When was Caldwell County founded?

Caldwell County was founded in 1841, formed from Burke County and Wilkes County, and named after Joseph Caldwell.

What is the county seat of Caldwell County?

The county seat of Caldwell County is Lenoir.

Is there an online parcel map for Caldwell County?

Yes. Caldwell County publishes a parcel map of 52,761 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Caldwell County's boundary or name changed?

Caldwell County was created in 1841 from Burke County and Wilkes County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 11 later changes, chiefly involving Alexander County, Burke County and Mitchell County.

Who issues building permits in Caldwell County?

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

Who issues septic and well permits in Caldwell County?

The county's page on septic systems and wells: Child Health Services.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 37027

Caldwell CountyNorth Carolina

Caldwell County is in North Carolina with its county seat in Lenoir. The county was formed on January 11, 1841, from Burke and Wilkes counties and named after Joseph Caldwell.

Founded1841
County seatLenoir
Named forJoseph Caldwell
Land area472 sq mi + 2.7 sq mi water
Population80,652 2020 Census
Parcels mapped52,761 checked 15 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1841 from Burke County and Wilkes County

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

Caldwell lost land to the creation of Alexander County in 1847 and Watauga County in 1849. The county continued to adjust its borders over the following decades, losing territory to the creation of Mitchell County in 1861 and Avery County in 1911, while gaining small areas from neighboring counties.

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

1841
Caldwell County created Caldwell created from Burke and Wilkes.
from Burke from Wilkes
11 January 1841 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1840-1841, pub., ch. 11, secs. 1-2/pp. 31-32
1847
Lost territory Caldwell lost to creation of Alexander.
to Alexander
15 January 1847 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1846-1847, ch. 22, secs. 1,6/pp. 62-66, and ch. 23, sec. 18/ p. 72
1849
Lost territory Caldwell lost to creation of Watauga.
to Watauga
27 January 1849 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1848-1849, ch. 25, sec. 1/pp. 66-67
1849
Lost territory Caldwell lost to Alexander.
to Alexander
29 January 1849 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1848-1849, ch. 17, sec. 1/p. 50
1859
Gained territory Caldwell gained from Burke.
from Burke
16 February 1859 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1858-1859, priv., ch. 103, secs. 1-2/pp. 94-95

Show all 14 changes (9 more, mostly small adjustments)

1841
Caldwell County created Caldwell created from Burke and Wilkes.
from Burke from Wilkes
11 January 1841 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1840-1841, pub., ch. 11, secs. 1-2/pp. 31-32
1847
Lost territory Caldwell lost to creation of Alexander.
to Alexander
15 January 1847 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1846-1847, ch. 22, secs. 1,6/pp. 62-66, and ch. 23, sec. 18/ p. 72
1849
Lost territory Caldwell lost to creation of Watauga.
to Watauga
27 January 1849 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1848-1849, ch. 25, sec. 1/pp. 66-67
1849
Lost territory Caldwell lost to Alexander.
to Alexander
29 January 1849 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1848-1849, ch. 17, sec. 1/p. 50
1857
Gained territory Caldwell gained small area from Wilkes.
from Wilkes
2 February 1857 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1856-1857, priv., ch. 48, sec. 1/pp. 19-20
1859
Gained territory Caldwell gained from Burke.
from Burke
16 February 1859 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1858-1859, priv., ch. 103, secs. 1-2/pp. 94-95
1861
Lost territory Caldwell lost to creation of Mitchell.
to Mitchell
16 February 1861 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1860-1861, pub., ch. 8, sec. 1/p. 14
c. 1861
Gained territory Caldwell gained from Mitchell.
from Mitchell
1 May 1861 · N.C. Sess. Laws, 1861, 1st ext. sess., priv., ch. 22
1871
Lost territory Caldwell lost small area to Watauga.
to Watauga
3 April 1871 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1870-1871, pub., ch. 202, sec. 1/p. 319
1883
Gained territory Caldwell gained small area from Wilkes.
from Wilkes
5 April 1883 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1883, pub., ch. 244, secs. 1-4/pp.403-404
1885
Gained territory Caldwell gained small area from Burke.
from Burke
3 March 1885 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1885, pub., ch. 193, sec. 1/p. 363
1911
Lost territory Caldwell lost to creation of Avery.
to Avery
23 February 1911 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1911, pub., ch. 33, secs. 1, 15/pp. 62-69
1924
Changed Boundary between Caldwell and Watauga defined (no change).
Watauga
21 August 1924 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1924, ext. sess., pub., ch. 36, sec. 1/pp. 81-82
1925
Changed Boundary between Caldwell and Watauga defined (no change).
Watauga
9 March 1925 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1925, pub.-loc., ch. 520, sec. 1/pp. 627-629

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Caldwell

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 52,761 parcels from Caldwell County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 15 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 45,681 in all from NC Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (CGIA, NC Dept of Information Technology) for NC OneMap, with the North Carolina 911 Board (AddressNC program).
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

Caldwell by the Census

Population

80,652 2020 Census count

Housing units

36,931 2020 Census count

Land area

472 square miles

Water area

2.7 square miles

People per sq mi

171 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

Assessor and property recordsfrom caldwellcountync.org · checked 13 October 2026
Clerk of court: deeds and platsfrom caldwellcountync.org · checked 13 October 2026

Permits

Health department: septic and wellfrom caldwellcountync.org · checked 13 October 2026
Tattoo Parlor Permitsfrom caldwellcountync.org
Building Permits & Inspectionsfrom caldwellcountync.org
Septic & Wellsfrom caldwellcountync.org
Septic System Rules (PDF)from caldwellcountync.org

Zoning and code

Planning and zoningfrom caldwellcountync.org · checked 13 October 2026
Zoning Map (PDF)from caldwellcountync.org

GIS and maps

County GIS and mapsfrom caldwellcountync.org · checked 13 October 2026

County government

County government
The official website of Caldwell County.
caldwellcountync.org

See your own lot on these maps

Open Caldwell 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 Caldwell County

When was Caldwell County founded?: Caldwell County was founded in 1841, formed from Burke County and Wilkes County, and named after Joseph Caldwell.
What is the county seat of Caldwell County?: The county seat of Caldwell County is Lenoir.
Is there an online parcel map for Caldwell County?: Yes. Caldwell County publishes a parcel map of 52,761 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Caldwell County's boundary or name changed?: Caldwell County was created in 1841 from Burke County and Wilkes County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 11 later changes, chiefly involving Alexander County, Burke County and Mitchell County.
Who issues building permits in Caldwell County?: The county's page on building permits: Tattoo Parlor Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Caldwell County?: The county's page on septic systems and wells: Child Health Services.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Caldwell 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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