County · code 37063
Durham CountyNorth Carolina
Durham County, North Carolina was created in 1881 from parts of Orange and Wake counties, and is the seat of the city of Durham.
- Founded1881
- County seatDurham
- Named forBartlett S. Durham
- Land area287 sq mi + 11 sq mi water
- Population324,833 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped133,565 checked 15 October 2026
Where it is
Durham 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 1881 from Orange County and Wake County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
The county was named after Bartlett S. Durham. In 1911, Durham County gained additional land from Wake County.
- 1881Durham County created Durham created from Orange and Wake. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1881, pub., ch. 138, secs. 1, 13, 24/pp. 273-282
- 1911Gained territory Durham gained from Wake. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1911, pub., ch. 47, sec. 1/pp. 114-115
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Durham
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 133,565 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 14 October 2026 · checked 15 October 2026 -
Address points Official
One point per address, 155,501 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
Durham 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
Durham 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 Durham County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Durham 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 Durham County
- When was Durham County founded?
- Durham County was founded in 1881, formed from Orange County and Wake County, and named after Bartlett S. Durham.
- What is the county seat of Durham County?
- The county seat of Durham County is Durham.
- Is there an online parcel map for Durham County?
- Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 133,565 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Durham County's boundary or name changed?
- Durham County was created in 1881 from Orange County and Wake County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 1 later change, chiefly involving Wake County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Durham County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby