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County · code 37031

Carteret CountyNorth Carolina

Carteret County is a county in North Carolina with its seat in Beaufort, formed in 1722.

  • Founded1722
  • County seatBeaufort
  • Named forGeorge Carteret
  • Land area508 sq mi + 823 sq mi water
  • Population67,686 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped61,542 checked 14 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Carteret County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

PamlicoCravenHydeJonesOnslow Beaufort Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Carteret 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 CountyBurke CountyCabarrus CountyCaldwell CountyCamden 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 CountyCarteret County Carteret
Counties of North Carolina · Carteret highlighted

History

Founded in 1722

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

Carteret Precinct was created in 1722 from territory south of Craven Precinct and became Carteret County by legislative act in 1739. The county was named after George Carteret and experienced several boundary changes over the centuries, gaining and losing land to neighboring counties including Onslow, Jones, Hyde, and Craven.

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

  1. 1722
    Carteret County created Carteret Precinct (second, now Carteret) created from unorganized territory south of Craven Precinct (now Craven).
    from Craven
    · N.C. Recs., 2:458-459
  2. 1779
    Lost territory Carteret lost to Jones.
    to Jones
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 39/secs. 1-2/24:311-312
  3. 1788
    Lost territory Carteret lost to Jones.
    to Jones
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 12, secs. 1-2/24:958; N.C. Recs. ch. 14, sec. 1/24:960
  4. 1883
    Gained territory Carteret gained from Craven.
    from Craven
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1883, pub., ch. 409, sec. 1/pp. 584-585
  5. 1885
    Gained territory Carteret gained from Craven (amended act of 12 March 1883).
    from Craven
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1885, pub., ch. 81, sec. 1/p. 131
Show all 12 changes (7 more, mostly small adjustments)
  1. 1722
    Carteret County created Carteret Precinct (second, now Carteret) created from unorganized territory south of Craven Precinct (now Craven).
    from Craven
    · N.C. Recs., 2:458-459
  2. c. 1734
    Lost territory Carteret Precinct (second, now Carteret) lost to creation of Onslow Precinct (now Onslow).
    to Onslow
    · N.C. Recs., 3:450; N.C. Recs., ch. 8, secs. 1-2/23:119-120
  3. c. 1739
    Changed Carteret Precinct (second) became Carteret County by legislative act. · N.C. Recs., ch. 3, sec. 22/23: 122-127
  4. 1771
    Gained territory Carteret gained from Hyde.
    from Hyde
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 16, sec. 18/23:809; Powell, 217
  5. 1779
    Lost territory Carteret lost to Jones.
    to Jones
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 39/secs. 1-2/24:311-312
  6. 1788
    Lost territory Carteret lost to Jones.
    to Jones
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 12, secs. 1-2/24:958; N.C. Recs. ch. 14, sec. 1/24:960
  7. c. 1806
    Changed Boundary between Carteret and Craven defined (no change).
    Craven
    · Corbitt, 58
  8. 1809
    Boundary clarified Boundary between Carteret and Craven redefined (no change).
    with Cravenno change
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1809, secs. 1-2/pp. 17-18
  9. 1845
    Lost territory Carteret lost to Hyde.
    to Hyde
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1844-1845, pub., ch. 25, sec. 1/p. 31
  10. 1875
    Changed Carteret authorized to gain the area east and north of Adams Creek from Craven, dependent upon local referendum that apparently failed (no change).
    Craven
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1874-1875, pub., ch. 122, secs. 1-3/p. 122
  11. 1883
    Gained territory Carteret gained from Craven.
    from Craven
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1883, pub., ch. 409, sec. 1/pp. 584-585
  12. 1885
    Gained territory Carteret gained from Craven (amended act of 12 March 1883).
    from Craven
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1885, pub., ch. 81, sec. 1/p. 131

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Carteret

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

Carteret by the Census

Population
67,686 2020 Census count
Housing units
50,846 2020 Census count
Land area
508 square miles
Water area
823 square miles · 62% of the county, including large bodies of water
People per sq mi
133 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 Carteret 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 Carteret County

When was Carteret County founded?
Carteret County was founded in 1722, and named after George Carteret.
What is the county seat of Carteret County?
The county seat of Carteret County is Beaufort.
Is there an online parcel map for Carteret County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 61,542 parcels, rated fallback here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Carteret County's boundary or name changed?
Carteret County was created in 1722. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Craven County, Hyde County and Jones County.
Who issues building permits in Carteret County?
The county's page on building permits: Gun Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Carteret County?
The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health and Human Services.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Carteret 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