County · code 27117
Pipestone CountyMinnesota
Pipestone County is a county in Minnesota with its seat in Pipestone. The county was created on May 23, 1857, from Brown, Midway, and Murray counties, and was named after catlinite.
- Founded1857
- County seatPipestone
- Named forcatlinite
- Land area465 sq mi + 0.9 sq mi water
- Population9,424 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped8,359 checked 16 October 2026
Where it is
Pipestone 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 1857 from Brown County, Midway County and Murray County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Originally called Rock, the county was created from Brown, Midway, and Murray counties on May 23, 1857, but was not fully organized and remained attached to Murray for judicial and elective purposes. Rock County was renamed Pipestone on February 20, 1862. Following statehood in 1858, the county was successively attached to various counties—Brown, Redwood, Watonwan, Cottonwood, and Rock—for judicial and recording purposes before being organized for county government in 1879 and fully organized in 1881.
- 1857Pipestone County created Rock (now Pipestone) created from Brown, included territory in present Minnesota and South Dakota (Rock overlapped part of Midway); Rock not fully organized, attached to Murray "for all judicial and elective purposes." · Minn. Terr. Laws 1857, ext. sess., ch. 14, secs. 9, 10, 14/pp. 66-69
- 1858Lost territory Rock (now Pipestone) lost territory when the state of Minnesota was created from Minnesota Territory; Rock remained attached to Murray. · Schell, 72-77; U.S. Stat., vol. 11, ch. 60 [1857]/pp. 166-167 and ch. 31 [1858]/p. 285
- 1862Renamed Rock renamed Pipestone.formerly Rock· Minn. Laws 1862, spec., ch. 30, secs. 1-2/pp. 269-270
- 1864
- 1868
Show all 10 changes
- 1857Pipestone County created Rock (now Pipestone) created from Brown, included territory in present Minnesota and South Dakota (Rock overlapped part of Midway); Rock not fully organized, attached to Murray "for all judicial and elective purposes." · Minn. Terr. Laws 1857, ext. sess., ch. 14, secs. 9, 10, 14/pp. 66-69
- 1858Lost territory Rock (now Pipestone) lost territory when the state of Minnesota was created from Minnesota Territory; Rock remained attached to Murray. · Schell, 72-77; U.S. Stat., vol. 11, ch. 60 [1857]/pp. 166-167 and ch. 31 [1858]/p. 285
- 1862Renamed Rock renamed Pipestone.formerly Rock· Minn. Laws 1862, spec., ch. 30, secs. 1-2/pp. 269-270
- 1864
- 1868
- 1871
- 1873Changed Pipestone detached from Watonwan, attached to Cottonwood "for judicial purposes." · Minn. Laws 1873, gen., ch. 85, secs. 1, 5/pp. 203-204
- 1876Changed Pipestone detached from Cottonwood, attached to Rock "for judicial and recording purposes." · Minn. Laws 1876, gen., ch. 83, sec. 1/p. 94
- 1879Changed Pipestone organized for county government. · Minn. Laws 1879, gen., ch. 63, secs. 1-2/p. 66
- 1881Changed Pipestone fully organized, detached from Rock. · Minn. Laws 1881, reg. sess., gen., ch. 86, sec. 1/pp. 96-97
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Pipestone
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 8,359 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, 5,325 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
Pipestone 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
Pipestone County's official site
We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.
County government
- County government
The official website of Pipestone County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Pipestone 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 Pipestone County
- When was Pipestone County founded?
- Pipestone County was founded in 1857, formed from Brown County, Midway County and Murray County, and named after catlinite.
- What is the county seat of Pipestone County?
- The county seat of Pipestone County is Pipestone.
- Is there an online parcel map for Pipestone County?
- Yes. Minnesota Geospatial Commons publishes a parcel map of 8,359 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Pipestone County's boundary or name changed?
- Pipestone County was created in 1857 from Brown County, Midway County and Murray County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 9 later changes, chiefly involving Rock County, Brown County and Cottonwood County. It was formerly called Rock.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Pipestone County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby