When was McKean County founded?

McKean County was founded in 1826, and named after Thomas McKean.

What is the county seat of McKean County?

The county seat of McKean County is Smethport.

Is there an online parcel map for McKean County?

Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 27,516 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has McKean County's boundary or name changed?

McKean County was created in 1804. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 7 later changes, chiefly involving Elk. County, Lycoming County and Potter County.

Who issues building permits in McKean County?

The county's page on building permits: Pistol Permit Information. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

McKean County, Pennsylvania: parcels, history and offices

Where it is

McKean on the map of Pennsylvania

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

Counties of Pennsylvania · McKean highlighted

History

Founded in 1826

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

McKean was created from Lycoming County on March 26, 1804, but was not fully organized and was attached to Centre County. It was detached from Centre and attached to Lycoming in 1815, then fully organized and detached from Lycoming in 1826. Over time, the county gained and lost territory: it lost land to the creation of Elk County in 1843, gained land from Elk in 1855, lost land to Warren County in 1845, and lost land to the creation of Cameron County in 1860.

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

1804
McKean County created McKean created from Lycoming; not fully organized, attached to Centre.
from Lycoming from Centre
26 March 1804 · Pa. Stat., ch. 2478, secs. 2, 11/pp. 770, 774
1843
Lost territory McKean lost to the creation of Elk.
to Elk.
18 April 1843 · Pa. Laws 1843, no. 150, sec. 1/p. 312
1845
Lost territory McKean lost to Warren.
to Warren
16 April 1845 · Pa. Laws 1845, no. 350, sec. 1/p. 541
1855
Gained territory McKean gained from Elk.
from Elk.
27 April 1855 · Pa. Laws 1855, no. 375, sec. 2/pp. 357-358; Wessman, 15-16
1860
Lost territory McKean lost to the creation of Cameron.
to Cameron
12 October 1860 · Pa. Laws 1860, no. 598, secs. 1-2/pp. 697-698

Show all 9 changes (4 more)

1804
McKean County created McKean created from Lycoming; not fully organized, attached to Centre.
from Lycoming from Centre
26 March 1804 · Pa. Stat., ch. 2478, secs. 2, 11/pp. 770, 774
1815
Changed McKean detached from Centre, attached to Lycoming.
Centre Lycoming
1 September 1815 · Pa. Laws 1813-1814, ch. 116, sec. 1/p. 201
1826
Changed McKean fully organized, detached from Lycoming. Potter attached to McKean.
Lycoming Potter
1 September 1826 · Pa. Laws 1823-1824, ch. 65, secs. 1, 8/pp. 104, 106
1835
Changed Potter detached from McKean.
Potter
1 September 1835 · Pa. Laws 1832-1833, no. 142, secs. 1, 7/pp. 313-315
1843
Lost territory McKean lost to the creation of Elk.
to Elk.
18 April 1843 · Pa. Laws 1843, no. 150, sec. 1/p. 312
1845
Lost territory McKean lost to Warren.
to Warren
16 April 1845 · Pa. Laws 1845, no. 350, sec. 1/p. 541
1847
Boundary clarified Boundary between McKean and Warren clarified (no change).
with Warrenno change
24 February 1847 · Pa. Laws 1847, no. 104, sec. 5/p. 147
1855
Gained territory McKean gained from Elk.
from Elk.
27 April 1855 · Pa. Laws 1855, no. 375, sec. 2/pp. 357-358; Wessman, 15-16
1860
Lost territory McKean lost to the creation of Cameron.
to Cameron
12 October 1860 · Pa. Laws 1860, no. 598, secs. 1-2/pp. 697-698

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in McKean

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 27,516 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 6 April 2026 · checked 14 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for McKean County yet.
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

McKean by the Census

Population

40,432 2020 Census count

Housing units

19,416 2020 Census count

Land area

980 square miles

Water area

5 square miles

People per sq mi

41 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

Pistol Permit Informationfrom mckeancountypa.gov

Zoning and code

Proposed Solar Ordinance Read Morefrom mckeancountypa.gov

County government

County government
The official website of McKean County.
mckeancountypa.org

See your own lot on these maps

Open McKean 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 McKean County

When was McKean County founded?: McKean County was founded in 1826, and named after Thomas McKean.
What is the county seat of McKean County?: The county seat of McKean County is Smethport.
Is there an online parcel map for McKean County?: Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 27,516 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has McKean County's boundary or name changed?: McKean County was created in 1804. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 7 later changes, chiefly involving Elk. County, Lycoming County and Potter County.
Who issues building permits in McKean County?: The county's page on building permits: Pistol Permit Information. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for McKean County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

McKean CountyPennsylvania