County · code 37047
Columbus CountyNorth Carolina
Columbus County is a county in North Carolina with its seat in Whiteville, formed in 1808.
- Founded1808
- County seatWhiteville
- Named forChristopher Columbus
- Land area938 sq mi + 17 sq mi water
- Population50,623 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped55,343 checked 15 October 2026
Where it is
Columbus 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.
History
Formed in 1808 from Bladen County and Brunswick County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Columbus County was created on December 15, 1808 from Bladen and Brunswick counties. The county was named after Christopher Columbus. Over the following decades, Columbus gained and lost territory to neighboring Bladen and Brunswick counties through multiple boundary adjustments, with the final major change occurring in 1883.
- 1808Columbus County created Columbus created from Bladen and Brunswick. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1808, ch. 1, secs. 1, 10/pp. 1-4
- 1809Gained territory Columbus gained from Bladen. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1809, ch. 23, sec. 1/p. 10
- 1811Gained territory Columbus gained from Brunswick. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1811, ch. 80, sec. 1/p. 34
- 1821Gained territory Columbus gained from Bladen. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1821, ch. 34, sec. 1/pp. 32-33
- 1829Gained territory Columbus gained from Bladen. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1828, ch. 145, sec. 1/p. 81
Show all 11 changes
- 1808Columbus County created Columbus created from Bladen and Brunswick. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1808, ch. 1, secs. 1, 10/pp. 1-4
- 1809Gained territory Columbus gained from Bladen. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1809, ch. 23, sec. 1/p. 10
- 1810Changed Boundary between Columbus and Brunswick defined (no change). · N.C. Sess. Laws 1810, ch. 47, sec. 1/p. 26
- 1811Gained territory Columbus gained from Brunswick. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1811, ch. 80, sec. 1/p. 34
- 1821Gained territory Columbus gained from Bladen. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1821, ch. 34, sec. 1/pp. 32-33
- 1829Gained territory Columbus gained from Bladen. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1828, ch. 145, sec. 1/p. 81
- 1873Gained territory Columbus gained from Bladen. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1872-1873, pub., ch. 97, sec. 1/pp. 143-144
- 1877Gained territory Columbus gained from Brunswick. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1876-1877, pub., ch. 72, sec. 1/pp. 119-121
- 1879Lost territory Columbus lost to Brunswick. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1879, pub., ch. 159, sec. 1/p. 295
- 1879Changed Boundary between Columbus and Bladen defined (no change). · N.C. Sess. Laws 1879, pub., ch. 318, sec. 1/pp. 492-493; N.C. Sess. Laws 1883, pub., ch. 107, sec. 1/p. 158
- 1883Lost territory Columbus lost small area to Bladen. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1883, pub., ch. 251, sec. 1/p. 410
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Columbus
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
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Parcels Good enough
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 55,343 parcels from Columbus County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 3 January 2024 · checked 15 October 2026 -
Address points Official
One point per address, 45,524 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
Columbus by the Census
Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Rules and offices
Columbus County's official site
We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.
County government
- County government
The official website of Columbus County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Columbus 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.
Questions
Common questions about Columbus County
- When was Columbus County founded?
- Columbus County was founded in 1808, formed from Bladen County and Brunswick County, and named after Christopher Columbus.
- What is the county seat of Columbus County?
- The county seat of Columbus County is Whiteville.
- Is there an online parcel map for Columbus County?
- Yes. Columbus County publishes a parcel map of 55,343 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Columbus County's boundary or name changed?
- Columbus County was created in 1808 from Bladen County and Brunswick County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Bladen County and Brunswick County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Columbus County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby