When was Tyrrell County founded?

Tyrrell County was founded in 1729, and named after John Tyrrell.

What is the county seat of Tyrrell County?

The county seat of Tyrrell County is Columbia.

Is there an online parcel map for Tyrrell County?

Not that we have found yet. Lot lines and owners of record are kept by the county assessor's office. When a public parcel map appears, it shows here.

Has Tyrrell County's boundary or name changed?

Tyrrell County was created in 1729. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Washington County, Dare County and Hyde County.

Who issues building permits in Tyrrell County?

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

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 37177

Tyrrell CountyNorth Carolina

Tyrrell County is a county in North Carolina, with its seat at Columbia. The county was formed in 1729 and named after John Tyrrell.

Founded1729
County seatColumbia
Named forJohn Tyrrell
Land area391 sq mi + 206 sq mi water
Population3,245 2020 Census

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Founded in 1729

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

Tyrrell County was formed in 1729, and named after John Tyrrell. Columbia is the county seat.

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

1729
Tyrrell County created Tyrrell Precinct (now Tyrrell) created from Bertie Precinct (now Bertie), Chowan Precinct (now Chowan), Pasquotank Precinct (now Pasquotank), and Perquimans Precinct (now Perquimans). (Definition of Tyrrell's southern boundary gave first definition of Hyde Precinct's northern boundary.)
from Bertie from Chowan from Pasquotank from Perquimans
27 November 1729 · N.C. Recs., ch. 4, secs. 1-2/25:212-213
c. 1756
Tyrrell County created Tyrrell re-created by the legislature in response to the Crown Instructions of 1 July 1755 (authorizing reenactment of the creations repealed on 8 April 1754). 1 September 1756 · N.C. Recs., ch. 9, sec. 2/23:446
1774
Lost territory Tyrrell lost to creation of Martin.
to Martin
19 March 1774 · N.C. Recs., ch. 32, sec. 1/23:976
1799
Lost territory Tyrrell lost to creation of Washington.
to Washington
23 December 1799 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1799, ch. 36, secs. 1, 9-10/p. 146, and ch.37, sec. 1/p. 146
1801
Lost territory Tyrrell lost to Washington.
to Washington
19 December 1801 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1801, ch. 70, sec. 1/p. 186

Show all 14 changes (9 more, mostly small adjustments)

1729
Tyrrell County created Tyrrell Precinct (now Tyrrell) created from Bertie Precinct (now Bertie), Chowan Precinct (now Chowan), Pasquotank Precinct (now Pasquotank), and Perquimans Precinct (now Perquimans). (Definition of Tyrrell's southern boundary gave first definition of Hyde Precinct's northern boundary.)
from Bertie from Chowan from Pasquotank from Perquimans
27 November 1729 · N.C. Recs., ch. 4, secs. 1-2/25:212-213
c. 1739
Changed Tyrrell Precinct became Tyrrell County by legislative act. 6 March 1739 · N.C. Recs., ch. 3, sec. 22/23: 122-127
1741
Changed Boundary between Tyrrell and Beaufort defined (no change).
Beaufort
4 April 1741 · N.C. Recs., ch. 9, secs. 1-3/23:168
1754
Changed Creation of Tyrrell Precinct (subsequently Tyrrell County) repealed by King George Ii, in Privy Council.
Ii
8 April 1754 · N.C. Recs., ch. 9, sec. 1/23:445-446
c. 1756
Tyrrell County created Tyrrell re-created by the legislature in response to the Crown Instructions of 1 July 1755 (authorizing reenactment of the creations repealed on 8 April 1754). 1 September 1756 · N.C. Recs., ch. 9, sec. 2/23:446
1774
Lost territory Tyrrell lost to creation of Martin.
to Martin
19 March 1774 · N.C. Recs., ch. 32, sec. 1/23:976
1784
Boundary clarified Boundary between Tyrrell and Hyde clarified (no change).
with Hydeno change
25 November 1784 · N.C. Recs., ch. 45, secs. 1-2/24:705
1799
Lost territory Tyrrell lost to creation of Washington.
to Washington
23 December 1799 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1799, ch. 36, secs. 1, 9-10/p. 146, and ch.37, sec. 1/p. 146
1801
Lost territory Tyrrell lost to Washington.
to Washington
19 December 1801 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1801, ch. 70, sec. 1/p. 186
1870
Lost territory Tyrrell lost to creation of Dare.
to Dare
3 February 1870 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1869-1870, pub., ch. 36, secs. 1, 4, 16/pp. 71-75
1890
Exchanged territory Tyrrell exchanged with Hyde.
with Hyde
5 May 1890 · Corbitt, 267-268; N.C. Sess. Laws 1921, pub., ext. sess., ch. 43, sec. 1/pp. 81-82
1911
Changed Tyrrell's boundaries with Chowan and Washington defined (no change).
Chowan Washington
6 March 1911 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1911, pub., ch. 115, sec. 1/p. 278
1921
Changed Boundary agreement between Tyrrell and Hyde of 5 May 1890 confirmed and ratified by legislature (no change).
Hyde
19 December 1921 · Corbitt, 267-268; N.C. Sess. Laws 1921, ext. sess., pub., ch. 43, sec. 1/pp. 81-82
1983
Boundary clarified Boundary between Tyrrell and Washington clarified (no change).
with Washingtonno change
1 January 1983 · N.C. Sess. Laws 1983, ch. 11, secs. 1-2/pp. 7-8, and ch. 120, sec. 1/p. 80

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Tyrrell

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

Parcels Missing

No public parcel map found for Tyrrell County yet. Lot lines and owners of record are kept by the county (tyrrellcounty.org).
Address points Official

One point per address, 2,842 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

Tyrrell by the Census

Population

3,245 2020 Census count

Housing units

1,999 2020 Census count

Land area

391 square miles

Water area

206 square miles · 35% of the county, including large bodies of water

People per sq mi

8 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

Pay Taxes & Permitsfrom tyrrellcounty.org
Sheriff’s Office Permitsfrom tyrrellcounty.org

Zoning and code

Ordinancesfrom tyrrellcounty.org
Budget Ordinance and Financial Statementsfrom tyrrellcounty.org

County government

County government
The official website of Tyrrell County.
tyrrellcounty.org

See your own lot on these maps

Open Tyrrell 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 Tyrrell County

When was Tyrrell County founded?: Tyrrell County was founded in 1729, and named after John Tyrrell.
What is the county seat of Tyrrell County?: The county seat of Tyrrell County is Columbia.
Is there an online parcel map for Tyrrell County?: Not that we have found yet. Lot lines and owners of record are kept by the county assessor's office. When a public parcel map appears, it shows here.
Has Tyrrell County's boundary or name changed?: Tyrrell County was created in 1729. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Washington County, Dare County and Hyde County.
Who issues building permits in Tyrrell County?: The county's page on building permits: Pay Taxes & Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Tyrrell County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby