County · code 48115
Dawson CountyTexas
Dawson County is a Texas county with its seat in Lamesa, covering 900.3 square miles. The county was created in 1876 and fully organized in 1905.
- Founded1876
- County seatLamesa
- Named forDawson Massacre
- Land area900 sq mi + 1.8 sq mi water
- Population12,456 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped9,602 checked 15 October 2026
Where it is
Dawson on the map of Texas
Texas has 254 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Formed in 1876 from Shackelford County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Dawson County was created from Young Territory on November 19, 1876, and initially attached to Shackelford County for all purposes. It was later attached to Mitchell County for judicial purposes in 1881, then to Howard County in 1883. Dawson County was fully organized and detached from Howard County on March 20, 1905. The county was named after the Dawson Massacre.
- 1876Dawson County created Dawson created from Young Territory; Dawson not fully organized, attached to Shackelford "for judicial, surveying and all other purposes." Act passed 21 August 1876; took effect 19 November 1876. · Texas Laws 1876, 15th leg., ch. 144/pp. 239, 242
- 1881Changed Dawson detached from Shackelford, attached to Mitchell "for judicial purposes." · Texas Laws 1881, 17th leg., reg. sess., ch. 74, sec. 11/p. 79
- 1883
- 1905Changed Dawson fully organized, detached from Howard. · "Dawson County," New Handbook of Texas, 2:541
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Dawson
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
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Parcels Good enough
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 9,602 parcels from Dawson County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 15 October 2026 -
Address points Official
One point per address, 4,857 in all from Texas Geographic Information Office (TxGIO, formerly TNRIS), a division of the Texas Water Development Board; StratMap program.
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
Dawson by the Census
Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Rules and offices
Dawson 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 Dawson County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Dawson 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.
Questions
Common questions about Dawson County
- When was Dawson County founded?
- Dawson County was founded in 1876, formed from Shackelford County, and named after Dawson Massacre.
- What is the county seat of Dawson County?
- The county seat of Dawson County is Lamesa.
- Is there an online parcel map for Dawson County?
- Yes. Dawson County publishes a parcel map of 9,602 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Dawson County's boundary or name changed?
- Dawson County was created in 1876 from Shackelford County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 3 later changes, chiefly involving Howard County, Mitchell County and Shackelford County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Dawson County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby