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County · code 27069

Kittson CountyMinnesota

Kittson County is a Minnesota county with its seat in Hallock, formed in 1849 as Pembina County and renamed Kittson County in 1878.

  • Founded1849
  • County seatHallock
  • Named forNorman Kittson
  • Land area1,099 sq mi + 4.8 sq mi water
  • Population4,207 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped5,228 checked 16 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Kittson County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

MarshallPembina, NDRoseauWalsh, ND Hallock Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Kittson 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 CountyClay CountyClearwater CountyCook CountyCottonwood CountyCrow Wing CountyDakota CountyDodge CountyDouglas CountyFaribault CountyFillmore CountyFreeborn CountyGoodhue CountyGrant CountyHennepin CountyHouston CountyHubbard CountyIsanti CountyItasca CountyJackson CountyKanabec CountyKandiyohi 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 CountyKittson County Kittson
Counties of Minnesota · Kittson highlighted

History

Formed in 1849 from Benton County

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

Kittson County was formed in 1849 from Benton County, and named after Norman Kittson. Hallock is the county seat.

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

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

  1. 1849
    Kittson County created Pembina (now Kittson) created from non-county area in Minnesota Territory; Pembina not fully organized, attached to Benton "for judicial purposes."
    from Benton
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1849, ch. 5, secs. 9, 19/pp. 8-9
  2. 1851
    Gained territory Pembina (now Kittson) gained from Mahkahto and Wahnahta (Mahkahto and Wahnahta eliminated), lost to the creation of Cass; Pembina remained attached to Benton.
    from Mahkahtofrom Wahnahtafrom Cassfrom Benton
    · Minn. Terr. Rev. Stat. 1851, ch. 1, secs. 10, 13, 18/pp. 31-32
  3. 1858
    Lost territory Pembina (now Kittson) lost to the creation of Douglas.
    to Douglas
    · Minn. Laws 1857-1858, spec., ch. 74, secs. 1-2/p. 215
  4. 1858
    Lost territory Pembina (now Kittson) lost to the creation of Becker, Breckenridge (now Clay), Otter Tail, and Toombs (now Wilkin).
    to Beckerto Breckenridgeto Clayto Otter Tailto Toombsto Wilkin
    · Minn. Laws 1857-1858, spec., ch. 34, secs. 1-4/pp. 144-145; ch. 64, secs. 1-2/p. 180
  5. 1878
    Renamed Pembina renamed Kittson.
    formerly Pembina
    · Minn. Laws 1878, gen., ch. 59, sec. 1/p. 114
Show all 21 changes (16 more)
  1. 1849
    Kittson County created Pembina (now Kittson) created from non-county area in Minnesota Territory; Pembina not fully organized, attached to Benton "for judicial purposes."
    from Benton
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1849, ch. 5, secs. 9, 19/pp. 8-9
  2. 1851
    Gained territory Pembina (now Kittson) gained from Mahkahto and Wahnahta (Mahkahto and Wahnahta eliminated), lost to the creation of Cass; Pembina remained attached to Benton.
    from Mahkahtofrom Wahnahtafrom Cassfrom Benton
    · Minn. Terr. Rev. Stat. 1851, ch. 1, secs. 10, 13, 18/pp. 31-32
  3. 1852
    Changed Pembina (now Kittson) fully organized for county government and judicial purposes, detached from Benton.
    Benton
    · Min. Terr. Laws 1852, ch. 20, sec. 1/pp. 34-35
  4. 1853
    Changed Pembina (now Kittson) reattached to Benton "for judicial and other purposes."
    Benton
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1853, ch. 3, sec. 5/pp. 8-9
  5. 1854
    Changed Pembina (now Kittson) detached from Benton, attached to Nicollet "for judicial and other purposes."
    BentonNicollet
    · Minn. Terr. Laws 1854, ch. 53, secs. 2, 5/pp. 175-176
  6. 1858
    Changed Pembina's (now Kittson's) organization for county government repealed. · Minn. Laws 1857-1858, spec., ch. 44, sec. 1/p. 155
  7. 1858
    Lost territory Pembina (now Kittson) lost to the creation of Douglas.
    to Douglas
    · Minn. Laws 1857-1858, spec., ch. 74, secs. 1-2/p. 215
  8. 1858
    Lost territory Pembina (now Kittson) lost to the creation of Becker, Breckenridge (now Clay), Otter Tail, and Toombs (now Wilkin).
    to Beckerto Breckenridgeto Clayto Otter Tailto Toombsto Wilkin
    · Minn. Laws 1857-1858, spec., ch. 34, secs. 1-4/pp. 144-145; ch. 64, secs. 1-2/p. 180
  9. 1858
    Lost territory Pembina (now Kittson) lost territory when state of Minnesota was created from Minnesota Territory, and lost to creation of Non-County Area 6.. · Schell, 72-77; U.S. Stat., vol. 11, ch. 60 [1857]/pp. 166-167 and ch. 31 [1858]/p. 285
  10. 1858
    Lost territory Pembina (now Kittson) lost to the creation of Polk.
    to Polk
    · Minn. Laws 1857-1858, spec., ch. 67, secs. 1-2, 4/pp. 183-184
  11. 1858
    Changed Pembina (now Kittson) detached from Nicollet, attached to Morrison "for judicial and other purposes."
    NicolletMorrison
    · Minn. Laws 1857-1858, gen., ch. 67, sec. 2/p. 157
  12. 1866
    Lost territory Pembina (now Kittson) lost to the creation of Beltrami.
    to Beltrami
    · Minn. Laws 1866, gen., ch. 46, sec. 1/pp. 90-91
  13. 1866
    Changed Pembina (now Kittson) detached from Morrison, attached to Crow Wing.
    MorrisonCrow Wing
    · Minn. Gen. Stat. 1866, ch. 64, title 4, sec. 33/p. 419
  14. 1867
    Changed Pembina (now Kittson) detached from Crow Wing, attached to Douglas.
    Crow WingDouglas
    · Minn. Laws 1867, gen., ch. 113, secs. 1-3/pp. 159-160
  15. 1871
    Changed Pembina (now Kittson) detached from Douglas, attached to Becker "for record and judicial purposes."
    DouglasBecker
    · Minn. Laws 1871, spec., ch. 75, secs. 1-3/p. 285
  16. 1876
    Changed Pembina (now Kittson) detached from Becker, attached to Clay "for judicial purposes."
    BeckerClay
    · Minn. Laws 1876, gen., ch. 117, sec. 1/p 127
  17. 1878
    Renamed Pembina renamed Kittson.
    formerly Pembina
    · Minn. Laws 1878, gen., ch. 59, sec. 1/p. 114
  18. 1879
    Lost territory Kittson organized for county government; Kittson lost to Beltrami and Non-County Area 13, and to the creation of Marshall; Kittson remained attached to Clay.
    to Beltramito Marshallto Clay
    · Minn. Laws 1879, gen., ch. 10, secs. 1-4, 7/pp. 24-25
  19. 1879
    Changed Kittson detached from Clay, attached to Polk "for judicial purposes."
    ClayPolk
    · Minn. Laws 1879, gen., ch. 64, sec. 1/p. 67
  20. 1881
    Changed Kittson fully organized, detached from Polk.
    Polk
    · Minn. Laws 1881, reg. sess., gen., ch. 90, sec. 1/p. 100
  21. 1894
    Lost territory Kittson lost to the creation of Roseau.
    to Roseau
    · Gov. Proc., 1 Dec. 1894, Roseau Co. Hist. Soc.

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Kittson

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

Kittson by the Census

Population
4,207 2020 Census count
Housing units
2,272 2020 Census count
Land area
1,099 square miles
Water area
4.8 square miles
People per sq mi
4 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.

Records

Permits

Zoning and code

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Kittson 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 Kittson County

When was Kittson County founded?
Kittson County was founded in 1849, formed from Benton County, and named after Norman Kittson.
What is the county seat of Kittson County?
The county seat of Kittson County is Hallock.
Is there an online parcel map for Kittson County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 5,228 parcels, rated fallback here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Kittson County's boundary or name changed?
Kittson County was created in 1849 from Benton County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 20 later changes, chiefly involving Benton County, Clay County and Becker County. It was formerly called Pembina.
Who issues septic and well permits in Kittson County?
The county's page on septic systems and wells: Environmental Services.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Kittson 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