When was Josephine County founded?

Josephine County was founded in 1856, formed from Curry County and Jackson County.

What is the county seat of Josephine County?

The county seat of Josephine County is Grants Pass.

Is there an online parcel map for Josephine County?

Yes. Josephine County publishes a parcel map of 41,261 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Josephine County's boundary or name changed?

Josephine County was created in 1856 from Curry County and Jackson County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Curry County, Jackson County and Douglas County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

Josephine County, Oregon: parcels, history and offices

Where it is

Josephine on the map of Oregon

Oregon has 36 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Counties of Oregon · Josephine highlighted

History

Formed in 1856 from Curry County and Jackson County

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

Josephine County was created by Oregon Territory from Curry and Jackson counties. When Oregon was admitted to the Union on February 14, 1859, Oregon Territory was eliminated and Josephine became a state county.

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

1856
Josephine County created Josephine created by Oregon Territory from Curry and Jackson.
from Curry from Jackson
22 January 1856 · Ore. Terr. Laws 1855-1856, 7th reg. sess., pp. 30-31
1859
Became part of Oregon Josephine became an Oregon county when the state of Oregon was admitted to the Union and Oregon Territory was eliminated. 14 February 1859 · U.S. Stat., vol. 11, ch. 33[1859], secs. 1-2/pp. 383-384 Ore. Laws 1860, 1st reg. sess., pp. 28-30
1870
Changed Legislature adopted Senate Joint Resolution No. 14 in response to a petition from the citizens of Josephine County asking the legislature to dissolve said county and attach it to Jackson County. Petition for dissolution was referred to the delegation from those two counties in each House. Change never took place. 1 October 1870 · Ore. Laws 1870, 6th reg. sess., p. 182
1880
Exchanged territory Josephine exchanged with Curry.
with Curry
25 October 1880 · Ore. Special Laws 1880, 11th reg. sess., p. 93
1885
Gained territory Josephine gained from Jackson.
from Jackson
12 February 1885 · Ore. Special Laws 1885, 13th reg. sess., pp. 236-237
1927
Exchanged territory Josephine exchanged with Douglas; boundaries with Curry and Jackson redefined.
with Douglas with Curry with Jackson
9 February 1927 · Ore. Laws 1927, gen., 34th reg. sess., ch. 45/pp. 54-55

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Josephine

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 41,261 parcels from Josephine County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 16 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 45,990 in all from State of Oregon — Department of Administrative Services Geospatial Enterprise Office (GEOHub) with Oregon Department of Emergency Management 9-1-1 program.
edited 16 January 2026 · 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

Josephine by the Census

Population

88,090 2020 Census count

Housing units

38,748 2020 Census count

Land area

1,639 square miles

Water area

2.2 square miles

People per sq mi

54 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

Josephine 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 Josephine County.
co.josephine.or.us

See your own lot on these maps

Open Josephine 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 Josephine County

When was Josephine County founded?: Josephine County was founded in 1856, formed from Curry County and Jackson County.
What is the county seat of Josephine County?: The county seat of Josephine County is Grants Pass.
Is there an online parcel map for Josephine County?: Yes. Josephine County publishes a parcel map of 41,261 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Josephine County's boundary or name changed?: Josephine County was created in 1856 from Curry County and Jackson County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Curry County, Jackson County and Douglas County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Josephine County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Josephine CountyOregon