When was Queens County founded?

Queens County was founded in 1683, and named after Catherine of Braganza.

Is there an online parcel map for Queens County?

Yes. New York State Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Clearinghouse publishes a parcel map of 324,164 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Queens County's boundary or name changed?

Queens County was created in 1683. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving New York County, Bronx County and Kings County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

Queens County, New York: parcels, history and offices

Where it is

Queens 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 · Queens highlighted

History

Founded in 1683

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

Queens was created in 1683 from Yorkshire, which had been organized in 1664. The county was named after Catherine of Braganza. Queens lost territory over time, including islands to New York, land to Nassau and Suffolk counties, and small areas to Kings and the Bronx.

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

1683
Queens County created Queens created from Yorkshire, which had been organized in 1664. 1 November 1683 · N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 4/1:122
1881
Lost territory Queens lost North Brother Island to New York.
to New York
8 June 1881 · N.Y. Laws 1881, 104th sess., ch. 478, sec. 1/p. 649
1884
Lost territory Queens lost Rikers Island to New York.
to New York
8 May 1884 · N.Y. Laws 1884, 107th sess., ch. 262/p. 328
1886
Lost territory Queens lost to Suffolk when town of Huntington gained Lloyd's Neck from town of Oyster Bay.
to Suffolk
15 June 1886 · N.Y. Laws 1886, 109th sess., ch. 667/pp. 956-957
1899
Lost territory Queens lost to creation of Nassau.
to Nassau
1 January 1899 · N.Y. Laws 1899, 121st sess., ch. 588, sec. 1/p. 1336

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

1683
Queens County created Queens created from Yorkshire, which had been organized in 1664. 1 November 1683 · N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 4/1:122
1691
Gained territory Queens gained all of Non-County Area 1 (the Brother Islands and Huletts Island). 1 October 1691 · N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 17/1:268
1768
Gained territory Queens gained islands in Long Island Sound that had not previously been part of any county. 31 December 1768 · N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 1376/4:1063
1860
Boundary clarified Boundary between Queens and Suffolk was redefined (no change).
with Suffolkno change
1 March 1860 · N.Y. Laws 1860, 83d sess., ch. 530/pp. 1074-1076
1881
Lost territory Queens lost North Brother Island to New York.
to New York
8 June 1881 · N.Y. Laws 1881, 104th sess., ch. 478, sec. 1/p. 649
1881
Boundary clarified Part of the boundary between Queens and Kings was redefined (no change).
with Kingsno change
11 July 1881 · N.Y. Laws 1881, 104th sess., ch. 624/p. 851
1884
Lost territory Queens lost Rikers Island to New York.
to New York
8 May 1884 · N.Y. Laws 1884, 107th sess., ch. 262/p. 328
1886
Lost territory Queens lost to Suffolk when town of Huntington gained Lloyd's Neck from town of Oyster Bay.
to Suffolk
15 June 1886 · N.Y. Laws 1886, 109th sess., ch. 667/pp. 956-957
1899
Lost territory Queens lost to creation of Nassau.
to Nassau
1 January 1899 · N.Y. Laws 1899, 121st sess., ch. 588, sec. 1/p. 1336
1915
Lost territory Queens lost small area to Kings.
to Kings
28 April 1915 · N.Y. Laws 1915, 138th sess., ch. 410/p. 1325
1917
Boundary clarified Boundary between Queens and Kings was redefined (no change).
with Kingsno change
8 May 1917 · N.Y. Laws 1917, 140th sess., ch. 420/p. 1285
1931
Boundary clarified Boundary between Queens and Kings was redefined (no change).
with Kingsno change
2 April 1931 · N.Y. Laws 1931, 154th sess., ch. 237/p. 617
1945
Boundary clarified Boundary between Queens and Nassau was redefined (no change).
with Nassauno change
20 April 1945 · N.Y. Laws 1945, 168th sess., ch. 895, secs. 1-3/pp. 2101-2106
1964
Lost territory Queens lost South Brother Island to Bronx.
to Bronx
16 April 1964 · N.Y. Laws 1964, 187th sess., ch. 578/p. 1606

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Queens

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 324,164 parcels from New York State Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Clearinghouse. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 25 September 2026 · checked 15 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 360,189 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

Queens by the Census

Population

2,405,464 2020 Census count

Housing units

896,333 2020 Census count

Land area

109 square miles

Water area

73 square miles · 40% of the county, including large bodies of water

People per sq mi

22,125 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

See your own lot on these maps

Open Queens 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 Queens County

When was Queens County founded?: Queens County was founded in 1683, and named after Catherine of Braganza.
Is there an online parcel map for Queens County?: Yes. New York State Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Clearinghouse publishes a parcel map of 324,164 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Queens County's boundary or name changed?: Queens County was created in 1683. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving New York County, Bronx County and Kings County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Queens County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Queens CountyNew York