When was McNairy County founded?

McNairy County was founded in 1823, and named after John McNairy.

What is the county seat of McNairy County?

The county seat of McNairy County is Selmer.

Is there an online parcel map for McNairy County?

Yes. Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Division of Property Assessments (published by the Office of Information Resources) publishes a parcel map of 19,265 parcels, rated official here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has McNairy County's boundary or name changed?

McNairy County was created in 1824. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 19 later changes, most of them small boundary adjustments, chiefly involving Chester County, Hardin County and Hardeman County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 47109

McNairy CountyTennessee

McNairy County is in Tennessee and was created in 1824, with its seat in Selmer.

Founded1823
County seatSelmer
Named forJohn McNairy
Land area563 sq mi + 0.8 sq mi water
Population25,866 2020 Census
Parcels mapped19,265 checked 14 October 2026

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

Updated 19 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Founded in 1823

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

McNairy County was formed from land in a non-county area that had been attached to Hardin County. The county lost territory to the creation of Chester County starting in 1882, and experienced several small boundary adjustments with neighboring counties over the following decades.

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

1824
McNairy County created McNairy created from all of Non-County Area 14 attached to Hardin; Non-County Area 14 eliminated.
from Hardin
1 January 1824 · Tenn. Acts 1823, 15th assy., 1st sess., ch. 96/p. 104 and ch. 206/p. 184
1857
Gained territory McNairy gained from Hardeman to accommodate local resident.
from Hardeman
9 December 1857 · Tenn. Acts 1857, 32d assy., pub., ch. 11, secs. 1, 13-15/pp. 7, 11; Raulston and Livingood, 91-92; Robnett, 58
1882
Lost territory McNairy lost to creation of Chester.
to Chester
1 April 1882 · Tenn. Acts 1879, 41st assy., 1st sess., ch. 42, secs. 1-2, 4, 15/pp. 59-60, 63; Goodspeed [E], 808; "John Brown et al. v. Joel F. Hamlett et al." in Tenn. Rpts., 76:731-738
1974
Lost territory McNairy lost to Chester to accommodate local resident.
to Chester
11 March 1974 · Tenn. Acts 1974, 88th assy., 2d reg. sess., pub., ch. 501, sec. 1/p. 241
1977
Lost territory McNairy lost to Chester to accommodate local residents.
to Chester
20 May 1977 · Tenn. Acts 1977, 90th assy., pub., ch. 308/p. 762; ch. 309, sec. 1/p. 764; ch. 310/p. 767; ch. 311, sec. 1/p. 769; ch. 312, sec. 1/p. 772

Show all 20 changes (15 more, mostly small adjustments)

