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County · code 27015

Brown CountyMinnesota

Brown County is in Minnesota and has its seat in New Ulm. The county was formed on February 20, 1855, from Blue Earth County.

  • Founded1855
  • County seatNew Ulm
  • Named forJoseph Renshaw Brown
  • Land area611 sq mi + 7.2 sq mi water
  • Population25,912 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped18,388 checked 14 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Brown County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

WatonwanNicolletCottonwoodRenvilleRedwoodBlue Earth New Ulm Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Brown on the map of Minnesota

Minnesota has 87 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Aitkin CountyAnoka CountyBecker CountyBeltrami CountyBenton CountyBig Stone CountyBlue Earth CountyCarlton CountyCarver CountyCass CountyChippewa CountyChisago CountyClay CountyClearwater CountyCook CountyCottonwood CountyCrow Wing CountyDakota CountyDodge CountyDouglas CountyFaribault CountyFillmore CountyFreeborn CountyGoodhue CountyGrant CountyHennepin CountyHouston CountyHubbard CountyIsanti CountyItasca CountyJackson CountyKanabec CountyKandiyohi CountyKittson CountyKoochiching CountyLac qui Parle CountyLake CountyLake of the Woods CountyLe Sueur CountyLincoln CountyLyon CountyMcLeod CountyMahnomen CountyMarshall CountyMartin CountyMeeker CountyMille Lacs CountyMorrison CountyMower CountyMurray CountyNicollet CountyNobles CountyNorman CountyOlmsted CountyOtter Tail CountyPennington CountyPine CountyPipestone CountyPolk CountyPope CountyRamsey CountyRed Lake CountyRedwood CountyRenville CountyRice CountyRock CountyRoseau CountySt. Louis CountyScott CountySherburne CountySibley CountyStearns CountySteele CountyStevens CountySwift CountyTodd CountyTraverse CountyWabasha CountyWadena CountyWaseca CountyWashington CountyWatonwan CountyWilkin CountyWinona CountyWright CountyYellow Medicine CountyBrown County Brown
Counties of Minnesota · Brown highlighted

History

Formed in 1855 from Blue Earth County

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

Brown County was created from Blue Earth County in 1855 and fully organized for county government and judicial purposes in 1856. Between 1857 and 1868, Brown County lost significant territory to the creation of several new counties and various boundary adjustments with neighboring counties.

