When was Henderson County founded?

Henderson County was founded in 1838, formed from Buncombe County, and named after Leonard Henderson.

What is the county seat of Henderson County?

The county seat of Henderson County is Hendersonville.

Is there an online parcel map for Henderson County?

Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 71,121 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Henderson County's boundary or name changed?

Henderson County was created in 1838 from Buncombe County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Polk County, Buncombe County and Rutherford County.

Who issues building permits in Henderson County?

The county's page on building permits: Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

We do not have flood maps for Henderson County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

County · code 37089

Henderson CountyNorth Carolina

Henderson County is a county in North Carolina with its seat in Hendersonville. It was created from Buncombe County on December 15, 1838, and named after Leonard Henderson.

Founded1838
County seatHendersonville
Named forLeonard Henderson
Land area373 sq mi + 2.1 sq mi water
Population116,281 2020 Census
Parcels mapped71,121 checked 16 October 2026

Open the free map Click any parcel in Henderson County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1838 from Buncombe County

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

Henderson County was created from Buncombe County in 1838. The county gained and lost territory over time through boundary adjustments with neighboring counties including Buncombe, Rutherford, Polk, and Transylvania.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

1838
Henderson County created Henderson created from Buncombe.
from Buncombe
15 December 1838 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1838-1839, pub., ch. 12, sec. 1/pp. 20-21
1844
Gained territory Henderson gained from Rutherford.
from Rutherford
9 December 1844 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1844-1845, pub., ch. 24, secs. 1-2/pp. 30-31
1847
Lost territory Henderson lost to creation of Polk.
to Polk
18 January 1847 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1846-1847, ch. 26, sec. 1/pp. 80-81
1849
Lost territory Henderson regained territory lost to creation of Polk in 1847 when Polk's creation repealed on 16 January 1849.
to Polk
26 January 1849 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1848-1849, ch. 19, secs. 1-2/pp. 51-55
1851
Gained territory Henderson gained from Buncombe.
from Buncombe
28 January 1851 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1850-1851, ch. 45, secs. 1-4/pp. 113-114

Show all 9 changes (4 more)

1838
Henderson County created Henderson created from Buncombe.
from Buncombe
15 December 1838 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1838-1839, pub., ch. 12, sec. 1/pp. 20-21
1844
Gained territory Henderson gained from Rutherford.
from Rutherford
9 December 1844 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1844-1845, pub., ch. 24, secs. 1-2/pp. 30-31
1847
Lost territory Henderson lost to creation of Polk.
to Polk
18 January 1847 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1846-1847, ch. 26, sec. 1/pp. 80-81
1849
Lost territory Henderson regained territory lost to creation of Polk in 1847 when Polk's creation repealed on 16 January 1849.
to Polk
26 January 1849 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1848-1849, ch. 19, secs. 1-2/pp. 51-55
1851
Gained territory Henderson gained from Buncombe.
from Buncombe
28 January 1851 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1850-1851, ch. 45, secs. 1-4/pp. 113-114
1855
Lost territory Henderson lost to re-creation of Polk.
to Polk
20 January 1855 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1854-1855, pub., ch. 10, sec. 1/pp. 26-27
1861
Lost territory Henderson lost to creation of Transylvania.
to Transylvania
15 February 1861 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1860-1861, pub., ch. 10, sec. 1/p. 19
1911
Lost territory Henderson lost to Polk.
to Polk
21 February 1911 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1911, pub., ch. 27, sec. 1/p. 59
1959
Exchanged territory Henderson exchanged with Buncombe.
with Buncombe
18 June 1959 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1959, ch. 1145, sec. 1/pp. 1291-1294

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Henderson

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 71,121 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 15 October 2026 · checked 16 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 66,630 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

Henderson by the Census

Population

116,281 2020 Census count

Housing units

56,434 2020 Census count

Land area

373 square miles

Water area

2.1 square miles

People per sq mi

312 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.

Permits

Permitsfrom hendersoncountync.gov
Permits & Inspectionsfrom hendersoncountync.gov

Zoning and code

a municode designfrom ahaconsulting.com
Zoningfrom hendersoncountync.gov
Planning and Zoningfrom hendersoncountync.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Henderson County.
hendersoncountync.org

See your own lot on these maps

Open Henderson 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.

Open the free map no sign-in Pro early access

Questions

Common questions about Henderson County

When was Henderson County founded?: Henderson County was founded in 1838, formed from Buncombe County, and named after Leonard Henderson.
What is the county seat of Henderson County?: The county seat of Henderson County is Hendersonville.
Is there an online parcel map for Henderson County?: Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 71,121 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Henderson County's boundary or name changed?: Henderson County was created in 1838 from Buncombe County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Polk County, Buncombe County and Rutherford County.
Who issues building permits in Henderson County?: The county's page on building permits: Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Henderson County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

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