County · code 37161
Rutherford CountyNorth Carolina
Rutherford County is a county in North Carolina with its seat in Rutherfordton. It was formed on February 12, 1779 from Tryon County and named after Griffith Rutherford.
- Founded1779
- County seatRutherfordton
- Named forGriffith Rutherford
- Land area565 sq mi + 1.8 sq mi water
- Population64,444 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped57,853 checked 16 October 2026
Where it is
Rutherford 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 1779 from Tryon County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Rutherford County was created from Tryon County in 1779. Over the following decades, the county gained and lost land to neighboring counties including Burke, Buncombe, Cleveland, McDowell, Henderson, and Polk, with the most significant boundary changes occurring between the 1780s and 1840s.
- 1779Rutherford County created Rutherford created from Tryon (extinct).from Tryon· N.C. Recs., ch. 23, secs. 1-2/24:236-238
- 1787
- 1792Lost territory Rutherford lost to creation of Buncombe. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1791, ch. 52, sec. 1/pp. 20-21
- 1794Lost territory Rutherford lost to Buncombe. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1794, ch. 28, sec. 1/pp. 66-67
- 1807Gained territory Rutherford gained from Burke. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1807, ch. 71, sec. 1/pp. 313-314
Show all 16 changes
- 1779Rutherford County created Rutherford created from Tryon (extinct).from Tryon· N.C. Recs., ch. 23, secs. 1-2/24:236-238
- 1787
- 1788Boundary clarified Boundary between Rutherford and Burke clarified (no change).with Burkeno change· N.C. Recs., ch. 2, sec. 5/24:479; N.C. Recs. ch. 10, sec. 1/24:957
- 1792Lost territory Rutherford lost to creation of Buncombe. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1791, ch. 52, sec. 1/pp. 20-21
- 1794Lost territory Rutherford lost to Buncombe. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1794, ch. 28, sec. 1/pp. 66-67
- 1807Gained territory Rutherford gained from Burke. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1807, ch. 71, sec. 1/pp. 313-314
- 1809Gained territory Rutherford gained from Burke. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1809, ch. 14, secs. 1, 3/p. 7
- 1841Lost territory Rutherford lost to creation of Cleveland. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1840-1841, pub., ch. 9, sec. 1/p. 25; N.C. Sess. Laws 1842-1843, pub., ch. 7, sec. 1/p. 8
- 1842Lost territory Rutherford lost to creation of McDowell. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1842-1843, pub., ch. 10, sec. 1/p. 14
- 1844Lost territory Rutherford lost to Henderson. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1844-1845, pub., ch. 24, secs. 1-2/pp. 30-31
- 1844Lost territory Rutherford lost to McDowell. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1844-1845, pub., ch. 30, secs. 1, 4/pp. 43-44
- 1845Lost territory Rutherford lost to Cleveland. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1844-1845, pub., ch. 23, sec. 1/p. 30
- 1847Lost territory Rutherford lost to creation of Polk. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1846-1847, ch. 26, sec. 1/pp. 80-81
- 1849Lost territory Rutherford regained territory lost to creation of Polk in 1847 when Polk's creation repealed on 16 January 1849. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1848-1849, ch. 19, secs. 1-2/pp. 51-55
- 1855Lost territory Rutherford lost to re-creation of Polk. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1854-1855, pub., ch. 10, sec. 1/pp. 26-27
- 1871Changed Burke authorized to gain area along South Mountain from Rutherford. · N.C. Sess. Laws 1870-1871, pub., ch. 129, sec. 1/p. 197
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Rutherford
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
-
Parcels Good enough
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 57,853 parcels from Rutherford 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, 40,317 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
Rutherford 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
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.
GIS and maps
County government
- County government
The official website of Rutherford County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
- When was Rutherford County founded?
- Rutherford County was founded in 1779, formed from Tryon County, and named after Griffith Rutherford.
- What is the county seat of Rutherford County?
- The county seat of Rutherford County is Rutherfordton.
- Is there an online parcel map for Rutherford County?
- Yes. Rutherford County publishes a parcel map of 57,853 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Rutherford County's boundary or name changed?
- Rutherford County was created in 1779 from Tryon County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 14 later changes, chiefly involving Burke County, Polk County and Buncombe County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Rutherford County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby