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County · code 47163

Sullivan CountyTennessee

Sullivan County, Tennessee, is located in the eastern part of the state with its county seat in Blountville. The county was established in 1779 by North Carolina and named after John Sullivan.

  • Founded1779
  • County seatBlountville
  • Named forJohn Sullivan
  • Land area413 sq mi + 16 sq mi water
  • Population158,163 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped78,811 checked 14 October 2026
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Updated

Bristol city, VACarterWashingtonScott, VAWashington, VAJohnsonHawkins Blountville Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Sullivan 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 CountyShelby CountySmith CountyStewart CountySumner CountyTipton CountyTrousdale CountyUnicoi CountyUnion CountyVan Buren CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWeakley CountyWhite CountyWilliamson CountyWilson CountySullivan County Sullivan
Counties of Tennessee · Sullivan highlighted

History

Formed in 1779 from Washington County

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

Sullivan County was created on November 10, 1779, by North Carolina from Washington County, initially without a clearly defined western boundary but encompassing the North Holston and Carters Valley settlements. The county's boundaries were adjusted multiple times: it lost land to the creation of Spencer (State of Franklin) in 1785 and to Hawkins County in 1787, gained land back from Washington County in 1788, and lost land to Carter County in 1804. Sullivan was eliminated from North Carolina in 1790 when the state ceded its western lands to the federal government, becoming part of the Southwest Territory and then a Tennessee county when the state was established in 1796.

