County · code 27013
Blue Earth CountyMinnesota
Blue Earth County is a county in Minnesota with its seat in Mankato. It was created on March 5, 1853, from Dakota County.
- Founded1853
- County seatMankato
- Named forBlue Earth River, Minnesota
- Land area748 sq mi + 18 sq mi water
- Population69,112 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped31,920 checked 14 October 2026
Where it is
Blue Earth on the map of Minnesota
Minnesota has 87 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Formed in 1853 from Dakota County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Blue Earth County was named after the Blue Earth River. When created in 1853, Blue Earth County lost territory in 1855 to the creation of Brown, Faribault, Freeborn, and Steele, and exchanged with Le Sueur. Faribault was attached to Blue Earth County for judicial purposes in 1856 and fully organized and detached in 1857. Watonwan was attached, detached, reattached, and finally detached again between 1866 and 1871.
- 1853Blue Earth County created Blue Earth created from Dakota, fully organized. · Minn. Terr. Laws 1853, ch. 11, sec. 8/p. 33
- 1855Lost territory Blue Earth lost to the creation of Brown, Faribault, Freeborn, and Steele, exchanged with Le Sueur. · Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 6, secs. 4-8, 10-11, 19/pp. 23-26
- 1856Changed Faribault attached to Blue Earth "for judicial purposes." · Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 34, secs. 1, 4/p. 62
- 1857Changed Faribault fully organized, detached from Blue Earth. · Minn. Terr. Laws 1857, ext. sess., ch. 83, sec. 6/pp. 309-310
- 1866
Show all 9 changes
- 1853Blue Earth County created Blue Earth created from Dakota, fully organized. · Minn. Terr. Laws 1853, ch. 11, sec. 8/p. 33
- 1855Lost territory Blue Earth lost to the creation of Brown, Faribault, Freeborn, and Steele, exchanged with Le Sueur. · Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 6, secs. 4-8, 10-11, 19/pp. 23-26
- 1856Changed Faribault attached to Blue Earth "for judicial purposes." · Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 34, secs. 1, 4/p. 62
- 1856Changed Blue Earth boundaries defined (no change). · Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 31, secs. 1-2/pp. 59-60
- 1857Changed Faribault fully organized, detached from Blue Earth. · Minn. Terr. Laws 1857, ext. sess., ch. 83, sec. 6/pp. 309-310
- 1866
- 1867Changed Watonwan fully organized, detached from Blue Earth. · Minn. Laws 1867, gen., ch. 111, secs. 1-2/p. 155
- 1868Changed Watonwan reattached to Blue Earth "for judicial purposes." · Minn. Laws 1868, gen., ch. 99, sec. 1/pp. 142-143
- 1871Changed Watonwan fully organized, detached from Blue Earth. · Minn. Laws 1871, gen., ch. 80, secs. 1, 4/pp. 143-144
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Blue Earth
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
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Parcels Fallback
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 31,920 parcels from Blue Earth County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey. This copy is a fallback, not the county's own: use it as a guide and check the official record.
edited 3 May 2022 · checked 14 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for Blue Earth 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
Blue Earth 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
Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth County
- When was Blue Earth County founded?
- Blue Earth County was founded in 1853, formed from Dakota County, and named after Blue Earth River, Minnesota.
- What is the county seat of Blue Earth County?
- The county seat of Blue Earth County is Mankato.
- Is there an online parcel map for Blue Earth County?
- Yes. Blue Earth County publishes a parcel map of 31,920 parcels, rated fallback here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Blue Earth County's boundary or name changed?
- Blue Earth County was created in 1853 from Dakota County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 7 later changes, chiefly involving Watonwan County, Faribault County and Brown County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Blue Earth County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby