When was Powell County founded?

Powell County was founded in 1901, formed from Deer Lodge County, and named after Mount Powell, Montana.

What is the county seat of Powell County?

The county seat of Powell County is Deer Lodge.

Is there an online parcel map for Powell County?

Yes. Montana State Library (Montana Cadastral Framework; data from MT Dept of Revenue ORION and five counties) publishes a parcel map of 8,347 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Powell County's boundary or name changed?

Powell County was created in 1901 from Deer Lodge County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Daly County, Deer Lodge County and Flathead County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 30077

Powell CountyMontana

Powell County is in Montana and was created in 1901 from Deer Lodge County. The county seat is Deer Lodge.

Founded1901
County seatDeer Lodge
Named forMount Powell, Montana
Land area2,326 sq mi + 6.3 sq mi water
Population6,946 2020 Census
Parcels mapped8,347 checked 16 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1901 from Deer Lodge County

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

Powell County was created from Deer Lodge County on February 1, 1901, and was named after Mount Powell. In 1901, the legislature authorized renaming Powell to Deer Lodge and Deer Lodge to Daly, but the Montana Supreme Court ruled against the change on April 8, 1901. The county gained territory from Lewis and Clark County in 1903 and from Flathead County in 1913, while exchanging small areas with Jefferson County and losing territory to Missoula County in 1915.

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

1901
Powell County created Powell created from Deer Lodge.
from Deer Lodge
1 February 1901 · Mont. Laws 1901, 7th leg., pp. 101-106
1901
Changed Legislature authorized Powell to be renamed Deer Lodge, and Deer Lodge to be renamed Daly; change did not take effect. Montana Supreme Court ruled against the name change on 8 April 1901.
Deer LodgeDaly
8 March 1901 · Mont. Laws 1901, 7th leg., pp. 107-110; "State ex rel. Sackett v. Thomas," in Mont. Rpts., 25:226-241
1903
Gained territory Powell gained from Lewis and Clark.
from Lewis and Clark
6 March 1903 · Mont. Laws 1903, 8th leg., ch. 106/pp. 196-197
1903
Exchanged territory Powell exchanged small areas with Jefferson. Act passed 4 March 1903; took effect 15 June 1903.
with Jefferson
15 June 1903 · Mont. Laws 1903, 8th leg., ch. 62/pp. 127-130
1913
Gained territory Powell gained from Flathead when boundary was adjusted to run on federal land survey lines.
from Flathead
28 February 1913 · Mont. Laws 1913, 13th leg., ch. 42/pp. 58-59
1915
Lost territory Powell lost to Missoula.
to Missoula
27 February 1915 · Mont. Laws 1915, 14th leg., ch. 46/pp. 69-70

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Powell

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 8,347 parcels from Montana State Library (Montana Cadastral Framework; data from MT Dept of Revenue ORION and five counties). Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 13 October 2026 · checked 16 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 4,637 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

Powell by the Census

Population

6,946 2020 Census count

Housing units

2,900 2020 Census count

Land area

2,326 square miles

Water area

6.3 square miles

People per sq mi

3 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

Powell County's official site

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

County government

County government
The official website of Powell County.
powellcountymontana.com

See your own lot on these maps

Open Powell 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 Powell County

When was Powell County founded?: Powell County was founded in 1901, formed from Deer Lodge County, and named after Mount Powell, Montana.
What is the county seat of Powell County?: The county seat of Powell County is Deer Lodge.
Is there an online parcel map for Powell County?: Yes. Montana State Library (Montana Cadastral Framework; data from MT Dept of Revenue ORION and five counties) publishes a parcel map of 8,347 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Powell County's boundary or name changed?: Powell County was created in 1901 from Deer Lodge County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Daly County, Deer Lodge County and Flathead County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Powell 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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