When was Polk County founded?

Polk County was founded in 1835, formed from Greene County, Pulaski County and St. Clair County, and named after James K. Polk.

What is the county seat of Polk County?

The county seat of Polk County is Bolivar.

Is there an online parcel map for Polk County?

Yes. Polk County publishes a parcel map of 19,823 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Polk County's boundary or name changed?

Polk County was created in 1835 from Greene County, Pulaski County and St. Clair County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving St. Clair County, Barry County and Dade County.

Who issues building permits in Polk County?

The county's page on building permits: Permits and Licenses. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

Polk County, Missouri: parcels, history and offices

Where it is

Polk on the map of Missouri

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

Counties of Missouri · Polk highlighted

History

Formed in 1835 from Greene County, Pulaski County and St. Clair County

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

Polk County was created on January 5, 1835, from Greene, Pulaski, St. Clair, and Non-County Area 16. The county was named after James K. Polk. Over the following decade, Polk County lost territory to the creation of new counties: Dade and Dallas in 1841, Hickory in 1845, and additional land to St. Clair in 1845.

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

1835
Polk County created Polk created from Greene, Pulaski, St. Clair, and Non-County Area 16.
from Greene from Pulaski from St. Clair
5 January 1835 · Mo. Laws 1834-1835, priv. and loc., pp. 42-43
1835
Gained territory Polk gained from Barry, Greene, and St. Clair.
from Barry from Greene from St. Clair
14 March 1835 · Mo. Laws 1834-1835, priv. and loc., p. 44
1841
Lost territory Polk lost to creation of Non-County Area 32; Non-County Area 32 attached to Polk "for all civil and military purposes." 12 January 1841 · Mo. Laws 1848-1841, pub., pp. 42-43
1841
Lost territory Polk lost attached Non-County Area 32 to creation of Dade and Niangua (now Dallas), and lost to St. Clair; Non-County Area 32 eliminated.
to Dade to Niangua to Dallasto St. Clair
29 January 1841 · Mo. Laws 1840–1841, pub., secs. 16, 25–27/pp. 34–35
1845
Lost territory Polk lost to creation of Hickory.
to Hickory
14 February 1845 · Mo. Laws 1844-1845, secs. 16-18/pp. 32-33
1845
Lost territory Polk lost to St. Clair.
to St. Clair
17 March 1845 · Mo. Laws 1844-1845, loc. and priv., p. 47

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Polk

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 19,823 parcels from Polk 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 Polk County yet.
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

Polk by the Census

Population

31,519 2020 Census count

Housing units

13,387 2020 Census count

Land area

636 square miles

Water area

6.9 square miles

People per sq mi

50 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.

Permits

Permits and Licensesfrom polkcountymo.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Polk County.
polkcountymo.gov

See your own lot on these maps

Open Polk 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 Polk County

When was Polk County founded?: Polk County was founded in 1835, formed from Greene County, Pulaski County and St. Clair County, and named after James K. Polk.
What is the county seat of Polk County?: The county seat of Polk County is Bolivar.
Is there an online parcel map for Polk County?: Yes. Polk County publishes a parcel map of 19,823 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Polk County's boundary or name changed?: Polk County was created in 1835 from Greene County, Pulaski County and St. Clair County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving St. Clair County, Barry County and Dade County.
Who issues building permits in Polk County?: The county's page on building permits: Permits and Licenses. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Polk County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Polk CountyMissouri