What is the county seat of Galveston County?

The county seat of Galveston County is Galveston.

Is there an online parcel map for Galveston County?

Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 190,730 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Galveston County's boundary or name changed?

Galveston County was created in 1838 from Brazoria County, Harrisburg County, Harris County and Liberty County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Brazoria County, Jefferson County and Liberty County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 48167

Galveston CountyTexas

Galveston County is a county in Texas with its seat in Galveston, formed in 1838.

Founded1838
County seatGalveston
Named forGalveston Bay
Land area379 sq mi + 495 sq mi water
Population350,682 2020 Census
Parcels mapped190,730 checked 16 October 2026

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

Updated 20 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1838 from Brazoria County, Harrisburg County, Harris County and Liberty County

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

Galveston County was created by the Republic of Texas on May 15, 1838, from parts of Brazoria, Harrisburg, Harris, and Liberty counties, and was fully organized by August of that year. The county was named after Galveston Bay. When Texas became a state in 1845, Galveston became a county within it, and its boundaries were later extended to the continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico in 1947.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

1838
Galveston County created Galveston created by the Republic of Texas from Brazoria, Harrisburg (now Harris), and Liberty; Galveston not fully organized.
from Brazoria from Harrisburg from Harrisfrom Liberty
15 May 1838 · Texas Repub. Laws 1838, 2d cong., 2d sess./p. 24
1838
Changed Galveston fully organized. 27 August 1838 · Hayes, 1:304
1839
Lost territory Galveston lost San Luis Island to Brazoria.
to Brazoria
16 December 1839 · Texas Repub. Laws 1839, 4th cong./p. 183
1841
Gained territory Galveston gained from Brazoria, Jefferson, and Liberty.
from Brazoria from Jefferson from Liberty
20 January 1841 · Texas Repub. Laws 1840, 5th cong./ p. 45
1845
Became part of Texas Galveston became a county in the newly-established state of Texas. 29 December 1845 · Texas Repub. Laws 1845, 9th cong., spec. sess./pp. 4-6; U.S. Stat., vol. 9, res. 1 [1845]/p. 108; Van Zandt, 122
1947
Changed Boundaries of Galveston extended to the continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. 4 September 1947 · Texas Laws 1947, 50th leg., reg. sess., ch. 287/p. 490

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Galveston

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 190,730 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 16 June 2026 · checked 16 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 146,561 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

Galveston by the Census

Population

350,682 2020 Census count

Housing units

156,191 2020 Census count

Land area

379 square miles

Water area

495 square miles · 57% of the county, including large bodies of water

People per sq mi

925 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

Galveston 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 Galveston County.
galvestoncountytx.gov

See your own lot on these maps

Open Galveston 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 Galveston County

When was Galveston County founded?: Galveston County was founded in 1838, formed from Brazoria County, Harrisburg County, Harris County and Liberty County, and named after Galveston Bay.
What is the county seat of Galveston County?: The county seat of Galveston County is Galveston.
Is there an online parcel map for Galveston County?: Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 190,730 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Galveston County's boundary or name changed?: Galveston County was created in 1838 from Brazoria County, Harrisburg County, Harris County and Liberty County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Brazoria County, Jefferson County and Liberty County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Galveston County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby