What is the county seat of Orange County?

The county seat of Orange County is Hillsborough.

Is there an online parcel map for Orange County?

Yes. Orange County publishes a parcel map of 59,650 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Orange County's boundary or name changed?

Orange County was created in 1752 from Bladen County, Granville County and Johnston County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 10 later changes, chiefly involving Alamance County, Caswell County and Chatham County.

Who issues building permits in Orange County?

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

Who issues septic and well permits in Orange County?

The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health department: septic and well.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 37135

Orange CountyNorth Carolina

Orange County is in North Carolina and has its county seat in Hillsborough. The county was formed on March 31, 1752, from Bladen, Granville, and Johnston Counties and was named after William V, Prince of Orange.

Founded1752
County seatHillsborough
Named forWilliam V, Prince of Orange
Land area398 sq mi + 3.4 sq mi water
Population148,696 2020 Census
Parcels mapped59,650 checked 16 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1752 from Bladen County, Granville County and Johnston County

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

Orange County was formed in 1752 from Bladen County, Granville County and Johnston County, and named after William V, Prince of Orange. Hillsborough is the county seat.

Deeds and plats from before 1752 for land now in Orange County may have been recorded in Bladen County, Granville County and Johnston County.

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

1752
Orange County created Orange created from Bladen, Granville, and Johnston; western boundary limit was indefinite.
from Bladen from Granville from Johnston
31 March 1752 · N.C. Recs., ch. 6, secs. 1-2/23:383-384
1753
Gained territory Orange gained from Granville and lost to creation of Rowan.
from Granville from Rowan
27 March 1753 · N.C. Recs., ch. 7, secs. 1-2/23:390; ch. 8, secs. 1-2/23:390-391; N.C. Recs., ch. 8, secs. 3-4/25:256
c. 1756
Orange County created Orange re-created by the legislature with the boundaries it had at repeal earlier in the month. 25 September 1756 · N.C. Recs., ch. 22, secs. 1-2/23:470-471
1761
Lost territory Orange lost to Johnston.
to Johnston
23 April 1761 · N.C. Recs., ch. 11, secs. 1-2/23:547-548
1771
Lost territory Orange lost to creation of Guilford.
to Guilford
26 January 1771 · N.C. Recs., ch. 24, secs. 1-2/23:823-826

Show all 12 changes (7 more)

1752
Orange County created Orange created from Bladen, Granville, and Johnston; western boundary limit was indefinite.
from Bladen from Granville from Johnston
31 March 1752 · N.C. Recs., ch. 6, secs. 1-2/23:383-384
1753
Gained territory Orange gained from Granville and lost to creation of Rowan.
from Granville from Rowan
27 March 1753 · N.C. Recs., ch. 7, secs. 1-2/23:390; ch. 8, secs. 1-2/23:390-391; N.C. Recs., ch. 8, secs. 3-4/25:256
c. 1756
Changed Creation of Orange repealed by legislature as being inconsistent with the Crown Instructions of 1 July 1755. 1 September 1756 · N.C. Recs., ch. 9, sec. 5/23:446-447
c. 1756
Orange County created Orange re-created by the legislature with the boundaries it had at repeal earlier in the month. 25 September 1756 · N.C. Recs., ch. 22, secs. 1-2/23:470-471
1761
Lost territory Orange lost to Johnston.
to Johnston
23 April 1761 · N.C. Recs., ch. 11, secs. 1-2/23:547-548
1771
Lost territory Orange lost to creation of Guilford.
to Guilford
26 January 1771 · N.C. Recs., ch. 24, secs. 1-2/23:823-826
1771
Lost territory Orange lost to creation of Wake.
to Wake
12 March 1771 · N.C. Recs., ch. 22, secs. 1-2/23:819-823
1771
Lost territory Orange lost to creation of Chatham.
to Chatham
1 April 1771 · N.C. Recs., ch. 27, secs. 1-2/23:827-831
1777
Lost territory Orange lost to creation of Caswell.
to Caswell
1 June 1777 · N.C. Recs., ch. 17, secs. 1-2/24:24-26
1849
Lost territory Orange lost to creation of Alamance.
to Alamance
19 April 1849 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1848-1849, ch. 14, sec. 1/pp. 39-40, and ch. 15, secs. 22-25, 28/pp. 40-48; N.C. Sess. Laws 1852-1853, ch. 22, secs. 1, 3/pp. 71-72
1851
Changed Boundary between Orange and Alamance defined (no change).
Alamance
27 January 1851 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1850-1851, ch. 43, sec. 1/p. 111
1881
Lost territory Orange lost to creation of Durham.
to Durham
14 April 1881 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1881, pub., ch. 138, secs. 1, 13, 24/pp. 273-282

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Orange

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 59,650 parcels from Orange County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 16 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 77,925 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

Orange by the Census

Population

148,696 2020 Census count

Housing units

61,211 2020 Census count

Land area

398 square miles

Water area

3.4 square miles

People per sq mi

374 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

Health department: septic and well 919-245-2415from orangecountync.gov · checked 13 October 2026
Permit Portalfrom centralpermits.orangecountync.gov
Building Inspection Fee Schedulefrom orangecountync.gov
Septic Assistfrom orangecountync.gov
Septic Systemsfrom orangecountync.gov

Zoning and code

Planning and zoningfrom orangecountync.gov · checked 13 October 2026
Other Ordinancesfrom orangecountync.gov
Chapel Hill and Carrboro Town Ordinancesfrom orangecountync.gov
Current Planning and Zoningfrom orangecountync.gov
Regulatory Information about Zoning and Building Code Regulations (PDF)from orangecountync.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Orange County.
orangecountync.gov

See your own lot on these maps

Open Orange 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 Orange County

When was Orange County founded?: Orange County was founded in 1752, formed from Bladen County, Granville County and Johnston County, and named after William V, Prince of Orange.
What is the county seat of Orange County?: The county seat of Orange County is Hillsborough.
Is there an online parcel map for Orange County?: Yes. Orange County publishes a parcel map of 59,650 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Orange County's boundary or name changed?: Orange County was created in 1752 from Bladen County, Granville County and Johnston County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 10 later changes, chiefly involving Alamance County, Caswell County and Chatham County.
Who issues building permits in Orange County?: The county's page on building permits: Permit Portal. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Orange County?: The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health department: septic and well.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Orange 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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