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

  1. 1779
    Sullivan County created Sullivan created by North Carolina from Washington; western limit not defined. North Holston and Carters Valley settlements came under the control of Sullivan. Precise location of boundary between North Carolina and Virginia remained in dispute.
    from Washington
    · N.C. St. Recs., 24:ch. 29/pp. 300-302
  2. 1787
    Lost territory Sullivan lost to creation of Hawkins.
    to Hawkins
    · N.C. St. Recs., 24:ch. 34/pp. 830-832
  3. 1790
    Eliminated Sullivan (Tennessee) eliminated from North Carolina when Congress accepted North Carolina's cession of its western lands; Sullivan (Tennessee) became a Southwest Territory county on 26 May 1790. · Terr. Papers U.S., 4:13-17; U.S. Stat., vol. 1, ch. 6[1790]/pp. 106-109
  4. 1790
    Sullivan County created The United States created the Territory of the United States South of the River Ohio (Southwest Territory), covering the territory ceded in April by North Carolina (area of present Tennessee and a small area of North Carolina). Sullivan became a county in the Southwest Territory. · Terr. Papers U.S., 4:18-19; U.S. Stat., vol. 1, ch. 14[1790], p. 123
  5. 1796
    Became part of Tennessee Sullivan became a county in the newly-established state of Tennessee. · U.S. Stat., vol. 1, ch. 47[1796], pp. 491-492; Folmsbee, Corlew, and Mitchell 110
Show all 17 changes (12 more, mostly small adjustments)
  1. 1779
    Sullivan County created Sullivan created by North Carolina from Washington; western limit not defined. North Holston and Carters Valley settlements came under the control of Sullivan. Precise location of boundary between North Carolina and Virginia remained in dispute.
    from Washington
    · N.C. St. Recs., 24:ch. 29/pp. 300-302
  2. 1785
    Lost territory Sullivan lost to creation of Spencer (State of Franklin); North Carolina did not recognize the legitimacy of Spencer and its precise boundaries are unknown.
    to Spencer
    · Jordan, "Evolution . . . Hawkins and Sumner," 4-5, 8; Ramsey, 293-295; Williams, Samuel C., Lost State of Franklin, 55-58
  3. 1787
    Lost territory Sullivan lost to creation of Hawkins.
    to Hawkins
    · N.C. St. Recs., 24:ch. 34/pp. 830-832
  4. 1788
    Gained territory Sullivan gained from Washington.
    from Washington
    · N.C. St. Recs., 24:ch. 29/p. 974
  5. 1790
    Eliminated Sullivan (Tennessee) eliminated from North Carolina when Congress accepted North Carolina's cession of its western lands; Sullivan (Tennessee) became a Southwest Territory county on 26 May 1790. · Terr. Papers U.S., 4:13-17; U.S. Stat., vol. 1, ch. 6[1790]/pp. 106-109
  6. 1790
    Sullivan County created The United States created the Territory of the United States South of the River Ohio (Southwest Territory), covering the territory ceded in April by North Carolina (area of present Tennessee and a small area of North Carolina). Sullivan became a county in the Southwest Territory. · Terr. Papers U.S., 4:18-19; U.S. Stat., vol. 1, ch. 14[1790], p. 123
  7. 1796
    Became part of Tennessee Sullivan became a county in the newly-established state of Tennessee. · U.S. Stat., vol. 1, ch. 47[1796], pp. 491-492; Folmsbee, Corlew, and Mitchell 110
  8. 1804
    Lost territory Sullivan lost to Carter.
    to Carter
    · Scott, ch. 18/pp. 833-834
  9. 1805
    Boundary clarified Boundary between Sullivan and Carter clarified (no change).
    with Carterno change
    · Tenn. Acts 1805, 6th assy., 1st sess., ch. 46/p. 45
  10. c. 1835
    Changed Legislature authorized creation of Powell from Sullivan and three other counties; creation did not take effect.
    Powell
    · Tenn. Acts 1835, 21st assy., 1st sess., loc., ch. 29, secs. 1-3/pp. 129-130
  11. 1838
    Changed Legislature again authorized creation of Powell from Sullivan and three other counties; creation did not take effect.
    Powell
    · Tenn. Acts 1837, 22d assy., ch. 192, secs. 1-3, 15-16/pp. 277, 280-281 and ch. 199, sec. 4/p. 291
  12. 1839
    Changed Legislature again authorized creation of Powell from Sullivan and three other counties; this creation was disallowed by the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1841.
    Powell
    · Tenn. Acts 1839, 23d assy., ch. 15, secs. 1-2, 4-5, 16/pp. 25-27, 30; "Bradley v. Commissioners" in Tenn. Rpts., 21:428-433 [Humphreys, vol. 2]
  13. 1846
    Exchanged territory Sullivan exchanged with Washington to accommodate local residents.
    with Washington
    · Tenn. Acts 1845, 26th assy., ch. 47/p. 101
  14. 1854
    Changed Legislature again authorized creation of Powell from Sullivan and three other counties; creation did not take effect.
    Powell
    · Tenn. Acts 1853, 30th assy., ch. 89, secs. 1-3, 8, 10, 14/pp. 158-163
  15. 1869
    Changed Legislature again authorized creation of Powell from Sullivan and three other counties; creation did not take effect; boundary description was identical to that proposed in 1854.
    Powell
    · Tenn. Acts 1869, 36th assy., 1st sess., pub., ch. 30, secs. 1-2, 4, 11-12, 19-20/pp. 33-38; McBride, 9
  16. 1870
    Lost territory Sullivan lost to Washington to accommodate local residents.
    to Washington
    · Tenn. Acts 1870, 36th assy., 2d sess., ch. 1/p. 3
  17. 1901
    Lost territory Sullivan lost to Washington (Virginia) when the Tennessee-Virginia line through the town of Bristol was adjusted.
    to Washington (Va.)
    · Van Zandt, 110

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Sullivan

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

Sullivan by the Census

Population
158,163 2020 Census count
Housing units
75,476 2020 Census count
Land area
413 square miles
Water area
16 square miles
People per sq mi
383 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

Zoning and code

County government

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Sullivan County

When was Sullivan County founded?
Sullivan County was founded in 1779, formed from Washington County, and named after John Sullivan.
What is the county seat of Sullivan County?
The county seat of Sullivan County is Blountville.
Is there an online parcel map for Sullivan County?
Yes. Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Division of Property Assessments (published by the Office of Information Resources) publishes a parcel map of 78,811 parcels, rated official here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Sullivan County's boundary or name changed?
Sullivan County was created in 1779 from Washington County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 15 later changes, most of them small boundary adjustments, chiefly involving Powell County, Washington County and Carter County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Sullivan 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