When was Clinton County founded?

Clinton County was founded in 1788, formed from Washington County, and named after George Clinton.

What is the county seat of Clinton County?

The county seat of Clinton County is Plattsburgh.

Is there an online parcel map for Clinton County?

Yes. Clinton County publishes a parcel map of 38,414 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Clinton County's boundary or name changed?

Clinton County was created in 1788 from Washington County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Essex County, Franklin County and Herkimer County.

Who issues building permits in Clinton County?

The county's page on building permits: Get my driving permit or license. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

Clinton County, New York: parcels, history and offices

Where it is

Clinton on the map of New York

New York has 62 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Counties of New York · Clinton highlighted

History

Formed in 1788 from Washington County

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

Clinton County was created from Washington County on March 7, 1788, and was named after George Clinton. The county lost territory to the creation of Essex County in 1799 and to the creation of St. Lawrence County in 1802 and Franklin County in 1808, but gained territory from Essex County in 1822.

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

1788
Clinton County created Clinton created from Washington.
from Washington
7 March 1788 · N.Y. Laws 1788, 11th sess., ch. 63/pp. 746-747
1799
Lost territory Clinton lost to creation of Essex.
to Essex
1 March 1799 · N.Y. Laws 1798-1799, 22d sess., ch. 24/p. 332
1801
Gained territory Clinton gained from Herkimer, Montgomery, and Oneida.
from Herkimer from Montgomery from Oneida
3 April 1801 · N.Y. Laws 1801, 24th sess., ch. 123/p. 290
1802
Lost territory Clinton lost to creation of St. Lawrence.
to St. Lawrence
3 March 1802 · N.Y. Laws 1802, 25th sess., ch. 16/p. 24
1808
Lost territory Clinton lost to creation of Franklin.
to Franklin
11 March 1808 · N.Y. Laws 1808, 31st sess., ch. 43/p. 272
1822
Gained territory Clinton gained from Essex.
from Essex
22 March 1822 · N.Y. Laws 1822, 45th sess., ch. 92/p. 94

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Clinton

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 38,414 parcels from Clinton County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 27 August 2026 · checked 16 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 47,838 in all from NYS Office of Information Technology Services (ITS), Geospatial Services / GIS Program Office (AGOL org 'ShareGIS NY', owner NYSGIS_GPO).
edited 25 September 2026 · 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

Clinton by the Census

Population

79,843 2020 Census count

Housing units

37,315 2020 Census count

Land area

1,038 square miles

Water area

80 square miles

People per sq mi

77 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

Get my driving permit or licensefrom clintoncountyny.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Clinton County.
clintoncountygov.com

See your own lot on these maps

Open Clinton 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 Clinton County

When was Clinton County founded?: Clinton County was founded in 1788, formed from Washington County, and named after George Clinton.
What is the county seat of Clinton County?: The county seat of Clinton County is Plattsburgh.
Is there an online parcel map for Clinton County?: Yes. Clinton County publishes a parcel map of 38,414 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Clinton County's boundary or name changed?: Clinton County was created in 1788 from Washington County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Essex County, Franklin County and Herkimer County.
Who issues building permits in Clinton County?: The county's page on building permits: Get my driving permit or license. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Clinton County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Clinton CountyNew York