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County · code 47157

Shelby CountyTennessee

Shelby County is a county in Tennessee, on the border with Arkansas and Mississippi, founded in 1819, with its seat at Memphis.

  • Founded1819
  • County seatMemphis
  • Named forIsaac Shelby
  • Land area761 sq mi + 20 sq mi water
  • Population929,744 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped346,419 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Shelby County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

DeSoto, MSTiptonCrittenden, ARFayetteMississippi, AR Memphis Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Shelby on the map of Tennessee

Tennessee has 95 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Anderson CountyBedford CountyBenton CountyBledsoe CountyBlount CountyBradley CountyCampbell CountyCannon CountyCarroll CountyCarter CountyCheatham CountyChester CountyClaiborne CountyClay CountyCocke CountyCoffee CountyCrockett CountyCumberland CountyDavidson CountyDecatur CountyDeKalb CountyDickson CountyDyer CountyFayette CountyFentress CountyFranklin CountyGibson CountyGiles CountyGrainger CountyGreene CountyGrundy CountyHamblen CountyHamilton CountyHancock CountyHardeman CountyHardin CountyHawkins CountyHaywood CountyHenderson CountyHenry CountyHickman CountyHouston CountyHumphreys CountyJackson CountyJefferson CountyJohnson CountyKnox CountyLake CountyLauderdale CountyLawrence CountyLewis CountyLincoln CountyLoudon CountyMcMinn CountyMcNairy CountyMacon CountyMadison CountyMarion CountyMarshall CountyMaury CountyMeigs CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyMoore CountyMorgan CountyObion CountyOverton CountyPerry CountyPickett CountyPolk CountyPutnam CountyRhea CountyRoane CountyRobertson CountyRutherford CountyScott CountySequatchie CountySevier CountySmith CountyStewart CountySullivan CountySumner CountyTipton CountyTrousdale CountyUnicoi CountyUnion CountyVan Buren CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWeakley CountyWhite CountyWilliamson CountyWilson CountyShelby County Shelby
Counties of Tennessee · Shelby highlighted

History

Formed in 1819 from Hardin County

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

Shelby County was created on November 24, 1819 from Hardin County. Over the following decades, it exchanged boundary adjustments with neighboring counties including Tipton, which took small areas from Shelby in 1868 and 1883, though Shelby gained back from Tipton in 1925.

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

  1. 1819
    Shelby County created Shelby created from Hardin.
    from Hardin
    · Tenn. Acts 1819, 13th assy., 1st sess., loc.-priv., ch. 146, sec. 1/p. 172
  2. 1821
    Changed Parts of Hardin and Non-County Area 4 became Non-County Area 13 that was attached to Shelby for administrative and judicial purposes.
    Hardin
    · Tenn. Acts 1821, 14th assy., 1st sess., pub., ch. 32/pp. 39-44
  3. 1823
    Lost territory Shelby lost part of Non-County Area 13 attachment to creation of Tipton.
    to Tipton
    · Tenn. Acts 1823, 15th assy., 1st sess., ch. 126, sec. 1/p. 127
  4. 1823
    Changed Non-County Area 13 detached from Shelby, attached to Hardeman for administrative and judicial purposes.
    Hardeman
    · Tenn. Acts 1823, 15th assy., 1st sess., ch. 129/p. 131
  5. 1925
    Gained territory Shelby gained from Tipton.
    from Tipton
    · Tenn. Acts 1925, 64th assy., priv., ch. 434, sec. 1/p. 1640
Show all 11 changes (6 more, mostly small adjustments)
  1. 1819
    Shelby County created Shelby created from Hardin.
    from Hardin
    · Tenn. Acts 1819, 13th assy., 1st sess., loc.-priv., ch. 146, sec. 1/p. 172
  2. 1821
    Changed Parts of Hardin and Non-County Area 4 became Non-County Area 13 that was attached to Shelby for administrative and judicial purposes.
    Hardin
    · Tenn. Acts 1821, 14th assy., 1st sess., pub., ch. 32/pp. 39-44
  3. 1823
    Lost territory Shelby lost part of Non-County Area 13 attachment to creation of Tipton.
    to Tipton
    · Tenn. Acts 1823, 15th assy., 1st sess., ch. 126, sec. 1/p. 127
  4. 1823
    Changed Non-County Area 13 detached from Shelby, attached to Hardeman for administrative and judicial purposes.
    Hardeman
    · Tenn. Acts 1823, 15th assy., 1st sess., ch. 129/p. 131
  5. 1823
    Boundary clarified Shelby boundaries clarified (no change).
    no change
    · Tenn. Acts 1823, 15th assy., 1st sess., ch. 206/p. 184
  6. 1823
    Boundary clarified Shelby boundaries clarified (no change).
    no change
    · Tenn. Acts 1823, 15th assy., 1st sess., ch. 306/p. 264
  7. 1844
    Changed Legislature authorized creation of Hanover from Shelby and Fayette; creation did not take effect.
    HanoverFayette
    · Tenn. Acts 1843, 25th assy., ch. 123, secs. 1, 5, 10/pp. 153-156; McBride, 8
  8. 1868
    Lost territory Shelby lost to Tipton to accommodate local resident.
    to Tipton
    · Tenn. Acts 1867, 35th assy., 1st sess., pub., ch. 60/p. 75
  9. 1871
    Changed Legislature authorized creation of Nashoba from Fayette and Shelby; creation did not take effect.
    NashobaFayette
    · Tenn. Acts 1871, 37th assy., 1st sess., ch. 16, secs. 1-2, 4, 12/pp. 14-17 and ch. 82/p. 73; McBride, 8
  10. 1883
    Lost territory Shelby lost small area to Tipton.
    to Tipton
    · Tenn. Acts 1883, 43d assy., ch. 81/p. 75
  11. 1925
    Gained territory Shelby gained from Tipton.
    from Tipton
    · Tenn. Acts 1925, 64th assy., priv., ch. 434, sec. 1/p. 1640

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Shelby

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

Shelby by the Census

Population
929,744 2020 Census count
Housing units
400,189 2020 Census count
Land area
761 square miles
Water area
20 square miles
People per sq mi
1,222 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

Shelby County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Shelby County

When was Shelby County founded?
Shelby County was founded in 1819, formed from Hardin County, and named after Isaac Shelby.
What is the county seat of Shelby County?
The county seat of Shelby County is Memphis.
Is there an online parcel map for Shelby County?
Yes. Shelby County publishes a parcel map of 346,419 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Shelby County's boundary or name changed?
Shelby County was created in 1819 from Hardin County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 8 later changes, chiefly involving Tipton County, Fayette County and Hanover County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Shelby 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