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County · code 29013

Bates CountyMissouri

Bates County is a county in Missouri formed in 1833 from Jackson and Lafayette counties, with Butler as its county seat.

  • Founded1833
  • County seatButler
  • Named forFrederick Bates
  • Land area837 sq mi + 15 sq mi water
  • Population16,042 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped13,762 checked 14 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Bates County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

CassVernonLinn, KSHenryMiami, KS Butler Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Bates on the map of Missouri

Missouri has 115 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Adair CountyAndrew CountyAtchison CountyAudrain CountyBarry CountyBarton CountyBenton CountyBollinger CountyBoone CountyBuchanan CountyButler CountyCaldwell CountyCallaway CountyCamden CountyCape Girardeau CountyCarroll CountyCarter CountyCass CountyCedar CountyChariton CountyChristian CountyClark CountyClay CountyClinton CountyCole CountyCooper CountyCrawford CountyDade CountyDallas CountyDaviess CountyDeKalb CountyDent CountyDouglas CountyDunklin CountyFranklin CountyGasconade CountyGentry CountyGreene CountyGrundy CountyHarrison CountyHenry CountyHickory CountyHolt CountyHoward CountyHowell CountyIron CountyJackson CountyJasper CountyJefferson CountyJohnson CountyKnox CountyLaclede CountyLafayette CountyLawrence CountyLewis CountyLincoln CountyLinn CountyLivingston CountyMcDonald CountyMacon CountyMadison CountyMaries CountyMarion CountyMercer CountyMiller CountyMississippi CountyMoniteau CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyMorgan CountyNew Madrid CountyNewton CountyNodaway CountyOregon CountyOsage CountyOzark CountyPemiscot CountyPerry CountyPettis CountyPhelps CountyPike CountyPlatte CountyPolk CountyPulaski CountyPutnam CountyRalls CountyRandolph CountyRay CountyReynolds CountyRipley CountySt. Charles CountySt. Clair CountySte. Genevieve CountySt. Francois CountySt. Louis CountySaline CountySchuyler CountyScotland CountyScott CountyShannon CountyShelby CountyStoddard CountyStone CountySullivan CountyTaney CountyTexas CountyVernon CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWebster CountyWorth CountyWright CountySt. Louis cityBates County Bates
Counties of Missouri · Bates highlighted

History

Formed in 1833 from Jackson County and Lafayette County

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

Bates County was created on January 16, 1833, from Jackson, Lafayette, and Non-County Area 16, but was not fully organized and was attached to Jackson County for civil and military purposes. The county was detached from Jackson and attached to Van Buren (now Cass) in 1835, then fully organized and detached in 1841 after gaining land from Non-County Area 30 and Van Buren. Bates County was named after Frederick Bates. The county's boundaries changed several times: it lost and regained territory through the creation and dissolution of Vernon County in 1851 and 1853, gained territory from Cass County in 1855, and had its southern boundary defined in 1855.

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

  1. 1833
    Bates County created Bates created from Jackson, Lafayette, and Non-County Area 16; Bates not fully organized, attached to Jackson "for all civil and military purposes."
    from Jacksonfrom Lafayette
    · Mo. Laws 1832-1833, pub., ch. 27, sec. 3/p. 50
  2. 1841
    Gained territory Bates gained from Non-County Area 30; Non-County Area 30 eliminated. Bates fully organized, detached from Van Buren (now Cass).
    from Van Burenfrom Cass
    · Mo. Laws 1840-1841, pub., secs. 34-36/p. 36
  3. 1841
    Gained territory Bates gained from Van Buren (now Cass).
    from Van Burenfrom Cass
    · Mo. Laws 1840-1841, pub., p. 46
  4. 1851
    Lost territory Bates lost to creation of Vernon (original, extinct).
    to Vernon
    · Atcheson, 133-134; History of Vernon Co., 192-193; Mo. Laws 1850-1851, pub., pp. 188-189; Mo. Reports 17: 521-529
  5. 1855
    Gained territory Bates gained from Cass.
    from Cass
    · Mo. Laws 1854-1855, pub., pp. 11-12
Show all 10 changes (5 more, mostly small adjustments)
  1. 1833
    Bates County created Bates created from Jackson, Lafayette, and Non-County Area 16; Bates not fully organized, attached to Jackson "for all civil and military purposes."
    from Jacksonfrom Lafayette
    · Mo. Laws 1832-1833, pub., ch. 27, sec. 3/p. 50
  2. 1835
    Changed Bates detached from Jackson, attached to Van Buren (now Cass) "for all civil and military purposes."
    JacksonVan BurenCass
    · Mo. Laws 1834-1835, priv. and loc., pp. 44-45
  3. 1841
    Gained territory Bates gained from Non-County Area 30; Non-County Area 30 eliminated. Bates fully organized, detached from Van Buren (now Cass).
    from Van Burenfrom Cass
    · Mo. Laws 1840-1841, pub., secs. 34-36/p. 36
  4. 1841
    Gained territory Bates gained from Van Buren (now Cass).
    from Van Burenfrom Cass
    · Mo. Laws 1840-1841, pub., p. 46
  5. 1847
    Changed Boundary between Bates and Cedar defined (no change).
    Cedar
    · Mo. Laws 1846-1847, pub., pp. 17-18
  6. 1851
    Lost territory Bates lost to creation of Vernon (original, extinct).
    to Vernon
    · Atcheson, 133-134; History of Vernon Co., 192-193; Mo. Laws 1850-1851, pub., pp. 188-189; Mo. Reports 17: 521-529
  7. 1853
    Changed Creation of Vernon (original, extinct) ruled unconstitutional by state supreme court; Bates regained part of Vernon (original, extinct) that it previously held.
    Vernon
    · Mo. Reports 17: 521-529
  8. 1855
    Gained territory Bates gained from Cass.
    from Cass
    · Mo. Laws 1854-1855, pub., pp. 11-12
  9. 1855
    Lost territory Bates lost to creation of Vernon.
    to Vernon
    · Mo. Laws 1854-1855, pub., pp. 17-18
  10. 1855
    Changed Bates's southern boundary defined (no change). · Mo. Laws 1855, adj. sess., loc. and priv., pp. 36-37

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Bates

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

Bates by the Census

Population
16,042 2020 Census count
Housing units
7,189 2020 Census count
Land area
837 square miles
Water area
15 square miles
People per sq mi
19 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

Bates County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Bates County

When was Bates County founded?
Bates County was founded in 1833, formed from Jackson County and Lafayette County, and named after Frederick Bates.
What is the county seat of Bates County?
The county seat of Bates County is Butler.
Is there an online parcel map for Bates County?
Yes. Bates County publishes a parcel map of 13,762 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Bates County's boundary or name changed?
Bates County was created in 1833 from Jackson County and Lafayette County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 7 later changes, chiefly involving Cass County, Van Buren County and Vernon County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Bates 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