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County · code 42029

Chester CountyPennsylvania

Chester County is one of Pennsylvania's three original counties, created in 1682, with its seat in West Chester.

  • Founded1682
  • County seatWest Chester
  • Named forChester, England
  • Land area751 sq mi + 8.7 sq mi water
  • Population534,413 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped194,767 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Chester County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

DelawareNew Castle, DEMontgomeryCecil, MDBerksLancaster West Chester Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Chester on the map of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has 67 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Adams CountyAllegheny CountyArmstrong CountyBeaver CountyBedford CountyBerks CountyBlair CountyBradford CountyBucks CountyButler CountyCambria CountyCameron CountyCarbon CountyCentre CountyClarion CountyClearfield CountyClinton CountyColumbia CountyCrawford CountyCumberland CountyDauphin CountyDelaware CountyElk CountyErie CountyFayette CountyForest CountyFranklin CountyFulton CountyGreene CountyHuntingdon CountyIndiana CountyJefferson CountyJuniata CountyLackawanna CountyLancaster CountyLawrence CountyLebanon CountyLehigh CountyLuzerne CountyLycoming CountyMcKean CountyMercer CountyMifflin CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyMontour CountyNorthampton CountyNorthumberland CountyPerry CountyPhiladelphia CountyPike CountyPotter CountySchuylkill CountySnyder CountySomerset CountySullivan CountySusquehanna CountyTioga CountyUnion CountyVenango CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWestmoreland CountyWyoming CountyYork CountyChester County Chester
Counties of Pennsylvania · Chester highlighted

History

Founded in 1682

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

Chester County was formed in 1682, and named after Chester, England. West Chester is the county seat.

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

  1. 1682
    Chester County created In 1682, Chester was created as one of three original counties, no territorial limits were specified. · Bronner, 31-35; Hottenstein and Welch, 24, 37, 108; Penn, 2:299
  2. 1685
    Chester County created Chester boundaries were defined; Chester was created in 1682, but no territorial limits were specified. · Pennsylvania Provincial Council, 1:73-74
  3. 1729
    Lost territory Chester lost to the creation of Lancaster.
    to Lancaster
    · Pa. Stat., ch. 306, sec. 1/4:131-132
  4. 1789
    Lost territory Chester lost to the creation of Delaware.
    to Delaware
    · Pa. Stat., ch. 1443, sec. 1/13:337-338
  5. 1921
    Exchanged territory Chester exchanged narrow strips of territory with New Castle (Delaware) when Congress ratified agreement between Delaware and Pennsylvania on demarcation of their common boundary. Net result was that Chester gained a small sliver of territory, known as the Horn, along the circular line and New Castle (Delaware) gained a small triangular area, known as the Wedge, by the northeast corner of Maryland.
    with New Castle (Del.)
    · Lunt, 59, 61; Van Zandt, 83

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Chester

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

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

Chester by the Census

Population
534,413 2020 Census count
Housing units
208,240 2020 Census count
Land area
751 square miles
Water area
8.7 square miles
People per sq mi
712 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

Zoning and code

GIS and maps

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Chester 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.

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Questions

Common questions about Chester County

When was Chester County founded?
Chester County was founded in 1682, and named after Chester, England.
What is the county seat of Chester County?
The county seat of Chester County is West Chester.
Is there an online parcel map for Chester County?
Yes. Chester County publishes a parcel map of 194,767 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Chester County's boundary or name changed?
Chester County was created in 1682. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 4 later changes, chiefly involving Delaware County, Lancaster County and New Castle (Del.) County.
Who issues building permits in Chester County?
The county's page on building permits: License/Permit Fees. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Chester County?
The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health department: septic and well.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Chester County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door