When was Dunn County founded?

Dunn County was founded in 1883.

What is the county seat of Dunn County?

The county seat of Dunn County is Manning.

Is there an online parcel map for Dunn County?

Yes. State of North Dakota GIS Hub (NDIT; State Parcel Program, counties as custodians) publishes a parcel map of 21,496 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Dunn County's boundary or name changed?

Dunn County was created in 1901. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Stark County, Billings County and McKenzie County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 38025

Dunn CountyNorth Dakota

Dunn County is in North Dakota and has its seat in Manning. The county was founded in 1883.

Founded1883
County seatManning
Land area2,008 sq mi + 74 sq mi water
Population4,095 2020 Census
Parcels mapped21,496 checked 14 October 2026

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

Updated 20 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Founded in 1883

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

Dunn County was created in Dakota Territory on March 10, 1885, from parts of McKenzie, Stark, and Williams counties, and became a county in the state of North Dakota on November 2, 1889. The county's boundaries changed repeatedly over the following decades through disputes with neighboring Stark County, including elimination and re-creation by court order, until Dunn became fully organized and detached from Stark on January 18, 1908.

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

1885
Gained territory Dunn gained from McKenzie, Stark, and Williams (original, extinct); exchanged with Billings; lost to Villard (Dakota Territory, extinct).
from McKenzie from Stark from Williams from Billingsfrom Villard
10 March 1885 · Dak. Terr. Laws 1885, 16th sess., ch. 3/p. 226
1889
Became part of North Dakota Dunn became a county in the state of North Dakota. 2 November 1889 · U.S. Stat., vol. 25, ch. 180[1889]/pp. 676-684 and vol. 26, no. 5/pp. 1548-1549; Swindler, 7:526-527; Van Zandt, 134
1901
Dunn County created Dunn re-created from Stark when the North Dakota Supreme Court overturned the act of 9 March 1899 and confirmed its decision of 18 May 1899 that overturned act of 3 November 1896.
from Stark
24 May 1901 · "Henry B. Schaffner v. John Young," in N. Dak. Rpts., 10:245-254; Hall, 232-233
1903
Changed Dunn attached to Stark "for judicial purposes."
Stark
10 March 1903 · N. Dak. Laws 1903, 8th sess., ch. 70/p. 80
1908
Gained territory Dunn gained nearly all of Non-County Area 23 attached to Stark; Non-County Area 23 eliminated. Dunn fully organized, detached from Stark.
from Stark
18 January 1908 · "Dunn County," 2; Hall, 238-239

Show all 9 changes (4 more, mostly small adjustments)

1885
Gained territory Dunn gained from McKenzie, Stark, and Williams (original, extinct); exchanged with Billings; lost to Villard (Dakota Territory, extinct).
from McKenzie from Stark from Williams from Billingsfrom Villard
10 March 1885 · Dak. Terr. Laws 1885, 16th sess., ch. 3/p. 226
1889
Became part of North Dakota Dunn became a county in the state of North Dakota. 2 November 1889 · U.S. Stat., vol. 25, ch. 180[1889]/pp. 676-684 and vol. 26, no. 5/pp. 1548-1549; Swindler, 7:526-527; Van Zandt, 134
1891
Changed Legislature authorized Stark to gain all of Dunn; gain did not take effect (no change).
Stark
2 March 1891 · N. Dak. Laws 1891, 2d sess., ch. 50, secs. 6-11/pp. 130-132; HRS N. Dak., Williams, 3-5; Hall, 226-229
1896
Lost territory Dunn lost all territory to Stark; Dunn eliminated. Act was overturned by the North Dakota Supreme Court, 24 May 1901.
to Stark
3 November 1896 · N. Dak. Laws 1895, 4th sess., ch. 25/pp. 21-23; Hall, 229-233
1901
Dunn County created Dunn re-created from Stark when the North Dakota Supreme Court overturned the act of 9 March 1899 and confirmed its decision of 18 May 1899 that overturned act of 3 November 1896.
from Stark
24 May 1901 · "Henry B. Schaffner v. John Young," in N. Dak. Rpts., 10:245-254; Hall, 232-233
1903
Changed Dunn attached to Stark "for judicial purposes."
Stark
10 March 1903 · N. Dak. Laws 1903, 8th sess., ch. 70/p. 80
1903
Changed Legislature authorized Stark to gain all of Dunn; gain did not take effect (no change). Act was overturned by the North Dakota Supreme Court during the 1905 session.
Stark
13 March 1903 · N. Dak. Laws 1903, 8th sess., ch. 69/pp. 78-80; Hall, 233-236; "State of North Dakota v. Stark County," in N. Dak. Rpts., 14:368-375
1905
Changed In December 1905, the North Dakota Supreme Court overturned the act of 13 March 1903 by which Stark was authorized to gain all of Dunn (no change).
Stark
31 December 1905 · "State of North Dakota v. Stark County," in N. Dak. Rpts., 14:368-375
1908
Gained territory Dunn gained nearly all of Non-County Area 23 attached to Stark; Non-County Area 23 eliminated. Dunn fully organized, detached from Stark.
from Stark
18 January 1908 · "Dunn County," 2; Hall, 238-239

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Dunn

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 21,496 parcels from State of North Dakota GIS Hub (NDIT; State Parcel Program, counties as custodians). Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 12 October 2026 · checked 14 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 4,151 in all from State of North Dakota — NDGISHUB / ND Department of Emergency Services (owner NDGISHDP-DES).
edited 12 October 2026 · checked 13 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

Dunn by the Census

Population

4,095 2020 Census count

Housing units

2,105 2020 Census count

Land area

2,008 square miles

Water area

74 square miles

People per sq mi

2 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

Dunn County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

County government
The official website of Dunn County.
dunncountynd.org

See your own lot on these maps

Open Dunn 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 Dunn County

When was Dunn County founded?: Dunn County was founded in 1883.
What is the county seat of Dunn County?: The county seat of Dunn County is Manning.
Is there an online parcel map for Dunn County?: Yes. State of North Dakota GIS Hub (NDIT; State Parcel Program, counties as custodians) publishes a parcel map of 21,496 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Dunn County's boundary or name changed?: Dunn County was created in 1901. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Stark County, Billings County and McKenzie County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Dunn County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby