec. 5/p. 871
- 1836
- 1837
- 1840Changed Aishcum (now Lake), Notipekago (now Mason), and Unwattin (now Osceola) attached to Ottawa; Oceana detached from Kent, attached to Ottawa. All attachments were "for judicial purposes." · Mich. Acts 1840, ann. sess., no. 119, secs. 1, 4-7, 33-35/pp. 196-197, 200
- 1859Lost territory Ottawa lost to creation of Muskegon and lost attached Non-County Area 7 to creation of Muskegon. · Mich. Acts 1859, reg. sess., no. 55/p. 94
Show all 9 changes
- 1831Ottawa County created Ottawa created by Michigan Territory from Michilimackinac (now Mackinac) and Non-County Area 1 attached to Cass; Ottawa not fully organized, not attached. · Mich. Terr. Laws, 3:sec. 5/p. 871
- 1836
- 1837
- 1840Changed Aishcum (now Lake), Notipekago (now Mason), and Unwattin (now Osceola) attached to Ottawa; Oceana detached from Kent, attached to Ottawa. All attachments were "for judicial purposes." · Mich. Acts 1840, ann. sess., no. 119, secs. 1, 4-7, 33-35/pp. 196-197, 200
- 1846Changed Manistee detached from Michilimackinac (now Mackinac), attached to Ottawa; part of Newaygo detached from Kent, attached to Ottawa. Both attachments were "for judicial purposes." · Mich. Acts 1846, ann. sess., no. 33, secs. 21-22/p. 31
- 1851Changed Newaygo fully organized, detached from Ottawa. · Mich. Acts 1851, ext. sess., no. 177/p. 305
- 1853Changed Manistee detached from Ottawa, attached to Grand Traverse "for judicial and municipal purposes." · Mich. Acts 1853, reg. sess., no. 34/p. 43
- 1855Changed Mason fully organized, detached from Ottawa; Lake and Osceola detached from Ottawa, attached to Mason "for judicial purposes." Part of Oceana reverted to Non-County Area 7; Non-County Area 7 was attached to Ottawa "for judicial purposes." Oceana fully organized, detached from Ottawa. · Mich. Acts 1855, reg. sess., no. 171, secs. 1-3/pp. 423-424
- 1859Lost territory Ottawa lost to creation of Muskegon and lost attached Non-County Area 7 to creation of Muskegon. · Mich. Acts 1859, reg. sess., no. 55/p. 94
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Ottawa
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
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Parcels Official
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 115,237 parcels from Ottawa County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 15 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for Ottawa County yet.
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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
Ottawa by the Census
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
- County government
The official website of Ottawa County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Ottawa 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.
Questions
Common questions about Ottawa County
- When was Ottawa County founded?
- Ottawa County was founded in 1831, formed from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Cass County, and named after Odawa.
- What is the county seat of Ottawa County?
- The county seat of Ottawa County is Grand Haven.
- Is there an online parcel map for Ottawa County?
- Yes. Ottawa County publishes a parcel map of 115,237 parcels, rated official here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Ottawa County's boundary or name changed?
- Ottawa County was created in 1831 from Michilimackinac County, Mackinac County and Cass County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Kent County, Lake County and Manistee County.
- Who issues building permits in Ottawa County?
- The county's page on building permits: Online Permit Applications. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
- Who issues septic and well permits in Ottawa 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 Ottawa County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby