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County · code 37129

New Hanover CountyNorth Carolina

New Hanover County is a county in North Carolina with its seat at Wilmington. It was created as a precinct in 1729 and named after the House of Hanover.

  • Founded1729
  • County seatWilmington
  • Named forHouse of Hanover
  • Land area192 sq mi + 137 sq mi water
  • Population225,702 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped115,794 checked 13 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in New Hanover County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

PenderBrunswick Wilmington Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

New Hanover 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 CountyClay 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 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 CountyNew Hanover County New Hanover
Counties of North Carolina · New Hanover highlighted

History

Founded in 1729

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

New Hanover Precinct was created from unorganized territory in 1729 and became New Hanover County in 1739. The county lost territory to the creation of Bladen and Onslow in 1734, to Duplin in 1750, to Brunswick in 1764, and to Sampson in 1795 and 1847, with various boundary exchanges with neighboring counties over time.

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

  1. 1729
    New Hanover County created New Hanover Precinct (now New Hanover) created from unorganized territory; northwestern boundary limit was indefinite. New Hanover Precinct was overlapped by Prince George-Winyaw Parish (South Carolina). There is no evidence that South Carolina exercised effective control in the Cape Fear region, and the overlap ended when Prince George-Winyaw Parish was eliminated from present North Carolina after commissioners from the two colonies established the present state boundary in 1735.
    from S.c.
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 10/23:116; N.C. Recs., ch. 8, secs. 1-6/23:119-120
  2. 1751
    Lost territory New Hanover lost to Duplin.
    to Duplin
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 14, sec. 6/25:246-247
  3. 1764
    Lost territory New Hanover lost to creation of Brunswick.
    to Brunswick
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 14, secs. 1-3/23:622-627
  4. 1766
    Exchanged territory New Hanover exchanged with Duplin.
    with Duplin
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 27, secs. 1-2/23:686-687
  5. 1788
    Gained territory New Hanover gained from Brunswick.
    from Brunswick
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 40, sec. 1/24:985
Show all 16 changes (11 more, mostly small adjustments)
  1. 1729
    New Hanover County created New Hanover Precinct (now New Hanover) created from unorganized territory; northwestern boundary limit was indefinite. New Hanover Precinct was overlapped by Prince George-Winyaw Parish (South Carolina). There is no evidence that South Carolina exercised effective control in the Cape Fear region, and the overlap ended when Prince George-Winyaw Parish was eliminated from present North Carolina after commissioners from the two colonies established the present state boundary in 1735.
    from S.c.
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 10/23:116; N.C. Recs., ch. 8, secs. 1-6/23:119-120
  2. c. 1734
    Lost territory New Hanover Precinct (now New Hanover) lost to creation of Bladen Precinct (now Bladen) and Onslow Precinct (now Onslow); northwestern boundary limit for New Hanover remained indefinite.
    to Bladento Onslow
    · N.C. Recs., 3:450; N.C. Recs., ch. 8, secs. 1-2/23:119-120
  3. c. 1739
    Changed New Hanover Precinct became New Hanover County by legislative act. · N.C. Recs., ch. 3, sec. 22/23: 122-127
  4. c. 1750
    Lost territory New Hanover lost to creation of Duplin.
    to Duplin
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 1, secs. 1-2/23:342-343
  5. 1751
    Lost territory New Hanover lost to Duplin.
    to Duplin
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 14, sec. 6/25:246-247
  6. 1764
    Lost territory New Hanover lost to creation of Brunswick.
    to Brunswick
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 14, secs. 1-3/23:622-627
  7. 1766
    Exchanged territory New Hanover exchanged with Duplin.
    with Duplin
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 27, secs. 1-2/23:686-687
  8. 1788
    Gained territory New Hanover gained from Brunswick.
    from Brunswick
    · N.C. Recs., ch. 40, sec. 1/24:985
  9. 1795
    Lost territory New Hanover lost to Sampson.
    to Sampson
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1795, ch. 24, sec. 1/p. 83
  10. 1809
    Exchanged territory New Hanover exchanged with Brunswick (net effect of exchange is a gain by Brunswick). Area of New Hanover's gain from Brunswick too small to display on interactive map; shapefile users see small_changes 1809_pt. for location.
    with Brunswick
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1809, ch. 24, secs. 1-2/p. 11
  11. 1847
    Lost territory New Hanover lost to Sampson.
    to Sampson
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1846-1847, ch. 128, sec. 1/pp. 273-274
  12. 1859
    Changed Creation of Lillington (proposed) from New Hanover authorized, dependent upon local referendum that failed; county never created.
    Lillington
    · Corbitt, xx; N.C. Sess. Laws 1858-1859, pub., ch. 6, secs. 1-2/pp. 15-16
  13. 1872
    Lost territory New Hanover lost to Sampson.
    to Sampson
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1871-1872, pub., ch. 144, sec. 1/pp. 222-223
  14. 1875
    Lost territory New Hanover lost to creation of Pender.
    to Pender
    · N.C. Sess. Laws 1874-1875, pub., ch. 91, sec. 1/p. 93
  15. 1913
    Changed New Hanover authorized to gain Eagles Island from Brunswick, under conditions which were never fulfilled (no change); act repealed on 8 March 1915.
    Brunswick
    · Corbitt, 38n; Lee, Brunswick, 170; N.C. Sess. Laws 1913, pub., ch. 50, sec. 1/p. 95
  16. 1915
    Changed New Hanover reauthorized to gain Eagles Island from Brunswick, under conditions which were never fulfilled (no change).
    Brunswick
    · Corbitt, 38n; Lee, Brunswick, 170; N.C. Sess. Laws 1915, pub., ch. 162, secs. 1-2/pp. 240-241

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in New Hanover

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

New Hanover by the Census

Population
225,702 2020 Census count
Housing units
113,368 2020 Census count
Land area
192 square miles
Water area
137 square miles · 42% of the county, including large bodies of water
People per sq mi
1,174 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.

Records

Permits

Zoning and code

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open New Hanover 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 New Hanover County

When was New Hanover County founded?
New Hanover County was founded in 1729, and named after House of Hanover.
What is the county seat of New Hanover County?
The county seat of New Hanover County is Wilmington.
Is there an online parcel map for New Hanover County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 115,794 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has New Hanover County's boundary or name changed?
New Hanover County was created in 1729. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 12 later changes, chiefly involving Brunswick County, Duplin County and Sampson County.
Who issues building permits in New Hanover County?
The county's page on building permits: Inspection & Permit FAQs. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in New Hanover County?
The county's page on septic systems and wells: Public Health.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for New Hanover 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