When was Quay County founded?

Quay County was founded in 1903, formed from Guadalupe County and Union County, and named after Matthew Quay.

What is the county seat of Quay County?

The county seat of Quay County is Tucumcari.

Is there an online parcel map for Quay County?

Yes. Quay County publishes a parcel map of 15,587 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Quay County's boundary or name changed?

Quay County was created in 1903 from Guadalupe County and Union County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 4 later changes, chiefly involving Curry County, San Miguel County and Union County. It was formerly called Washington.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 35037

Quay CountyNew Mexico

Quay County is located in New Mexico and has its county seat in Tucumcari. The county was created on February 28, 1903, from Guadalupe and Union counties and was named after Matthew Quay.

Founded1903
County seatTucumcari
Named forMatthew Quay
Land area2,874 sq mi + 7.2 sq mi water
Population8,746 2020 Census
Parcels mapped15,587 checked 16 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1903 from Guadalupe County and Union County

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

Quay County was created in 1903 from parts of Guadalupe and Union counties. In 1907, the county gained land from San Miguel and Union counties. In 1909, territory was lost to the creation of Curry County. In 1923, Quay County was temporarily renamed Washington for one day before reverting to its original name.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

1903
Quay County created Quay created by New Mexico Territory from Guadalupe (original) and Union.
from Guadalupe from Union
28 February 1903 · N.M. Terr. Laws 1903, 35th assy., ch. 8/pp. 16-20
1907
Gained territory Quay gained from San Miguel and Union.
from San Miguel from Union
20 March 1907 · N.M. Terr. Laws 1907, 37th assy., ch. 62/pp. 123-124
1909
Lost territory Quay lost to creation of Curry.
to Curry
25 February 1909 · N.M. Terr. Laws 1909, 38th assy., ch. 6/pp. 9-13
1923
Quay County created Washington (now Quay) created from all of Quay; Quay eliminated. Washington existed for only one day before being renamed Quay. This act and its companion the following day circumvented the constitutional prohibition against changing county boundaries by special or local law. 13 March 1923 · N.M. Laws 1923, 6th reg. sess., ch. 141/pp. 278-281
1923
Renamed Washington renamed Quay. This act and its predecessor circumvented the constitutional prohibition against changing county boundaries by special or local law.
formerly Washington
14 March 1923 · N.M. Laws 1923, 6th reg. sess., ch. 150/p. 331

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Quay

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 15,587 parcels from Quay County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 10 July 2024 · checked 16 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Quay County yet.
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

Quay by the Census

Population

8,746 2020 Census count

Housing units

5,471 2020 Census count

Land area

2,874 square miles

Water area

7.2 square miles

People per sq mi

3 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

Assessor and property recordsfrom quaycounty-nm.gov · checked 14 October 2026

Zoning and code

Ordinancesfrom quaycounty-nm.gov

GIS and maps

County GIS and mapsfrom quaycounty-nm.gov · checked 14 October 2026

County government

County government
The official website of Quay County.
quaycounty-nm.gov

See your own lot on these maps

Open Quay 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 Quay County

When was Quay County founded?: Quay County was founded in 1903, formed from Guadalupe County and Union County, and named after Matthew Quay.
What is the county seat of Quay County?: The county seat of Quay County is Tucumcari.
Is there an online parcel map for Quay County?: Yes. Quay County publishes a parcel map of 15,587 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Quay County's boundary or name changed?: Quay County was created in 1903 from Guadalupe County and Union County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 4 later changes, chiefly involving Curry County, San Miguel County and Union County. It was formerly called Washington.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Quay County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby