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County · code 27037

Dakota CountyMinnesota

Dakota County is a county in Minnesota, located in the southeastern part of the state, with its seat in Hastings. The county was created on October 27, 1849, and is named after the Sioux people.

  • Founded1849
  • County seatHastings
  • Named forSioux
  • Land area563 sq mi + 24 sq mi water
  • Population439,882 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped152,674 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Dakota County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

RamseyRiceWashingtonGoodhueScottHennepinPierce, WI Hastings Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Dakota on the map of Minnesota

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

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Counties of Minnesota · Dakota highlighted

History

Formed in 1849 from Ramsey County

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

Dakota County was formed in 1849 from Ramsey County, and named after Sioux. Hastings is the county seat.

Deeds and plats from before 1849 for land now in Dakota County may have been recorded in Ramsey County.

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

  1. 1849
    Dakota County created Dakota created from non-county area in Minnesota Territory; Dakota not fully organized, attached to Ramsey "for judicial purposes."
    from Ramsey
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1849, ch. 5, secs. 6, 19/pp. 8-9
  2. 1851
    Gained territory Dakota gained from Wahnahta (extinct), exchanged with Wabasha, lost to the creation of Cass; Dakota remained attached to Ramsey.
    from Wahnahtafrom Wabashafrom Cassfrom Ramsey
    · Minn. Terr. Rev. Stat. 1851, ch. 1, secs. 7-9, 13, 18/pp. 31-32
  3. 1852
    Lost territory Dakota lost to the creation of Hennepin.
    to Hennepin
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1852, ch. 32, secs. 1-2, 4/pp. 51-52
  4. 1853
    Gained territory Dakota fully organized for county and judicial purposes, detached from Ramsey. Dakota gained from Wabasha, lost to the creation of Blue Earth, Goodhue, Le Sueur, Nicollet, Pierce (extinct), Rice, Scott, and Sibley; Rice attached to Dakota "for judicial purposes."
    from Ramseyfrom Wabashafrom Blue Earthfrom Goodhuefrom Le Sueurfrom Nicolletfrom Piercefrom Ricefrom Scottfrom Sibley
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1853, ch. 11, secs. 1-3, 5-10, 12, 14/pp. 32-34
  5. 1855
    Gained territory Dakota gained undisputed jurisdiction of 20 Feb 1855 overlap with Scott.
    from Scott
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 22, secs 2-3/pp. 69-70
Show all 14 changes (9 more, mostly small adjustments)
  1. 1849
    Dakota County created Dakota created from non-county area in Minnesota Territory; Dakota not fully organized, attached to Ramsey "for judicial purposes."
    from Ramsey
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1849, ch. 5, secs. 6, 19/pp. 8-9
  2. 1851
    Gained territory Dakota gained from Wahnahta (extinct), exchanged with Wabasha, lost to the creation of Cass; Dakota remained attached to Ramsey.
    from Wahnahtafrom Wabashafrom Cassfrom Ramsey
    · Minn. Terr. Rev. Stat. 1851, ch. 1, secs. 7-9, 13, 18/pp. 31-32
  3. 1852
    Lost territory Dakota lost to the creation of Hennepin.
    to Hennepin
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1852, ch. 32, secs. 1-2, 4/pp. 51-52
  4. 1853
    Gained territory Dakota fully organized for county and judicial purposes, detached from Ramsey. Dakota gained from Wabasha, lost to the creation of Blue Earth, Goodhue, Le Sueur, Nicollet, Pierce (extinct), Rice, Scott, and Sibley; Rice attached to Dakota "for judicial purposes."
    from Ramseyfrom Wabashafrom Blue Earthfrom Goodhuefrom Le Sueurfrom Nicolletfrom Piercefrom Ricefrom Scottfrom Sibley
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1853, ch. 11, secs. 1-3, 5-10, 12, 14/pp. 32-34
  5. 1855
    Gained territory Dakota gained from Goodhue, Rice, Scott, and Non-County Areas 1 and 2. Dakota overlapped eastern part of Scott, an oversight corrected 3 March 1855. Non-County Area 2 eliminated.
    from Goodhuefrom Ricefrom Scott
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 6, sec. 8-11, 20, 23/pp. 24-25, 27
  6. 1855
    Gained territory Dakota gained undisputed jurisdiction of 20 Feb 1855 overlap with Scott.
    from Scott
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 22, secs 2-3/pp. 69-70
  7. 1855
    Changed Rice fully organized, detached from Dakota.
    Rice
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 42, secs. 1-2/p. 71
  8. 1857
    Gained territory Dakota gained from Non-County Area 1, lost to Rice; Non-County Area 1 eliminated.
    from Rice
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1857, ext. sess., ch. 16, sec. 1/p. 71
  9. 1858
    Changed Boundary between Dakota and Scott authorized to be changed, dependent upon local referendum that failed (no change).
    Scott
    · HRS Minn., Dakota, 17; Minn. Laws 1857-1858, spec., ch. 204, secs. 1-3/pp. 490-491
  10. 1860
    Changed Dakota and Scott authorized to exchange territory, dependent upon local referendum that failed (no change).
    Scott
    · HRS Minn., Dakota, 17; Minn. Laws 1859-1860, spec., ch. 32, secs. 1-2, 6/pp. 59-60
  11. 1861
    Changed Dakota and Scott authorized to exchange territory, dependent upon local referendum that failed (no change). Dakota authorized to gain small area north of Cannon River from Goodhue, dependent upon local referendum that failed no change.
    ScottGoodhue
    · HRS Minn., Dakota, 17, Goodhue, 14; Minn. Laws 1861, spec., ch. 25, secs. 1-5/pp. 264-265; ch. 26, secs. 1-2, 7/pp. 265-267
  12. 1871
    Exchanged territory Dakota exchanged with Scott.
    with Scott
    · Minn. Laws 1871, gen., ch. 97, secs. 1-2, 7/pp. 163-164
  13. 1873
    Changed Ramsey authorized to gain small area south of Mississippi River from Dakota, dependent upon local referendum; change not effected. (See 3 Nov. 1874).
    Ramsey
    · HRS Minn., Dakota, 17-18; Minn. Gen. Stat. 1883, ch. 8, title 1, sec. 59/p. 126; Minn. Laws 1873, gen., ch. 96, secs. 1, 4-5/pp. 216-218
  14. 1874
    Lost territory Dakota lost to Ramsey (same area subject to 1873 referendum).
    to Ramsey
    · HRS Minn., Dakota, 17-18; Minn. Gen. Stat. 1883, ch. 8, title 1, sec. 59/p. 126; Minn. Laws 1874, gen., ch. 101, secs. 1, 5/pp. 245-248

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Dakota

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

Dakota by the Census

Population
439,882 2020 Census count
Housing units
173,469 2020 Census count
Land area
563 square miles
Water area
24 square miles
People per sq mi
782 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 Dakota 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 Dakota County

When was Dakota County founded?
Dakota County was founded in 1849, formed from Ramsey County, and named after Sioux.
What is the county seat of Dakota County?
The county seat of Dakota County is Hastings.
Is there an online parcel map for Dakota County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 152,674 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Dakota County's boundary or name changed?
Dakota County was created in 1849 from Ramsey County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 10 later changes, chiefly involving Ramsey County, Rice County and Scott County.
Who issues building permits in Dakota 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 Dakota 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