1824
McNairy County created McNairy created from all of Non-County Area 14 attached to Hardin; Non-County Area 14 eliminated.
from Hardin
1 January 1824 · Tenn. Acts 1823, 15th assy., 1st sess., ch. 96/p. 104 and ch. 206/p. 184
1846
Changed Legislature authorized creation of Hatchee from McNairy and Hardeman; creation did not take effect.
HatcheeHardeman
31 January 1846 · Tenn. Acts 1845, 26th assy., ch. 206, secs. 1, 3, 17-18/pp. 313-316; McBride, 8
1857
Gained territory McNairy gained from Hardeman to accommodate local resident.
from Hardeman
9 December 1857 · Tenn. Acts 1857, 32d assy., pub., ch. 11, secs. 1, 13-15/pp. 7, 11; Raulston and Livingood, 91-92; Robnett, 58
1870
Changed Legislature authorized creation of Bell from McNairy, Fayette, and Hardeman; voided by Tennessee Supreme Court, 8 June 1871.
Bell FayetteHardeman
20 December 1870 · Tenn. Acts 1870, 36th assy., 3d sess., ch. 16, secs. 1-2,4/pp. 15-16; "Cocke v. Gooch" in Tenn. Rpts., 52:294; Bejach, 24-37
1875
Changed Legislature authorized creation of Wisdom from McNairy and three other counties; creation did not take effect.
Wisdom
23 March 1875 · Tenn. Acts 1875, 39th assy., ch. 68, secs. 1-2, 4/pp. 83-84; McBride, 9
1882
Lost territory McNairy lost to creation of Chester.
to Chester
1 April 1882 · Tenn. Acts 1879, 41st assy., 1st sess., ch. 42, secs. 1-2, 4, 15/pp. 59-60, 63; Goodspeed [E], 808; "John Brown et al. v. Joel F. Hamlett et al." in Tenn. Rpts., 76:731-738
1885
Lost territory McNairy lost to Chester to accommodate local resident.
to Chester
9 April 1885 · Tenn. Acts 1885, 44th assy., ch. 131/p. 243
1889
Lost territory McNairy lost to Chester to accommodate local residents; McNairy lost to Hardin to accommodate local resident (later repealed).
to Chester to Hardin
16 March 1889 · Tenn. Acts 1889, 46th assy., 1st sess., ch. 59/p. 89; ch. 61/p. 91
1889
Lost territory McNairy lost to Chester to accommodate local residents.
to Chester
29 March 1889 · Tenn. Acts 1889, 46th assy., 1st sess., ch. 142/p. 280
1889
Lost territory McNairy lost to Chester to accommodate local residents; McNairy lost to Hardin to accommodate local resident.
to Chester to Hardin
6 April 1889 · Tenn. Acts 1889, 46th assy., 1st sess., ch. 252/p. 478; ch. 253/p. 478
1893
Gained territory McNairy gained from Hardin to accommodate local resident (later repealed).
from Hardin
20 March 1893 · Tenn. Acts 1893, 48th assy., ch. 19/p. 29
1893
Lost territory McNairy lost to Hardeman to accommodate local resident.
to Hardeman
29 March 1893 · Tenn. Acts 1893, 48th assy., ch. 44/p. 56
1893
Gained territory McNairy gained from Hardin to accommodate local resident (later repealed).
from Hardin
1 April 1893 · Tenn. Acts 1893, 48th assy., ch. 53/p. 71
1899
Lost territory McNairy lost to Hardin to accommodate local resident (later repealed).
to Hardin
17 March 1899 · Tenn. Acts 1899, 51st assy., ch. 112/p. 190
1903
Lost territory McNairy lost to Chester to accommodate local residents; act repealed 15 April 1903.
to Chester
10 April 1903 · Tenn. Acts 1903, 53d assy., ch. 266/p. 724 and ch. 369/p. 1104
1939
Lost territory McNairy lost to Chester to accommodate local resident.
to Chester
4 March 1939 · Tenn. Acts 1939, 71st assy., priv., ch. 364/p. 1031
1947
Lost territory McNairy lost to Chester to accommodate local residents.
to Chester
10 March 1947 · Tenn. Acts 1947, 75th assy., priv., ch. 611/p. 2645
1973
Lost territory McNairy lost to Chester to accommodate local residents.
to Chesterto McNairy-Chester
3 May 1973 · Tenn. Acts 1973, 88th assy., 1st reg. sess., pub., ch. 149, sec. 1/p. 405
1974
Lost territory McNairy lost to Chester to accommodate local resident.
to Chester
11 March 1974 · Tenn. Acts 1974, 88th assy., 2d reg. sess., pub., ch. 501, sec. 1/p. 241
1977
Lost territory McNairy lost to Chester to accommodate local residents.
to Chester
20 May 1977 · Tenn. Acts 1977, 90th assy., pub., ch. 308/p. 762; ch. 309, sec. 1/p. 764; ch. 310/p. 767; ch. 311, sec. 1/p. 769; ch. 312, sec. 1/p. 772

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in McNairy

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

Parcels Official

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 19,265 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, 17,742 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

McNairy by the Census

Population

25,866 2020 Census count

Housing units

12,268 2020 Census count

Land area

563 square miles

Water area

0.8 square miles

People per sq mi

46 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

McNairy 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 McNairy County.
mcnairycountytn.com

See your own lot on these maps

Open McNairy 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 McNairy County

When was McNairy County founded?: McNairy County was founded in 1823, and named after John McNairy.
What is the county seat of McNairy County?: The county seat of McNairy County is Selmer.
Is there an online parcel map for McNairy County?: Yes. Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Division of Property Assessments (published by the Office of Information Resources) publishes a parcel map of 19,265 parcels, rated official here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has McNairy County's boundary or name changed?: McNairy County was created in 1824. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 19 later changes, most of them small boundary adjustments, chiefly involving Chester County, Hardin County and Hardeman County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for McNairy County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby