When was Macon County founded?

Macon County was founded in 1842, formed from Smith County and Sumner County, and named after Nathaniel Macon.

What is the county seat of Macon County?

The county seat of Macon County is Lafayette.

Is there an online parcel map for Macon County?

Yes. Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Division of Property Assessments (published by the Office of Information Resources) publishes a parcel map of 14,433 parcels, rated official here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Macon County's boundary or name changed?

Macon County was created in 1842 from Smith County and Sumner County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 14 later changes, most of them small boundary adjustments, chiefly involving Trousdale County, Smith County and Clay County.

Who issues septic and well permits in Macon 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 Macon County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

County · code 47111

Macon CountyTennessee

Macon County is in Tennessee and was created on January 18, 1842, from Smith and Sumner Counties, with Lafayette as its seat. The county was named after Nathaniel Macon.

Founded1842
County seatLafayette
Named forNathaniel Macon
Land area307 sq mi + 0.1 sq mi water
Population25,216 2020 Census
Parcels mapped14,433 checked 14 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1842 from Smith County and Sumner County

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

Macon County was created from Smith and Sumner Counties in 1842. Over the following decades, the county experienced multiple boundary adjustments, gaining and losing land to neighboring counties including Jackson, Trousdale, Clay, and Sumner to accommodate local residents.

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

1842
Macon County created Macon created from Smith and Sumner.
from Smith from Sumner
18 January 1842 · Tenn. Acts 1841, 24th assy., 1st sess., ch. 45, secs. 1, 19/pp. 56, 60
1870
Lost territory Macon lost to creation of Trousdale.
to Trousdale
12 July 1870 · Tenn. Acts 1870, 36th assy., 2d sess., ch. 27, secs. 1-2, 4/pp. 47-48; Goodspeed [J], 843-844
1872
Gained territory Macon gained from Trousdale when Tennessee Supreme Court declared Trousdale boundaries null and void.
from Trousdale
1 December 1872 · "Macon and Smith Counties v. Trousdale County" in Tenn. Rpts. 61:1-11
1903
Gained territory Macon gained from Clay to accommodate local residents.
from Clay
25 March 1903 · Tenn. Acts 1903, 53d assy., ch. 226/p. 495
1905
Lost territory Macon lost to Sumner to accommodate local residents.
to Sumner
7 April 1905 · Tenn. Acts 1905, 54th assy., ch. 196/p. 414

Show all 17 changes (12 more, mostly small adjustments)

1842
Macon County created Macon created from Smith and Sumner.
from Smith from Sumner
18 January 1842 · Tenn. Acts 1841, 24th assy., 1st sess., ch. 45, secs. 1, 19/pp. 56, 60
1844
Changed Boundary between Macon and Smith confirmed (no change).
Smith
3 January 1844 · Tenn. Acts 1843, 25th assy., ch. 61/p. 73
1850
Changed Legislature authorized Macon to gain from Jackson.
Jackson
9 February 1850 · Tenn. Acts 1849, 28th assy., ch. 90/p. 282
1854
Lost territory Macon lost to Sumner to accommodate local resident.
to Sumner
3 March 1854 · Tenn. Acts 1853, 30th assy., ch. 181/p. 250
1866
Gained territory Macon gained from Jackson to accommodate local resident.
from Jackson
23 May 1866 · Tenn. Acts 1865, 34th assy., 2d sess., priv., ch. 104/p. 293
1867
Boundary clarified Boundary between Macon and Jackson clarified (no change).
with Jacksonno change
18 February 1867 · Tenn. Acts 1866, 34th assy., 2d adj. sess., pub., ch. 23/p. 23
1870
Lost territory Macon lost to creation of Trousdale.
to Trousdale
12 July 1870 · Tenn. Acts 1870, 36th assy., 2d sess., ch. 27, secs. 1-2, 4/pp. 47-48; Goodspeed [J], 843-844
1872
Gained territory Macon gained from Trousdale when Tennessee Supreme Court declared Trousdale boundaries null and void.
from Trousdale
1 December 1872 · "Macon and Smith Counties v. Trousdale County" in Tenn. Rpts. 61:1-11
1889
Lost territory Macon lost to Trousdale to accommodate local resident.
to Trousdale
26 March 1889 · Tenn. Acts 1889, 46th assy., 1st sess., ch. 118/p. 222
1901
Gained territory Macon gained from Clay to accommodate local resident.
from Clay
12 April 1901 · Tenn. Acts 1901, 52d assy., ch. 282/p. 648
1901
Lost territory Macon lost to Smith to accommodate local resident.
to Smith
16 April 1901 · Tenn. Acts 1901, 52d assy., ch. 305/p. 689
1903
Gained territory Macon gained from Clay to accommodate local residents.
from Clay
25 March 1903 · Tenn. Acts 1903, 53d assy., ch. 226/p. 495
1905
Lost territory Macon lost to Sumner to accommodate local residents.
to Sumner
7 April 1905 · Tenn. Acts 1905, 54th assy., ch. 196/p. 414
1919
Lost territory Macon lost to Trousdale to accommodate local residents.
to Trousdale
17 April 1919 · Tenn. Acts 1919, 61st assy., priv., ch. 787/p. 2435
1927
Lost territory Macon lost to Smith to accommodate local residents.
to Smith
29 April 1927 · Tenn. Acts 1927, 65th assy., priv., ch. 718/p. 2340
1955
Exchanged territory Macon exchanged with Smith to accommodate local residents.
with Smith
16 February 1955 · Tenn. Acts 1955, 79th assy., priv., ch. 55/p. 167
1961
Lost territory Macon lost small area to Trousdale.
to Trousdale
10 March 1961 · Tenn. Acts 1961, 82d assy., priv., ch. 215/p. 741

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Macon

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

Parcels Official

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 14,433 parcels from Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Division of Property Assessments (published by the Office of Information Resources). Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 10 September 2026 · checked 14 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 17,033 in all from TECB and local 911 districts via TNMap (tnmap_oir).
edited 6 October 2026 · checked 14 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

Macon by the Census

Population

25,216 2020 Census count

Housing units

10,649 2020 Census count

Land area

307 square miles

Water area

0.1 square miles

People per sq mi

82 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

Assessor and property records 615-666-3688from maconcountytn.gov · checked 13 October 2026

Permits

Health department: septic and well 615-666-2142from maconcountytn.gov · checked 13 October 2026

Zoning and code

Macon County Planning Commissionfrom maconcountytn.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Macon County.
maconcountytn.gov

See your own lot on these maps

Open Macon 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 Macon County

When was Macon County founded?: Macon County was founded in 1842, formed from Smith County and Sumner County, and named after Nathaniel Macon.
What is the county seat of Macon County?: The county seat of Macon County is Lafayette.
Is there an online parcel map for Macon County?: Yes. Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Division of Property Assessments (published by the Office of Information Resources) publishes a parcel map of 14,433 parcels, rated official here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Macon County's boundary or name changed?: Macon County was created in 1842 from Smith County and Sumner County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 14 later changes, most of them small boundary adjustments, chiefly involving Trousdale County, Smith County and Clay County.
Who issues septic and well permits in Macon 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 Macon County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

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