County · code 29001
Adair CountyMissouri
Adair County is a county in Missouri with its seat in Kirksville. The county was created on January 29, 1841, and named after John Adair.
- Founded1841
- County seatKirksville
- Named forJohn Adair
- Land area567 sq mi + 2.1 sq mi water
- Population25,314 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped14,884 checked 14 October 2026
Where it is
Adair on the map of Missouri
Missouri has 115 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Founded in 1841
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Adair County was created on January 29, 1841, from Non-County Area 24, which had been part of Macon County. Schuyler County was created from the same area in 1843 and attached to Adair for administrative purposes, and Putnam County was also created from this area that same year, also attached to Adair. By 1845, both Schuyler and Putnam counties were fully organized and detached from Adair.
- 1841Adair County created Adair created from Non-County Area 24. · Mo. Laws 1840-1841, pub., sec. 37/pp. 36-37
- 1841Changed Non-County Area 24 detached from Macon, attached to Adair "for all civil and military purposes." · Mo. Laws 1840-1841, pub., p. 40
- 1843Adair County created Schuyler created from Non-County Area 24, attached to Adair; Schuyler not fully organized, attached to Adair "for all civil and military purposes." · Mo. Laws 1842-1843, pub., p. 46
- 1843Lost territory Adair lost attached Non-County Area 24 to creation of Putnam; Putnam not fully organized, attached to Adair "for all civil and military purposes." Non-County Area 24 eliminated. · Mo. Laws 1842-1843, pub., pp. 44-45
- 1845Changed Schuyler fully organized, detached from Adair. · Mo. Laws 1844-1845, secs. 22-24 /pp. 33-34
- 1845Changed Putnam fully organized, detached from Adair. · Mo. Laws 1844-1845, loc. and priv., pp. 43-44
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Adair
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 14,884 parcels from Adair County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 14 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for Adair County yet.
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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
Adair 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
Permits
Zoning and code
County government
- County government
The official website of Adair County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Adair 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 Adair County
- When was Adair County founded?
- Adair County was founded in 1841, and named after John Adair.
- What is the county seat of Adair County?
- The county seat of Adair County is Kirksville.
- Is there an online parcel map for Adair County?
- Yes. Adair County publishes a parcel map of 14,884 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Adair County's boundary or name changed?
- Adair County was created in 1841. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Putnam County, Schuyler County and Macon County.
- Who issues building permits in Adair County?
- The county's page on building permits: Concealed Carry Permit Process. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Adair County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby