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County · code 37043

Clay CountyNorth Carolina

Clay County is a county in North Carolina, with its seat in Hayesville. It was formed on February 20, 1861, and named after Henry Clay.

  • Founded1861
  • County seatHayesville
  • Named forHenry Clay
  • Land area215 sq mi + 5.8 sq mi water
  • Population11,089 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped17,025 checked 16 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Clay County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

Towns, GACherokeeUnion, GAMaconRabun, GA Hayesville Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Clay 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 CountyChatham CountyCherokee CountyChowan 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 CountyClay County Clay
Counties of North Carolina · Clay highlighted

History

Formed in 1861 from Cherokee County

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

Clay County was created from Cherokee County on February 20, 1861. The county gained territory from Macon County on February 2, 1872, and later gained additional territory from Cherokee County on March 7, 1891.

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

  1. 1861
    Clay County created Clay created from Cherokee.
    from Cherokee
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1860-1861, pub., ch. 6, sec. 1/pp. 8-9
  2. 1872
    Gained territory Clay gained from Macon.
    from Macon
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1871-1872, pub., ch. 101, sec. 1/pp. 151-152, and ch. 170, sec. 1/pp. 258-259
  3. 1883
    Changed Boundary between Clay and Cherokee defined (no change).
    Cherokee
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1883, pub., ch. 196, sec. 1/pp. 324-325
  4. 1885
    Changed Boundary between Clay and Cherokee defined (no change).
    Cherokee
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1885, pub., ch. 343, sec. 1/p. 603-604
  5. 1891
    Gained territory Clay gained from Cherokee.
    from Cherokee
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1891, pub., ch. 418, secs. 1-2/p. 484
  6. 1897
    Gained territory Act of 7 March 1891, whereby Clay gained from Cherokee, repealed by legislature; repeal overturned by voters in local referendum (no change).
    from Cherokee
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1897, pub., ch. 362, secs. 1-3, 5/pp. 546-547

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Clay

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

Clay by the Census

Population
11,089 2020 Census count
Housing units
7,295 2020 Census count
Land area
215 square miles
Water area
5.8 square miles
People per sq mi
52 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.

Zoning and code

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Clay 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 Clay County

When was Clay County founded?
Clay County was founded in 1861, formed from Cherokee County, and named after Henry Clay.
What is the county seat of Clay County?
The county seat of Clay County is Hayesville.
Is there an online parcel map for Clay County?
Yes. Clay County publishes a parcel map of 17,025 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Clay County's boundary or name changed?
Clay County was created in 1861 from Cherokee County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 2 later changes, chiefly involving Cherokee County and Macon County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Clay 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