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County · code 29051

Cole CountyMissouri

Cole County is a county in Missouri, formed in 1821 from Cooper County with its seat at Jefferson City. The county was named after Stephen Cole.

  • Founded1821
  • County seatJefferson City
  • Named forStephen Cole
  • Land area392 sq mi + 7.4 sq mi water
  • Population77,279 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped35,735 checked 16 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Cole County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

MillerMoniteauOsageCallawayBoone Jefferson City Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Cole 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 CountyBates CountyBenton CountyBollinger CountyBoone CountyBuchanan CountyButler CountyCaldwell CountyCallaway CountyCamden CountyCape Girardeau CountyCarroll CountyCarter CountyCass CountyCedar CountyChariton CountyChristian CountyClark CountyClay CountyClinton 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 cityCole County Cole
Counties of Missouri · Cole highlighted

History

Formed in 1821 from Cooper County

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

Cole County was created from Cooper County in 1821. The county's boundaries changed several times: it gained and lost territory when Miller County was created in 1837 and again in 1868, lost land to Moniteau County in 1845, and gained land from Osage County in 1855.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

  1. 1821
    Cole County created Cole created from Cooper.
    from Cooper
    · Mo. Laws 1820-1821, ch. 16, secs. 1, 11/pp. 31-34
  2. 1837
    Gained territory Cole gained from Non-County Area 21, and lost to creation of Miller. Non-County Area 21 eliminated.
    from Miller
    · Mo. Laws 1836-1837, pub., pp. 53-54
  3. 1845
    Lost territory Cole lost to creation of Moniteau.
    to Moniteau
    · Mo. Laws 1844-1845, secs. 35-37/p. 35
  4. 1855
    Gained territory Cole gained from Osage.
    from Osage
    · Mo. Laws 1855, adj. sess., loc. and priv., p. 32
  5. 1868
    Lost territory Cole lost to Miller.
    to Miller
    · Mo. Laws 1868, adj. sess., gen., pp. 16-23
  6. 1879
    Gained territory Cole gained from Miller.
    from Miller
    · Mo. Rev. Stat. 1879, pp. 1015-1044

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Cole

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

Cole by the Census

Population
77,279 2020 Census count
Housing units
33,211 2020 Census count
Land area
392 square miles
Water area
7.4 square miles
People per sq mi
197 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

Permits

Zoning and code

GIS and maps

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Cole 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.

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Questions

Common questions about Cole County

When was Cole County founded?
Cole County was founded in 1821, formed from Cooper County, and named after Stephen Cole.
What is the county seat of Cole County?
The county seat of Cole County is Jefferson City.
Is there an online parcel map for Cole County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 35,735 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Cole County's boundary or name changed?
Cole County was created in 1821 from Cooper County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Miller County, Moniteau County and Osage County.
Who issues building permits in Cole County?
The county's page on building permits: Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Cole County?
The county's page on septic systems and wells: Child Care Health Consultation (CCHC).
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Cole 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