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County · code 37023

Burke CountyNorth Carolina

Burke County is a county in North Carolina, formed in 1777 from Rowan County with its seat in Morganton.

  • Founded1777
  • County seatMorganton
  • Named forThomas Burke
  • Land area506 sq mi + 8 sq mi water
  • Population87,570 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped9,858 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Burke County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

CaldwellMcDowellAveryRutherfordClevelandCatawbaLincoln Morganton Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Burke on the map of North Carolina

North Carolina has 100 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Alamance CountyAlexander CountyAlleghany CountyAnson CountyAshe CountyAvery CountyBeaufort CountyBertie CountyBladen CountyBrunswick CountyBuncombe CountyCabarrus CountyCaldwell CountyCamden CountyCarteret CountyCaswell CountyCatawba CountyChatham CountyCherokee CountyChowan CountyClay CountyCleveland CountyColumbus CountyCraven CountyCumberland CountyCurrituck CountyDare CountyDavidson CountyDavie CountyDuplin CountyDurham CountyEdgecombe CountyForsyth CountyFranklin CountyGaston CountyGates CountyGraham CountyGranville CountyGreene CountyGuilford CountyHalifax CountyHarnett CountyHaywood CountyHenderson CountyHertford CountyHoke CountyHyde CountyIredell CountyJackson CountyJohnston CountyJones CountyLee CountyLenoir CountyLincoln CountyMcDowell CountyMacon CountyMadison CountyMartin CountyMecklenburg CountyMitchell CountyMontgomery CountyMoore CountyNash CountyNew Hanover CountyNorthampton CountyOnslow CountyOrange CountyPamlico CountyPasquotank CountyPender CountyPerquimans CountyPerson CountyPitt CountyPolk CountyRandolph CountyRichmond CountyRobeson CountyRockingham CountyRowan CountyRutherford CountySampson CountyScotland CountyStanly CountyStokes CountySurry CountySwain CountyTransylvania CountyTyrrell CountyUnion CountyVance CountyWake CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWatauga CountyWayne CountyWilkes CountyWilson CountyYadkin CountyYancey CountyBurke County Burke
Counties of North Carolina · Burke highlighted

History

Formed in 1777 from Rowan County

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

Burke County was created from Rowan County on June 1, 1777, with an indefinite western boundary. The county was named after Thomas Burke. Over the following decades, Burke County lost territory to the creation of Lincoln, Rutherford, Wilkes, Buncombe, Iredell, and Ashe counties, though it gained some land from Ashe in 1814.

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

  1. 1777
    Burke County created Burke created from Rowan; western boundary limit was indefinite.
    from Rowan
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 19, secs. 1-2/24:28-30
  2. 1777
    Gained territory Burke gained from unorganized territory. · N.C. Recs., ch. 31, secs. 1-2/24:141-142
  3. 1782
    Lost territory Burke lost to Lincoln.
    to Lincoln
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 45, secs. 1-2/24:472-473
  4. 1784
    Lost territory Burke lost to Lincoln.
    to Lincoln
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 78, secs. 1-2/24:646
  5. 1787
    Lost territory Burke lost to Rutherford.
    to Rutherford
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 43, sec. 1/24:845-846
Show all 21 changes (16 more)
  1. 1777
    Burke County created Burke created from Rowan; western boundary limit was indefinite.
    from Rowan
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 19, secs. 1-2/24:28-30
  2. 1777
    Gained territory Burke gained from unorganized territory. · N.C. Recs., ch. 31, secs. 1-2/24:141-142
  3. 1782
    Lost territory Burke lost to Lincoln.
    to Lincoln
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 45, secs. 1-2/24:472-473
  4. 1784
    Lost territory Burke lost to Lincoln.
    to Lincoln
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 78, secs. 1-2/24:646
  5. 1787
    Lost territory Burke lost to Rutherford.
    to Rutherford
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 43, sec. 1/24:845-846
  6. 1788
    Boundary clarified Boundary between Burke and Rutherford clarified (no change).
    with Rutherfordno change
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 2, sec. 5/24:479; N.C. Recs. ch. 10, sec. 1/24:957
  7. 1789
    Lost territory Burke lost to Wilkes.
    to Wilkes
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 43, sec. 1/25:43
  8. 1792
    Lost territory Burke lost to creation of Buncombe.
    to Buncombe
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1791, ch. 52, sec. 1/pp. 20-21
  9. 1794
    Lost territory Burke lost to Iredell.
    to Iredell
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1793, ch. 31, sec. 1/p. 49
  10. 1807
    Lost territory Burke lost to Rutherford; boundary between Burke and Ashe redefined (no change).
    to Rutherfordto Ashe
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1807, ch. 70, sec. 1/p. 313; ch. 71, sec. 1/pp. 313-314
  11. 1809
    Lost territory Burke lost to Rutherford.
    to Rutherford
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1809, ch. 14, secs. 1, 3/p. 7
  12. 1814
    Gained territory Burke gained from Ashe.
    from Ashe
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1814, ch. 72, sec. 1/p. 27
  13. 1818
    Changed Boundary between Burke and Wilkes defined (no change).
    Wilkes
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1818, ch. 139, sec. 1/p. 110
  14. 1834
    Lost territory Burke lost to creation of Yancey.
    to Yancey
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1833, ch. 83, sec. 1/pp. 145-146, and ch. 84, sec. 10/p. 147
  15. 1841
    Lost territory Burke lost to creation of Caldwell.
    to Caldwell
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1840-1841, pub., ch. 11, secs. 1-2/pp. 31-32
  16. 1842
    Lost territory Burke lost to creation of McDowell.
    to McDowell
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1842-1843, pub., ch. 10, sec. 1/p. 14
  17. 1859
    Lost territory Burke lost to Caldwell.
    to Caldwell
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1858-1859, priv., ch. 103, secs. 1-2/pp. 94-95
  18. 1870
    Gained territory Burke gained small area from McDowell.
    from McDowell
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1869-1870, pub., ch. 96, sec. 1/p. 145
  19. 1871
    Lost territory Burke lost small area to McDowell (repealed act of 22 March 1870).
    to McDowell
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1870-1871, pub., ch. 50, secs. 1-2/p. 108
  20. 1871
    Changed Burke authorized to gain area along South Mountain from Rutherford.
    Rutherford
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1870-1871, pub., ch. 129, sec. 1/p. 197
  21. 1885
    Lost territory Burke lost small area to Caldwell.
    to Caldwell
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1885, pub., ch. 193, sec. 1/p. 363

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Burke

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

Burke by the Census

Population
87,570 2020 Census count
Housing units
39,525 2020 Census count
Land area
506 square miles
Water area
8 square miles
People per sq mi
173 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 Burke 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 Burke County

When was Burke County founded?
Burke County was founded in 1777, formed from Rowan County, and named after Thomas Burke.
What is the county seat of Burke County?
The county seat of Burke County is Morganton.
Is there an online parcel map for Burke County?
Yes. Burke County publishes a parcel map of 9,858 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Burke County's boundary or name changed?
Burke County was created in 1777 from Rowan County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 17 later changes, chiefly involving Caldwell County, McDowell County and Rutherford County.
Who issues building permits in Burke County?
The county's page on building permits: Permit Logs. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Burke County?
The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health Education.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Burke 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