When was Athens County founded?

Athens County was founded in 1805, formed from Washington County, and named after Athens, Greece.

What is the county seat of Athens County?

The county seat of Athens County is Athens.

Is there an online parcel map for Athens County?

Yes. Athens County publishes a parcel map of 42,346 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Athens County's boundary or name changed?

Athens County was created in 1805 from Washington County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 9 later changes, chiefly involving Hocking County, Washington County and Gallia County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 39009

Athens CountyOhio

Athens County is a county in Ohio with its seat in Athens. The county was created in 1805 from Washington County and named after Athens.

Founded1805
County seatAthens
Named forAthens, Greece
Land area504 sq mi + 4.8 sq mi water
Population62,431 2020 Census
Parcels mapped42,346 checked 15 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1805 from Washington County

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

Athens County was created from Washington County in 1805. Over the following decades, Athens lost territory to the creation of Jackson County in 1816, Hocking County in 1818, Meigs County in 1819, and Morgan County in 1845, as well as to Vinton County in 1850. The county also exchanged small areas with Washington and Gallia counties in the early 1800s.

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

1805
Athens County created Athens created from Washington.
from Washington
1 March 1805 · Ohio Laws 1804, 3d assy., ch. 68/p. 283; Chase, 3:ch. 351/p. 2102
1808
Exchanged territory Athens exchanged with Washington.
with Washington
18 February 1808 · Ohio Laws 1807, 6th assy., ch. 43/p. 149; Chase, 3:ch. 366/pp. 2107-2108
1814
Exchanged territory Athens exchanged with Washington.
with Washington
10 February 1814 · Ohio Laws 1813, 12th assy., ch. 49/p. 146; Chase, 3:ch. 398/p. 2118
1816
Lost territory Athens lost to creation of Jackson.
to Jackson
1 March 1816 · Ohio Laws 1815, 14th assy., ch. 25, secs. 1, 5/pp. 112, 115; Chase, 3:ch. 404/pp. 2121-2122
1818
Lost territory Athens lost to creation of Hocking.
to Hocking
1 March 1818 · Ohio Laws 1817, 16th assy., ch. 24, secs. 1, 6/pp. 60, 62; Chase, 3:ch. 416/pp. 2127-2128

Show all 10 changes (5 more)

1805
Athens County created Athens created from Washington.
from Washington
1 March 1805 · Ohio Laws 1804, 3d assy., ch. 68/p. 283; Chase, 3:ch. 351/p. 2102
1807
Exchanged territory Athens exchanged small areas with Gallia.
with Gallia
30 January 1807 · Ohio Laws 1806, 5th assy., ch. 39/p. 105; Chase, 3:ch. 359/p. 2105
1808
Exchanged territory Athens exchanged with Washington.
with Washington
18 February 1808 · Ohio Laws 1807, 6th assy., ch. 43/p. 149; Chase, 3:ch. 366/pp. 2107-2108
1814
Exchanged territory Athens exchanged with Washington.
with Washington
10 February 1814 · Ohio Laws 1813, 12th assy., ch. 49/p. 146; Chase, 3:ch. 398/p. 2118
1816
Lost territory Athens lost to creation of Jackson.
to Jackson
1 March 1816 · Ohio Laws 1815, 14th assy., ch. 25, secs. 1, 5/pp. 112, 115; Chase, 3:ch. 404/pp. 2121-2122
1818
Lost territory Athens lost to creation of Hocking.
to Hocking
1 March 1818 · Ohio Laws 1817, 16th assy., ch. 24, secs. 1, 6/pp. 60, 62; Chase, 3:ch. 416/pp. 2127-2128
1819
Lost territory Athens lost to creation of Meigs.
to Meigs
1 April 1819 · Ohio Laws 1818, 17th assy., ch. 25, secs. 1, 6/pp. 40, 43; Chase, 3:ch. 423/pp. 2131-2132
1845
Lost territory Athens lost to Morgan.
to Morgan
11 March 1845 · Ohio Laws 1844, 43d assy., loc., p. 360
1845
Lost territory Athens lost to Hocking.
to Hocking
12 March 1845 · Ohio Laws 1844, 43d assy., loc., p. 410
1850
Lost territory Athens lost to creation of Vinton and lost to Hocking.
to Vinton to Hocking
1 April 1850 · Ohio Laws 1849, 48th assy., loc., secs. 1-3, 6/pp. 684-685

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Athens

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 42,346 parcels from Athens County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 6 July 2025 · checked 15 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 29,198 in all from Ohio Geographically Referenced Information Program (OGRIP), Ohio DAS/OIT (state GIS office).
edited 24 June 2025 · 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

Athens by the Census

Population

62,431 2020 Census count

Housing units

26,386 2020 Census count

Land area

504 square miles

Water area

4.8 square miles

People per sq mi

124 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

Athens 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 Athens County.
co.athensoh.org

See your own lot on these maps

Open Athens 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 Athens County

When was Athens County founded?: Athens County was founded in 1805, formed from Washington County, and named after Athens, Greece.
What is the county seat of Athens County?: The county seat of Athens County is Athens.
Is there an online parcel map for Athens County?: Yes. Athens County publishes a parcel map of 42,346 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Athens County's boundary or name changed?: Athens County was created in 1805 from Washington County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 9 later changes, chiefly involving Hocking County, Washington County and Gallia County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Athens County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby