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County · code 37045

Cleveland CountyNorth Carolina

Cleveland County is a county in North Carolina with its seat in Shelby. The county was established on January 11, 1841.

  • Founded1841
  • County seatShelby
  • Named forBenjamin Cleveland
  • Land area464 sq mi + 3.9 sq mi water
  • Population99,519 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped60,045 checked 14 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Cleveland County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

Cherokee, SCLincolnRutherfordGastonBurke Shelby Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Cleveland 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.

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Counties of North Carolina · Cleveland highlighted

History

Formed in 1841 from Lincoln County and Rutherford County

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

Cleveland County was created on January 11, 1841, from Lincoln and Rutherford counties. The county was named after Benjamin Cleveland. In 1845, Cleveland County gained territory from Rutherford County, and in 1916 and 1917, it gained additional territory from Gaston County after legislative confirmation. In 1887, the legislature enacted Cleveland (not Cleaveland) as the official spelling of the county name.

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

  1. 1841
    Cleveland County created Cleveland created from Lincoln and Rutherford.
    from Lincolnfrom Rutherford
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1840-1841, pub., ch. 9, sec. 1/p. 25; N.C. Sess. Laws 1842-1843, pub., ch. 7, sec. 1/p. 8
  2. 1845
    Gained territory Cleveland gained from Rutherford.
    from Rutherford
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1844-1845, pub., ch. 23, sec. 1/p. 30
  3. 1887
    Changed Cleveland (not Cleaveland) enacted as official spelling of county name by legislature.
    Cleaveland
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1887, pub., ch. 62, sec. 1/p. 111
  4. 1916
    Gained territory Cleveland gained from Gaston.
    from Gaston
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1915, pub., ch. 203, secs. 1-3, 13/pp. 278-283; Weathers, 77-78
  5. 1917
    Changed Cleveland's 1916 gain from Gaston confirmed by legislature.
    Gaston
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1917, pub., ch. 31, sec. 1/pp. 84-86; Weathers, 77-78
  6. 1921
    Changed Boundary between Cleveland and Gaston defined (no change).
    Gaston
    · Corbitt, 265-266; N.C. Sess. Laws 1921, reg. sess., pub., ch. 71, sec. 1/pp. 318-320

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Cleveland

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

Cleveland by the Census

Population
99,519 2020 Census count
Housing units
43,630 2020 Census count
Land area
464 square miles
Water area
3.9 square miles
People per sq mi
214 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 Cleveland 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 Cleveland County

When was Cleveland County founded?
Cleveland County was founded in 1841, formed from Lincoln County and Rutherford County, and named after Benjamin Cleveland.
What is the county seat of Cleveland County?
The county seat of Cleveland County is Shelby.
Is there an online parcel map for Cleveland County?
Yes. Cleveland County publishes a parcel map of 60,045 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Cleveland County's boundary or name changed?
Cleveland County was created in 1841 from Lincoln County and Rutherford County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 4 later changes, chiefly involving Gaston County, Cleaveland County and Rutherford County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Cleveland 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