When was Flathead County founded?

Flathead County was founded in 1893, formed from Missoula County, and named after Bitterroot Salish.

What is the county seat of Flathead County?

The county seat of Flathead County is Kalispell.

Is there an online parcel map for Flathead County?

Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 84,136 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Flathead County's boundary or name changed?

Flathead County was created in 1893 from Missoula County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 4 later changes, chiefly involving Deer Lodge County, Lake County and Lincoln County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 30029

Flathead CountyMontana

Flathead County is a county in Montana with its seat in Kalispell. The county was formed on March 1, 1893, from Missoula County and was named after the Bitterroot Salish people.

Founded1893
County seatKalispell
Named forBitterroot Salish
Land area5,087 sq mi + 169 sq mi water
Population104,357 2020 Census
Parcels mapped84,136 checked 14 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1893 from Missoula County

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

Flathead County was created from Missoula County on March 1, 1893, when an act passed on February 6 took effect. The county gained territory from Deer Lodge County in 1899 and later exchanged boundaries with Sanders, Missoula, and Powell counties in 1913. Flathead County lost land to the creation of Lincoln County in 1909 and Lake County in 1923.

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

1893
Flathead County created Flathead created from Missoula. Act passed 6 February 1893; took effect 1 March 1893.
from Missoula
1 March 1893 · Mont. Laws 1893, 3d leg., pp. 198-201
1899
Gained territory Flathead gained from Deer Lodge.
from Deer Lodge
6 March 1899 · Mont. Laws 1899, 6th leg., p. 47
1909
Lost territory Flathead lost to creation of Lincoln. Act passed 9 March 1909; took effect 1 July 1909.
to Lincoln
1 July 1909 · Mont. Laws 1909, 11th leg., ch. 133/pp. 193-199
1913
Exchanged territory Flathead exchanged with Sanders, lost to Missoula and Powell when boundary was adjusted to run on federal land survey lines.
with Sanders with Missoula with Powell
28 February 1913 · Mont. Laws 1913, 13th leg., ch. 42/pp. 58-59
1923
Lost territory Flathead lost to creation of Lake.
to Lake
10 August 1923 · Mont. Laws 1923, 18th leg., pp. 623-627

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Flathead

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 84,136 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 14 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 77,299 in all from Montana State Library.
edited 13 October 2026 · checked 14 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

Flathead by the Census

Population

104,357 2020 Census count

Housing units

49,875 2020 Census count

Land area

5,087 square miles

Water area

169 square miles

People per sq mi

21 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.

Zoning and code

County Policies and Ordinance Indexfrom flatheadcounty.gov
Planning and Zoningfrom flatheadcounty.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Flathead County.
flathead.mt.gov

See your own lot on these maps

Open Flathead 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 Flathead County

When was Flathead County founded?: Flathead County was founded in 1893, formed from Missoula County, and named after Bitterroot Salish.
What is the county seat of Flathead County?: The county seat of Flathead County is Kalispell.
Is there an online parcel map for Flathead County?: Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 84,136 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Flathead County's boundary or name changed?: Flathead County was created in 1893 from Missoula County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 4 later changes, chiefly involving Deer Lodge County, Lake County and Lincoln County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Flathead County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

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