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

  1. 1855
    Brown County created Brown created from Blue Earth.
    from Blue Earth
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 6, sec. 19, p. 26
  2. 1857
    Lost territory Brown lost to the creation of Big Sioux (extinct), Cottonwood, Jackson, Martin, Midway (extinct), Murray, Nobles, Pipestone (now Rock), and Rock (now Pipestone).
    to Big Siouxto Cottonwoodto Jacksonto Martinto Midwayto Murrayto Noblesto Pipestoneto Rock
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1857, ext. sess., ch. 14, secs. 1-3, 5-10, 14/pp. 66-69
  3. 1858
    Lost territory Brown lost territory when the state of Minnesota was created from Minnesota Territory. · Schell, 72-77; U.S. Stat., vol. 11, ch. 60 [1857]/pp. 166-167 and ch. 31 [1858]/p. 285
  4. 1860
    Lost territory Brown lost to the creation of Watonwan; Watonwan not fully organized, attached to Brown "for judicial purposes."
    to Watonwan
    · Minn. Laws 1859-1860, spec., ch. 13, secs. 1, 3/pp. 37-38
  5. 1862
    Lost territory Brown lost to the creation of Redwood; Watonwan remained attached to Brown.
    to Redwoodto Watonwan
    · Minn. Laws 1862, spec., ch. 21, secs. 1-3, 6/pp. 255-256
Show all 13 changes (8 more)
  1. 1855
    Brown County created Brown created from Blue Earth.
    from Blue Earth
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 6, sec. 19, p. 26
  2. 1856
    Changed Brown fully organized for county government and judicial purposes. · Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 62, secs. 1-2/pp. 98-99
  3. 1857
    Lost territory Brown lost to the creation of Big Sioux (extinct), Cottonwood, Jackson, Martin, Midway (extinct), Murray, Nobles, Pipestone (now Rock), and Rock (now Pipestone).
    to Big Siouxto Cottonwoodto Jacksonto Martinto Midwayto Murrayto Noblesto Pipestoneto Rock
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1857, ext. sess., ch. 14, secs. 1-3, 5-10, 14/pp. 66-69
  4. 1858
    Lost territory Brown lost territory when the state of Minnesota was created from Minnesota Territory. · Schell, 72-77; U.S. Stat., vol. 11, ch. 60 [1857]/pp. 166-167 and ch. 31 [1858]/p. 285
  5. 1860
    Lost territory Brown lost to the creation of Watonwan; Watonwan not fully organized, attached to Brown "for judicial purposes."
    to Watonwan
    · Minn. Laws 1859-1860, spec., ch. 13, secs. 1, 3/pp. 37-38
  6. 1862
    Lost territory Brown lost to the creation of Redwood; Watonwan remained attached to Brown.
    to Redwoodto Watonwan
    · Minn. Laws 1862, spec., ch. 21, secs. 1-3, 6/pp. 255-256
  7. 1863
    Changed Cottonwood and Murray attached to Brown "for judicial purposes." (Pipestone indirectly attached to Brown, through Murray, until 4 March 1864).
    CottonwoodMurrayPipestone
    · Minn. Laws 1863, spec., ch. 18, sec. 1/p. 202
  8. 1864
    Changed Nobles, Redwood, and Rock attached to Brown; Pipestone detached from Murray, attached to Brown. All attachments were "for judicial purposes."
    NoblesRedwoodRockPipestoneMurray
    · Minn. Laws 1864, gen., ch. 70, sec. 1/p. 128
  9. 1864
    Gained territory Brown gained from Cottonwood and Redwood.
    from Cottonwoodfrom Redwood
    · Minn. Laws 1864, spec., ch. 70, secs. 1-2, 5/pp. 337-339
  10. 1865
    Lost territory Brown lost to Redwood.
    to Redwood
    · Minn. Laws 1865, gen., ch. 71, secs. 1-4, 6/pp. 138-140
  11. 1866
    Changed Nobles and Rock detached from Brown, attached to Martin; Watonwan detached from Brown, attached to Blue Earth. All attachments were "for judicial purposes."
    NoblesRockMartinWatonwanBlue Earth
    · Minn. Gen. Stat. 1866, ch. 64, title 4, sec. 33/p. 419
  12. 1868
    Changed Redwood fully organized, detached from Brown; Cottonwood, Murray, and Pipestone detached from Brown, attached to Redwood "for judicial purposes."
    RedwoodCottonwoodMurrayPipestone
    · Minn. Laws 1868, gen., ch. 105, secs. 2-3/pp. 148-149
  13. 1871
    Changed Cottonwood and Redwood authorized to gain the four adjacent southwestern townships of Brown, dependent upon local referendum that failed (no change).
    CottonwoodRedwood
    · HRS Minn., Redwood, 12; Minn. Laws 1871, spec., ch. 95, secs. 1-3/pp. 311-312; Minn. Stat. 1873, ch. 2, title 1, sec. 9/pp. 92-93

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Brown

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

Brown by the Census

Population
25,912 2020 Census count
Housing units
11,780 2020 Census count
Land area
611 square miles
Water area
7.2 square miles
People per sq mi
42 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.

Permits

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Brown 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 Brown County

When was Brown County founded?
Brown County was founded in 1855, formed from Blue Earth County, and named after Joseph Renshaw Brown.
What is the county seat of Brown County?
The county seat of Brown County is New Ulm.
Is there an online parcel map for Brown County?
Yes. Brown County publishes a parcel map of 18,388 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Brown County's boundary or name changed?
Brown County was created in 1855 from Blue Earth County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 11 later changes, chiefly involving Redwood County, Cottonwood County and Murray County.
Who issues building permits in Brown County?
The county's page on building permits: Licenses & Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Brown 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