County · code 27041
Douglas CountyMinnesota
Douglas County, Minnesota is located in the state's west-central region and is the county seat of Alexandria. The county was established on March 8, 1858, from parts of Cass and Pembina counties and was named after Stephen A. Douglas.
- Founded1858
- County seatAlexandria
- Named forStephen A. Douglas
- Land area637 sq mi + 83 sq mi water
- Population39,006 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped33,620 checked 16 October 2026
Where it is
Douglas 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 1858 from Cass County, Pembina County and Kittson County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Douglas County was created on March 8, 1858, from Cass and Pembina (now Kittson) counties and organized for county government. Initially attached to Stearns County for judicial and record purposes in 1862, the county became fully organized and detached from Stearns in 1866. Between 1867 and 1883, Douglas County served as an attachment point for neighboring counties undergoing organization, including Otter Tail, Becker, Clay, Polk, Grant, and others, before those counties fully organized and detached.
- 1858Douglas County created Douglas created from Cass and Pembina (now Kittson); Douglas organized for county government. · Minn. Laws 1857-1858, spec., ch. 74, secs. 1-2/p. 215
- 1862Changed Douglas attached to Stearns "for judicial and record purposes." · Minn. Laws 1862, gen., ch. 56, sec. 1/p. 112
- 1866Changed Douglas fully organized, detached from Stearns. · Minn. Gen. Stat. 1866, ch. 64, title 4, sec. 33/p. 419
- 1867Changed Andy Johnson (now Wilkin), Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, Pembina (now Kittson), and Polk detached from Crow Wing, attached to Douglas; Stevens and Traverse detached from Stearns, attached to Douglas. All attachments were "for judicial and record purposes." · Minn. Laws 1867, gen., ch. 113, secs. 1-3/pp. 159-160
- 1868
Show all 11 changes
- 1858Douglas County created Douglas created from Cass and Pembina (now Kittson); Douglas organized for county government. · Minn. Laws 1857-1858, spec., ch. 74, secs. 1-2/p. 215
- 1862Changed Douglas attached to Stearns "for judicial and record purposes." · Minn. Laws 1862, gen., ch. 56, sec. 1/p. 112
- 1866Changed Douglas fully organized, detached from Stearns. · Minn. Gen. Stat. 1866, ch. 64, title 4, sec. 33/p. 419
- 1867Changed Andy Johnson (now Wilkin), Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, Pembina (now Kittson), and Polk detached from Crow Wing, attached to Douglas; Stevens and Traverse detached from Stearns, attached to Douglas. All attachments were "for judicial and record purposes." · Minn. Laws 1867, gen., ch. 113, secs. 1-3/pp. 159-160
- 1868
- 1870Changed Otter Tail fully organized, detached from Douglas. · Minn. Laws 1870, spec., ch. 94, sec. 2/p. 391
- 1871Changed Becker fully organized, detached from Douglas. · Minn. Laws 1871, gen., ch. 87, sec. 1/p. 150
- 1871
- 1872Changed Wilkin detached from Douglas, attached to Otter Tail "for judicial and recording purposes." · Minn. Laws 1872, gen., ch. 88, secs. 1-2/p. 159
- 1881
- 1883Changed Grant fully organized, detached from Douglas. · Minn. Laws 1883, gen., ch. 82, sec. 1/p. 113
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Douglas
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
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Parcels Good enough
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 33,620 parcels from Minnesota Geospatial Commons. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 16 October 2026 -
Address points Official
One point per address, 24,029 in all from Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MnGeo), Minnesota Geospatial Commons.
checked 13 October 2026 -
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
Douglas 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.
Records
Zoning and code
GIS and maps
County government
- County government
The official website of Douglas County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Douglas 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 Douglas County
- When was Douglas County founded?
- Douglas County was founded in 1858, formed from Cass County, Pembina County and Kittson County, and named after Stephen A. Douglas.
- What is the county seat of Douglas County?
- The county seat of Douglas County is Alexandria.
- Is there an online parcel map for Douglas County?
- Yes. Minnesota Geospatial Commons publishes a parcel map of 33,620 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Douglas County's boundary or name changed?
- Douglas County was created in 1858 from Cass County, Pembina County and Kittson County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 10 later changes, chiefly involving Becker County, Grant County and Otter Tail County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Douglas County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby