County · code 27075
Lake CountyMinnesota
Lake County, Minnesota is located in the northeastern part of the state with Two Harbors as its county seat. The county was formed on February 20, 1855, from territory that was originally part of Itasca County.
- Founded1855
- County seatTwo Harbors
- Named forLake Superior
- Land area2,109 sq mi + 882 sq mi water
- Population10,905 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped47,119 checked 16 October 2026
Where it is
Lake 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 1855 from Itasca County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Lake County was created from Itasca County on February 20, 1855, initially called Superior, then renamed St. Louis on March 3, 1855. On March 1, 1856, the county was renamed Lake and attached to Benton County for judicial purposes. Lake County was organized for county government in 1866 and fully organized and detached from St. Louis County in 1891 after being attached for judicial purposes for several decades. In 1874, Cook County was created from Lake County, though Lake remained attached to St. Louis County until Cook was fully organized and detached from Lake in 1901.
- 1855Lake County created Superior (now Lake) created from Itasca. · Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 6, sec. 24/p. 27
- 1855Renamed Superior (now Lake) renamed St. Louis (original).formerly Superior· Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 22, secs 2-3/pp. 69-70
- 1856Renamed St. Louis (original) renamed Lake; Lake attached to Benton "for judicial purposes."formerly St. Louis· Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 35, secs. 1-4/p. 63
- 1860Lake County created Lake detached from Benton, attached to St. Louis (created 1 Mar 1856) "for judicial purposes." · Minn. Laws 1859-1860, spec., ch. 65, sec. 1/p. 107
- 1874Lost territory Lake lost to the creation of Cook; Lake remained attached to St. Louis. · Minn. Laws 1874, gen., ch. 100, secs. 1-3, 11/pp. 242-245
Show all 11 changes
- 1855Lake County created Superior (now Lake) created from Itasca. · Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 6, sec. 24/p. 27
- 1855Renamed Superior (now Lake) renamed St. Louis (original).formerly Superior· Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 22, secs 2-3/pp. 69-70
- 1856Renamed St. Louis (original) renamed Lake; Lake attached to Benton "for judicial purposes."formerly St. Louis· Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 35, secs. 1-4/p. 63
- 1860Lake County created Lake detached from Benton, attached to St. Louis (created 1 Mar 1856) "for judicial purposes." · Minn. Laws 1859-1860, spec., ch. 65, sec. 1/p. 107
- 1866Changed Lake organized for county government. · Minn. Laws 1883, gen., ch. 86, sec. 1/p. 116
- 1873Changed Boundary between Lake and St. Louis authorized to be altered slightly, dependent upon local referendum; change not effected. · Minn. Laws 1873, gen., ch. 93, secs. 1-3/pp. 211-213
- 1874Lost territory Lake lost to the creation of Cook; Lake remained attached to St. Louis. · Minn. Laws 1874, gen., ch. 100, secs. 1-3, 11/pp. 242-245
- 1891
- 1891Changed Lake fully organized, detached from St. Louis. · Minn. Laws 1891, gen., ch. 139, sec. 1/p. 231
- 1895Gained territory Lake gained from St. Louis. Since 1856 the boundary had run due north from the mouth of the Knife River; in 1895 it was moved west to the range line. · Minn. Laws 1895, gen., ch. 248, sec. 1/p.622
- 1901Changed Cook fully organized, detached from Lake. · Minn. Laws 1899, gen., ch. 108, sec. 1/pp. 113-114
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Lake
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 47,119 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, 8,556 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
Lake 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.
Zoning and code
County government
- County government
The official website of Lake County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Lake 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 Lake County
- When was Lake County founded?
- Lake County was founded in 1855, formed from Itasca County, and named after Lake Superior.
- What is the county seat of Lake County?
- The county seat of Lake County is Two Harbors.
- Is there an online parcel map for Lake County?
- Yes. Minnesota Geospatial Commons publishes a parcel map of 47,119 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Lake County's boundary or name changed?
- Lake County was created in 1855 from Itasca County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 10 later changes, chiefly involving St. Louis County, Cook County and Benton County. It was formerly called Superior and St. Louis.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Lake County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby