When was Churchill County founded?

Churchill County was founded in 1861, formed from Lyon County, and named after Sylvester Churchill.

What is the county seat of Churchill County?

The county seat of Churchill County is Fallon.

Is there an online parcel map for Churchill County?

Yes. Churchill County publishes a parcel map of 14,145 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Churchill County's boundary or name changed?

Churchill County was created in 1861 from Lyon County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 10 later changes, chiefly involving Lyon County, Lander County and Esmeralda County.

Who issues building permits in Churchill County?

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

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 32001

Churchill CountyNevada

Churchill County is a county in Nevada, with its seat in Fallon, formed in 1861.

Founded1861
County seatFallon
Named forSylvester Churchill
Land area4,950 sq mi + 74 sq mi water
Population25,516 2020 Census
Parcels mapped14,145 checked 15 October 2026

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

Updated 20 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Churchill on the map of Nevada

Nevada has 17 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Counties of Nevada · Churchill highlighted

History

Formed in 1861 from Lyon County

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

Churchill County was created by Nevada Territory from Lyon County on November 25, 1861, and named after Sylvester Churchill. Initially not fully organized, it was attached to Lyon County for administrative and judicial purposes, then fully organized and detached on February 19, 1864, becoming a county in the state of Nevada later that year. Over more than a century, Churchill County exchanged and adjusted boundaries with neighboring counties including Lander, Nye, Humboldt, Lyon, and Washoe.

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

1861
Churchill County created Churchill created by Nevada Territory from non-county area. Churchill not fully organized, attached to Lyon for administrative and judicial purposes.
from Lyon
25 November 1861 · Nev. Terr. Stats. 1861, 1st sess., ch. 24, sec. 9/p. 52 and p. 291
1862
Lost territory Churchill lost to creation of Lander.
to Lander
19 December 1862 · Nev. Terr. Stats. 1862, 2d sess., ch. 58/p. 53
1864
Lost territory Churchill lost to Lander and Lyon.
to Lander to Lyon
20 February 1864 · Nev. Terr. Stats. 1864, 3d sess., chs. 108-109/pp. 147-148
1864
Became part of Nevada Churchill became a county in the state of Nevada. 31 October 1864 · U.S. Stat., vol. 13, ch. 36[1864]/pp. 30-32 and proc. 22/p. 749; Van Zandt, 158-160
1865
Lost territory Churchill lost to Nye.
to Nye.
9 March 1865 · Nev. Stats. 1865, 1st sess., ch. 106/p. 352

Show all 12 changes (7 more)

1861
Churchill County created Churchill created by Nevada Territory from non-county area. Churchill not fully organized, attached to Lyon for administrative and judicial purposes.
from Lyon
25 November 1861 · Nev. Terr. Stats. 1861, 1st sess., ch. 24, sec. 9/p. 52 and p. 291
1862
Lost territory Churchill lost to creation of Lander.
to Lander
19 December 1862 · Nev. Terr. Stats. 1862, 2d sess., ch. 58/p. 53
1864
Changed Churchill fully organized, detached from Lyon.
Lyon
19 February 1864 · Nev. Terr. Stats. 1864, 3d sess., ch. 62/pp. 86-88
1864
Lost territory Churchill lost to Lander and Lyon.
to Lander to Lyon
20 February 1864 · Nev. Terr. Stats. 1864, 3d sess., chs. 108-109/pp. 147-148
1864
Became part of Nevada Churchill became a county in the state of Nevada. 31 October 1864 · U.S. Stat., vol. 13, ch. 36[1864]/pp. 30-32 and proc. 22/p. 749; Van Zandt, 158-160
1865
Lost territory Churchill lost to Nye.
to Nye.
9 March 1865 · Nev. Stats. 1865, 1st sess., ch. 106/p. 352
1869
Gained territory Churchill gained from Humboldt and Lyon, lost to Esmeralda.
from Humboldt from Lyon from Esmeralda
27 February 1869 · Nev. Stats. 1869, 4th sess., ch. 41/p. 88
1869
Lost territory Churchill lost to Lander.
to Lander
5 March 1869 · Nev. Stats. 1869, 4th sess., chs. 74-75/p. 128; Holt, Map of California and Nevada 1869
1875
Boundary clarified Churchill boundary with Nye was redefined (no change).
with Nyeno change
26 February 1875 · Nev. Stats. 1875, 7th sess., ch. 50/p. 102
1951
Changed Churchill boundary with Lyon was adjusted near town of Wadsworth.
Lyon
22 March 1951 · Nev. Stats. 1951, 45th sess., ch. 288/p. 440
1969
Exchanged territory Churchill exchanged with Lyon.
with Lyon
24 April 1969 · Nev. Stats. 1969, 55th sess., ch. 590/pp. 1112-1114
1983
Exchanged territory Churchill exchanged with Washoe when boundary was placed on public land survey lines.
with Washoe
12 May 1983 · Nev. Stats. 1983, 62nd sess., ch. 250/pp. 565-569

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Churchill

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 14,145 parcels from Churchill County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 18 September 2026 · checked 15 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Churchill 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

Churchill by the Census

Population

25,516 2020 Census count

Housing units

10,772 2020 Census count

Land area

4,950 square miles

Water area

74 square miles

People per sq mi

5 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 churchillcountynv.gov · checked 13 October 2026
Clerk of court: deeds and platsfrom churchillcountynv.gov · checked 13 October 2026

Permits

Work Permitfrom churchillcountynv.gov
Encroachment Permitsfrom churchillcountynv.gov
Septic Installation Information (PDF)from churchillcountynv.gov
Septicfrom churchillcountynv.gov

Zoning and code

Planning and zoningfrom churchillcountynv.gov · checked 13 October 2026
County Codefrom library.municode.com
Zoning Requirements (PDF)from churchillcountynv.gov
Zoning Map (PDF)from churchillcountynv.gov

GIS and maps

County GIS and mapsfrom churchillcountynv.gov · checked 13 October 2026

County government

County government
The official website of Churchill County.
churchillcountynv.gov

See your own lot on these maps

Open Churchill 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 Churchill County

When was Churchill County founded?: Churchill County was founded in 1861, formed from Lyon County, and named after Sylvester Churchill.
What is the county seat of Churchill County?: The county seat of Churchill County is Fallon.
Is there an online parcel map for Churchill County?: Yes. Churchill County publishes a parcel map of 14,145 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Churchill County's boundary or name changed?: Churchill County was created in 1861 from Lyon County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 10 later changes, chiefly involving Lyon County, Lander County and Esmeralda County.
Who issues building permits in Churchill County?: The county's page on building permits: Work Permit. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Churchill County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby