What is the county seat of Ramsey County?

The county seat of Ramsey County is Saint Paul.

Is there an online parcel map for Ramsey County?

Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 167,546 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Ramsey County's boundary or name changed?

Ramsey County was created in 1849 from Dakota County, Mahkahto County and Wahnahta County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 16 later changes, chiefly involving Aiken County, Aitkin County and Benton County.

Who issues building permits in Ramsey County?

The county's page on building permits: Permit fee schedule. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

We do not have flood maps for Ramsey County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

County · code 27123

Ramsey CountyMinnesota

Ramsey County is in Minnesota, with Saint Paul as its seat. It was created on October 27, 1849 from non-county area in Minnesota Territory and named after Alexander Ramsey.

Founded1849
County seatSaint Paul
Named forAlexander Ramsey
Land area152 sq mi + 18 sq mi water
Population552,352 2020 Census
Parcels mapped167,546 checked 14 October 2026

Open the free map Click any parcel in Ramsey County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1849 from Dakota County, Mahkahto County and Wahnahta County

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

Ramsey County was created in 1849 from non-county area in Minnesota Territory with Dakota, Mahkahto, and Wahnahta attached for judicial purposes. In 1851 it exchanged territory with Benton County, lost land to the creation of Chisago and Washington Counties, and lost its Mahkahto and Wahnahta attachments when those counties were eliminated. Through the 1850s Ramsey County experienced multiple boundary changes, including temporary attachments of Hennepin and Dakota Counties for judicial purposes, and losses to the creation of Pine, Isanti, Aitkin, Anoka, Crow Wing, Manomin, and Mille Lacs Counties.

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

1849
Ramsey County created Ramsey created from non-county area in Minnesota Territory (remnant of Wisconsin Territory), fully organized; Dakota, Mahkahto, and Wahnahta attached to Ramsey "for judicial purposes."
from Dakotafrom Mahkahtofrom Wahnahta
27 October 1849 · Minn. Terr. Laws 1849, ch. 5, sec. 2, 6, 8, 19/p. 7-9
1851
Exchanged territory Ramsey exchanged with Benton; lost to the creation of Chisago; lost to Washington; Mahkahto and Wahnahta attachments to Ramsey ended when Mahkahto and Wahnahta eliminated as counties.
with Benton with Chisago with Washingtonwith Mahkahtowith Wahnahta
1 May 1851 · Minn. Terr. Rev. Stat. 1851, ch. 1, secs. 2-5, 11-12/pp. 30-31
1855
Lost territory Ramsey lost to Benton.
to Benton
20 February 1855 · Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 6, sec. 22/p. 27
1856
Gained territory Ramsey gained from Benton, lost to Hennepin.
from Benton from Hennepin
25 February 1856 · Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 38, secs. 1-6/pp. 66-67; ch. 71, sec. 4/pp. 105-106, and joint res. 1, p. 331
1856
Lost territory Ramsey lost to the creation of Pine.
to Pine
1 March 1856 · Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 36, secs. 1-2/p. 64

Show all 17 changes (12 more)

1849
Ramsey County created Ramsey created from non-county area in Minnesota Territory (remnant of Wisconsin Territory), fully organized; Dakota, Mahkahto, and Wahnahta attached to Ramsey "for judicial purposes."
from Dakotafrom Mahkahtofrom Wahnahta
27 October 1849 · Minn. Terr. Laws 1849, ch. 5, sec. 2, 6, 8, 19/p. 7-9
1851
Exchanged territory Ramsey exchanged with Benton; lost to the creation of Chisago; lost to Washington; Mahkahto and Wahnahta attachments to Ramsey ended when Mahkahto and Wahnahta eliminated as counties.
with Benton with Chisago with Washingtonwith Mahkahtowith Wahnahta
1 May 1851 · Minn. Terr. Rev. Stat. 1851, ch. 1, secs. 2-5, 11-12/pp. 30-31
1852
Changed Hennepin attached to Ramsey "for judicial purposes."
Hennepin
6 March 1852 · Minn. Terr. Laws 1852, ch. 32, secs. 1-2, 4/pp. 51-52
1852
Changed Hennepin fully organized, detached from Ramsey.
Hennepin
23 June 1852 · Upham 2:321-322; Minn. Terr. Laws 1852, ch. 32, sec. 4/p. 52
1853
Changed Dakota fully organized, detached from Ramsey.
Dakota
5 March 1853 · Minn. Terr. Laws 1853, ch. 11, secs. 1, 3, 14/pp. 32-34
1855
Lost territory Ramsey lost to Benton.
to Benton
20 February 1855 · Minn. Terr. Laws 1855, ch. 6, sec. 22/p. 27
1856
Gained territory Ramsey gained from Benton, lost to Hennepin.
from Benton from Hennepin
25 February 1856 · Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 38, secs. 1-6/pp. 66-67; ch. 71, sec. 4/pp. 105-106, and joint res. 1, p. 331
1856
Lost territory Ramsey lost to the creation of Pine.
to Pine
1 March 1856 · Minn. Terr. Laws 1856, ch. 36, secs. 1-2/p. 64
1857
Lost territory Ramsey was divided into two parts when it lost to the creation of Isanti.
to Isanti
13 February 1857 · Minn. Terr. Laws 1857, ch. 70, secs. 1, 3/pp. 267-268
1857
Lost territory Ramsey lost to the creation of Aiken (now Aitkin), Anoka, Crow Wing, Manomin, and Mille Lacs. Change divided Ramsey into three parts.
to Aiken to Aitkin to Anoka to Crow Wingto Manominto Mille Lacs
23 May 1857 · Minn. Terr. Laws 1857, ext. sess., ch. 5, secs. 1, 4-6/pp. 52-54; ch. 40, secs. 1-2/pp. 175-176; ch. 64, secs. 1, 3/pp. 252-253
1860
Changed Aiken (now Aitkin) authorized to gain adjoining remnants of Pine and Ramsey, dependent upon local referendum; change not effected.
Aiken AitkinPine
6 March 1860 · Minn. Laws 1859-1860, spec., ch. 36, sec. 1/pp. 65-66
1860
Changed Sherburne authorized to gain from Ramsey, dependent upon local referendum; change not effected.
Sherburne
10 March 1860 · Minn. Laws 1859-1860, spec., ch. 72, secs. 1-2/pp. 117-118
1861
Changed Aiken (now Aitkin) authorized to gain from Ramsey, dependent upon local referendum; change not effected.
AikenAitkin
7 March 1861 · Minn. Laws 1861, spec., ch. 24, secs. 1-2/p. 263
1861
Lost territory Ramsey lost to Sherburne (same area subject to 1860 referendum). Change reduced Ramsey from three parts to two parts.
to Sherburne
8 October 1861 · Minn. Laws 1861, spec., ch. 28, secs. 1-2/p. 269
1862
Lost territory Ramsey lost to Aiken (now Aitkin); Change reduced Ramsey to a single part.
to Aikento Aitkin
4 November 1862 · Minn. Laws 1862, spec., ch. 28, secs. 1-2, 5/pp. 265-267
1873
Changed Ramsey authorized to gain small area south of Mississippi River from Dakota, dependent upon local referendum; change not effected.
Dakota
10 March 1873 · 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
1874
Gained territory Ramsey gained from Dakota (same area subject to 1873 referendum).
from Dakota
3 November 1874 · 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 Ramsey

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 167,546 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 19 November 2024 · checked 14 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 221,132 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

Ramsey by the Census

Population

552,352 2020 Census count

Housing units

228,546 2020 Census count

Land area

152 square miles

Water area

18 square miles

People per sq mi

3,628 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

Assessor and property records
Contact form
from ramseycountymn.gov · checked 13 October 2026
Clerk of court: deeds and plats
Contact form
from ramseycountymn.gov · checked 13 October 2026

Permits

Permit fee schedulefrom ramseycountymn.gov
Getting your demo permit, what's nextfrom ramseycountymn.gov
Licenses, Permits & Recordsfrom ramseycountymn.gov

Zoning and code

Planning and zoning 651-266-1333from ramseycountymn.gov · checked 13 October 2026
Solid Waste Ordinance - October 2017from ramseycountymn.gov
public health nuisance ordinancefrom ramseycountymn.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Ramsey County.
ramseycountymn.gov

See your own lot on these maps

Open Ramsey 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.

Open the free map no sign-in Pro early access

Questions

Common questions about Ramsey County

When was Ramsey County founded?: Ramsey County was founded in 1849, formed from Dakota County, Mahkahto County and Wahnahta County, and named after Alexander Ramsey.
What is the county seat of Ramsey County?: The county seat of Ramsey County is Saint Paul.
Is there an online parcel map for Ramsey County?: Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 167,546 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Ramsey County's boundary or name changed?: Ramsey County was created in 1849 from Dakota County, Mahkahto County and Wahnahta County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 16 later changes, chiefly involving Aiken County, Aitkin County and Benton County.
Who issues building permits in Ramsey County?: The county's page on building permits: Permit fee schedule. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Ramsey County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby