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County · code 37037

Chatham CountyNorth Carolina

Chatham County is a county in North Carolina with its seat in Pittsboro, formed in 1771.

  • Founded1771
  • County seatPittsboro
  • Named forWilliam Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
  • Land area682 sq mi + 27 sq mi water
  • Population76,285 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped5,301 checked 14 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Chatham County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

LeeAlamanceOrangeMooreRandolphWake Pittsboro Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Chatham 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 CountyCarteret CountyCaswell CountyCatawba 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 CountyChatham County Chatham
Counties of North Carolina · Chatham highlighted

History

Formed in 1771 from Orange County

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

Chatham County was created from Orange County in 1771 and named after William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. In 1895, Chatham lost land to Alamance County when commissioners redrew the boundary south of the 1771 survey line, but the legislature repealed this change in 1897 after a local referendum. In 1907, Chatham lost additional territory to the creation of Lee County.

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

  1. 1771
    Chatham County created Chatham created from Orange.
    from Orange
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 27, secs. 1-2/23:827-831
  2. 1895
    Lost territory Chatham lost to Alamance when county commissioners drew the boundary between the two counties south of the line surveyed in 1771.
    to Alamance
    · Corbitt, 247-248; N.C. Sess. Laws 1895, pub., ch. 303, sec. 1/pp. 378-379
  3. 1897
    Lost territory Boundary change of 29 May 1895, whereby Chatham lost to Alamance, repealed by legislature; repeal overturned by voters in local referendum (no change).
    to Alamance
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1897, pub., ch. 39, secs. 1-2, 6/pp. 88-90
  4. 1907
    Lost territory Chatham lost to creation of Lee.
    to Lee.
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1907, pub., ch. 624, secs. 1, 15/pp. 897-903

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Chatham

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

Chatham by the Census

Population
76,285 2020 Census count
Housing units
33,947 2020 Census count
Land area
682 square miles
Water area
27 square miles
People per sq mi
112 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

Chatham County's official site

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

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Chatham 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 Chatham County

When was Chatham County founded?
Chatham County was founded in 1771, formed from Orange County, and named after William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham.
What is the county seat of Chatham County?
The county seat of Chatham County is Pittsboro.
Is there an online parcel map for Chatham County?
Yes. Chatham County publishes a parcel map of 5,301 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Chatham County's boundary or name changed?
Chatham County was created in 1771 from Orange County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 2 later changes, chiefly involving Alamance County and Lee. County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Chatham 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