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County · code 27027

Clay CountyMinnesota

Clay County is a county in Minnesota with its county seat in Moorhead. It was created on March 18, 1858, from Pembina and Kittson counties and named after Henry Clay.

  • Founded1858
  • County seatMoorhead
  • Named forHenry Clay
  • Land area1,045 sq mi + 7.5 sq mi water
  • Population65,318 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped31,361 checked 16 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Clay County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

NormanWilkinCass, NDRichland, NDBeckerOtter Tail Moorhead Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Clay 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 CountyBrown CountyCarlton CountyCarver CountyCass CountyChippewa CountyChisago 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 CountyClay County Clay
Counties of Minnesota · Clay highlighted

History

Formed in 1858 from Pembina County and Kittson County

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

Originally called Breckenridge when created from Pembina (now Kittson) and Kittson counties, it was renamed Clay on March 6, 1862. The county was organized for government in 1872 and fully organized in 1873, after spending its early years attached to various neighboring counties for judicial and administrative purposes.

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

  1. 1858
    Clay County created Breckenridge (now Clay) created from Pembina (now Kittson).
    from Pembinafrom Kittson
    · Minn. Laws 1857-1858, spec., ch. 34, secs. 2, 4/pp. 144-145
  2. 1860
    Gained territory Breckenridge (now Clay) gained from Polk, lost to Becker, Otter Tail, and Toombs (now Wilkin).
    from Polkfrom Beckerfrom Otter Tailfrom Toombsfrom Wilkin
    · Minn. Laws 1859-1860, spec., ch. 33, secs. 1, 3-6/pp. 60-62
  3. 1862
    Renamed Breckenridge renamed Clay.
    formerly Breckenridge
    · Minn. Laws 1862, spec., ch. 33, sec. 1/ p. 273
  4. 1862
    Lost territory Clay lost to Non-County Area 9. · Minn. Laws 1862, spec., ch. 25, sec. 1/p. 262
  5. 1864
    Changed Clay attached to Stearns "for judicial purposes, and for the purpose of assessment and collection of taxes."
    Stearns
    · Minn. Laws 1864, gen., ch. 67, sec. 1/p. 125
Show all 13 changes (8 more)
  1. 1858
    Clay County created Breckenridge (now Clay) created from Pembina (now Kittson).
    from Pembinafrom Kittson
    · Minn. Laws 1857-1858, spec., ch. 34, secs. 2, 4/pp. 144-145
  2. 1860
    Gained territory Breckenridge (now Clay) gained from Polk, lost to Becker, Otter Tail, and Toombs (now Wilkin).
    from Polkfrom Beckerfrom Otter Tailfrom Toombsfrom Wilkin
    · Minn. Laws 1859-1860, spec., ch. 33, secs. 1, 3-6/pp. 60-62
  3. 1862
    Renamed Breckenridge renamed Clay.
    formerly Breckenridge
    · Minn. Laws 1862, spec., ch. 33, sec. 1/ p. 273
  4. 1862
    Lost territory Clay lost to Non-County Area 9. · Minn. Laws 1862, spec., ch. 25, sec. 1/p. 262
  5. 1864
    Changed Clay attached to Stearns "for judicial purposes, and for the purpose of assessment and collection of taxes."
    Stearns
    · Minn. Laws 1864, gen., ch. 67, sec. 1/p. 125
  6. 1866
    Changed Clay detached from Stearns, attached to Crow Wing "for judicial purposes."
    StearnsCrow Wing
    · Minn. Gen. Stat. 1866, ch. 64, title 4, sec. 33/p. 419
  7. 1867
    Changed Clay detached from Crow Wing, attached to Douglas "for judicial and record purposes."
    Crow WingDouglas
    · Minn. Laws 1867, gen., ch. 113, secs. 1-3/pp. 159-160
  8. 1871
    Changed Clay detached from Douglas, attached to Becker "for judicial and record purposes."
    DouglasBecker
    · Minn. Laws 1871, spec., ch. 75, secs. 1-3/p. 285
  9. 1872
    Changed Clay organized for county government. · Minn. Laws 1872, gen., ch. 80, sec. 1/p. 146
  10. 1873
    Changed Clay fully organized, detached from Becker.
    Becker
    · Minn. Laws 1873, gen., ch. 88, sec. 1/pp. 205-206
  11. 1876
    Changed Pembina (now Kittson) and Polk detached from Becker, attached to Clay "for judicial purposes."
    PembinaKittsonPolkBecker
    · Minn. Laws 1876, gen., ch. 117, sec. 1/p 127
  12. 1879
    Changed Polk fully organized, detached from Clay; Kittson detached from Clay, attached to Polk "for judicial purposes."
    PolkKittson
    · Minn. Laws 1879, gen., ch. 64, sec. 1/p. 67
  13. 1961
    Lost territory Clay lost small area (c. 20 acres) to North Dakota when channel of Red River altered near Moorhead, Minn./Fargo, N. Dak.. · Van Zandt, 134

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Clay

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

Clay by the Census

Population
65,318 2020 Census count
Housing units
26,844 2020 Census count
Land area
1,045 square miles
Water area
7.5 square miles
People per sq mi
62 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

Clay County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Clay County

When was Clay County founded?
Clay County was founded in 1858, formed from Pembina County and Kittson County, and named after Henry Clay.
What is the county seat of Clay County?
The county seat of Clay County is Moorhead.
Is there an online parcel map for Clay County?
Yes. Minnesota Geospatial Commons publishes a parcel map of 31,361 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Clay County's boundary or name changed?
Clay County was created in 1858 from Pembina County and Kittson County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 12 later changes, chiefly involving Becker County, Polk County and Crow Wing County. It was formerly called Breckenridge.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Clay 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