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County · code 42071

Lancaster CountyPennsylvania

Lancaster County, in Pennsylvania, was created in 1729 and has its seat in Lancaster.

  • Founded1729
  • County seatLancaster
  • Named forLancaster, England
  • Land area944 sq mi + 40 sq mi water
  • Population552,984 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped188,835 checked 16 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Lancaster County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

LebanonBerksYorkChesterHarford, MDCecil, MDDauphin Lancaster Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Lancaster 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 CountyChester CountyClarion CountyClearfield CountyClinton CountyColumbia CountyCrawford CountyCumberland CountyDauphin CountyDelaware CountyElk CountyErie CountyFayette CountyForest CountyFranklin CountyFulton CountyGreene CountyHuntingdon CountyIndiana CountyJefferson CountyJuniata CountyLackawanna 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 CountyLancaster County Lancaster
Counties of Pennsylvania · Lancaster highlighted

History

Formed in 1729 from Chester County

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

Lancaster County was created from Chester County on May 10, 1729. Over the following decades, the county lost territory as new counties were formed from its land: York in 1749, Cumberland in 1750, Berks in 1752, Northumberland in 1772, Dauphin in 1785, and Lebanon in 1813.

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

  1. 1729
    Lancaster County created Lancaster created from Chester and Non-County Area 1.
    from Chester
    · Pa. Stat., ch. 306, sec. 1/4:131-132
  2. 1749
    Lost territory Lancaster lost to creation of York.
    to York
    · Pa. Stat., ch. 377, sec. 1/5:71, 73
  3. 1750
    Lost territory Lancaster lost to the creation of Cumberland.
    to Cumberland
    · Pa. Stat., ch. 380, sec. 1/5:87-88
  4. 1752
    Lost territory Lancaster lost to the creation of Berks.
    to Berks
    · Pa. Stat., ch. 392, sec. 1/5:133-134
  5. 1772
    Lost territory Lancaster lost to the creation of Northumberland.
    to Northumberland
    · Pa. Stat., ch. 644, sec. 1/8:143-144
  6. 1785
    Lost territory Lancaster lost to the creation of Dauphin.
    to Dauphin
    · Pa. Stat., ch. 1136, sec. 1/11:450
  7. 1813
    Lost territory Lancaster lost to the creation of Lebanon.
    to Lebanon
    · Pa. Laws 1812-1813, ch. 52, sec. 1/p. 67

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Lancaster

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

Lancaster by the Census

Population
552,984 2020 Census count
Housing units
216,502 2020 Census count
Land area
944 square miles
Water area
40 square miles
People per sq mi
586 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.

Records

Permits

Zoning and code

GIS and maps

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Lancaster 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 Lancaster County

When was Lancaster County founded?
Lancaster County was founded in 1729, formed from Chester County, and named after Lancaster, England.
What is the county seat of Lancaster County?
The county seat of Lancaster County is Lancaster.
Is there an online parcel map for Lancaster County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 188,835 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Lancaster County's boundary or name changed?
Lancaster County was created in 1729 from Chester County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 6 later changes, chiefly involving Berks County, Cumberland County and Dauphin County.
Who issues septic and well permits in Lancaster County?
The county's page on septic systems and wells: Behavioral Health & Dev. Serv.- Administration.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Lancaster 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