When was Iron County founded?

Iron County was founded in 1850, and named after iron.

What is the county seat of Iron County?

The county seat of Iron County is Parowan.

Is there an online parcel map for Iron County?

Yes. Utah Geospatial Resource Center (UGRC), State of Utah publishes a parcel map of 58,976 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Iron County's boundary or name changed?

Iron County was created in 1850. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 18 later changes, chiefly involving Washington County, Beaver County and Garfield County. It was formerly called Little Salt Lake.

Who issues building permits in Iron County?

The county's page on building permits: Building Permits, Zoning, Inspections. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 49021

Iron CountyUtah

Iron County is a county in Utah, with its seat in Parowan, and was formed in 1850.

Founded1850
County seatParowan
Named foriron
Land area3,296 sq mi + 4.4 sq mi water
Population57,289 2020 Census
Parcels mapped58,976 checked 14 October 2026

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

Updated 20 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Founded in 1850

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

Iron County was created as Little Salt Lake County on January 31, 1850, by the state of Deseret to cover Little Salt Lake Valley. It was renamed Iron on December 3, 1850. The county lost territory to the creation of Carson County in 1854, and again to the creation of Beaver and Washington Counties in 1856. Iron County lost additional territory when the United States created Colorado Territory in 1861, which eliminated the county's presence in present-day Colorado.

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

1850
Iron County created Little Salt Lake (now Iron) created by the state of Deseret to cover Little Salt Lake Valley; Little Salt Lake not fully organized. 31 January 1850 · Morgan, 47-48, 145
1850
Renamed Little Salt Lake renamed Iron, and gained non-county area in the state of Deseret.
formerly Little Salt Lake
3 December 1850 · Morgan, 56-57, 157
1851
Eliminated The state of Deseret was dissolved by its General Assembly, upon recommendation of Brigham Young. State of Deseret counties, including Iron, continued to operate. 5 April 1851 · Brown, Cannon, and Jackson, 90; Powell, 139
1861
Iron County created The United States created Colorado Territory from Nebraska, New Mexico, and Utah Territories, and from the former Kansas Territory. Iron lost to Colorado Territory and was eliminated from present Colorado. 28 February 1861 · U.S. Stat., vol. 12, ch. 59[1861]/pp. 172-177; Van Zandt, 141
1896
Became part of Utah Iron became a county in the state of Utah. 4 January 1896 · U.S. Stat., vol. 28, ch. 138 [1894]/pp. 107-112; U.S. Stat., vol. 29, procl. no. 9, [1896]/pp. 876-877; Van Zandt, 159

Show all 21 changes (16 more)

1850
Iron County created Little Salt Lake (now Iron) created by the state of Deseret to cover Little Salt Lake Valley; Little Salt Lake not fully organized. 31 January 1850 · Morgan, 47-48, 145
1850
Renamed Little Salt Lake renamed Iron, and gained non-county area in the state of Deseret.
formerly Little Salt Lake
3 December 1850 · Morgan, 56-57, 157
1851
Changed Iron fully organized. 17 January 1851 · Dalton, 27-28
1851
Eliminated The state of Deseret was dissolved by its General Assembly, upon recommendation of Brigham Young. State of Deseret counties, including Iron, continued to operate. 5 April 1851 · Brown, Cannon, and Jackson, 90; Powell, 139
1852
Boundary clarified Iron boundaries redefined by Utah Territory. Iron gained non-county area, lost to creation of Washington; Iron included parts of present Utah, Colorado, and Nevada. Washington not fully organized, attached to Iron "for election, revenue, and judicial purposes."
with Washingtonno change
3 March 1852 · Utah Terr. Laws 1851, 1st sess., secs. 12-13/p. 164
1854
Lost territory Iron lost to creation of Carson (Utah Territory, extinct).
to Carson
17 January 1854 · Utah Terr. Laws 1853, 3d sess., p. 19
1856
Lost territory Iron lost to creation of Beaver, and lost to Washington when its southern boundary was shifted slightly from 30 degrees, 30 minutes north latitude to four miles north of Fort Harmony.
to Beaver to Washington
5 January 1856 · Utah Terr. Laws 1855, 5th sess., secs. 9-10/p. 7
1856
Changed Washington fully organized, detached from Iron.
Washington
23 February 1856 · Larson, 26
1861
Lost territory Iron lost to Humboldt (Utah Territory, extinct) and St. Mary's (Utah Territory, extinct).
to Humboldtto St. Mary's
18 January 1861 · Utah Terr. Laws 1861, 10th sess., p. 19
1861
Iron County created The United States created Colorado Territory from Nebraska, New Mexico, and Utah Territories, and from the former Kansas Territory. Iron lost to Colorado Territory and was eliminated from present Colorado. 28 February 1861 · U.S. Stat., vol. 12, ch. 59[1861]/pp. 172-177; Van Zandt, 141
1862
Gained territory Iron gained from St. Mary's (Utah Territory, extinct) and Washington.
from St. Mary'sfrom Washington
17 January 1862 · Utah Terr. Laws 1861, 11th sess., sec. 2/p. 46
1862
Lost territory Iron lost to Nevada Territory in present Nevada when Nevada Territory gained from Utah Territory. 14 July 1862 · U.S. Stat., vol. 12, ch. 173 [1862], p. 575; Van Zandt, 158-160
1866
Lost territory Iron lost to Washington.
to Washington
10 January 1866 · Utah Terr. Laws 1865, 15th sess., ch. 146, sec. 3/p. 207
1866
Lost territory Iron lost to the state of Nevada when Nevada gained from Utah Territory; Iron eliminated from Nevada. 5 May 1866 · U.S. Stat., vol. 14, ch. 73[1866]/p. 43; Van Zandt, 158-159
1880
Lost territory Iron lost to creation of San Juan.
to San Juan
17 February 1880 · Utah Terr. Laws 1880, 24th sess., ch. 9/pp. 10-11
1882
Lost territory Iron lost to creation of Garfield.
to Garfield
9 March 1882 · Utah Terr. Laws 1882, 25th sess., ch. 52, pp. 98-101
1883
Gained territory Iron gained from Kane, exchanged with Washington. Boundary with Beaver was adjusted to run on public land survey lines (no change). Act passed 9 March 1882; took effect 1 January 1883.
from Kane from Washington from Beaver
1 January 1883 · Utah Terr. Laws 1882, 25th sess., ch. 52, pp. 98-101
1884
Lost territory Iron lost to Garfield.
to Garfield
13 March 1884 · Utah Terr. Laws 1884, 26th sess., ch. 40, p. 58
1892
Gained territory Iron gained from Washington.
from Washington
10 March 1892 · Utah Terr. Laws 1892, 30th sess., ch. 45, p. 47
1896
Became part of Utah Iron became a county in the state of Utah. 4 January 1896 · U.S. Stat., vol. 28, ch. 138 [1894]/pp. 107-112; U.S. Stat., vol. 29, procl. no. 9, [1896]/pp. 876-877; Van Zandt, 159
1917
Boundary clarified Iron boundaries were clarified (no change).
no change
8 May 1917 · Utah Laws 1917, 12th sess., ch. 78, pp. 226-227

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Iron

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 58,976 parcels from Utah Geospatial Resource Center (UGRC), State of Utah. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 9 October 2026 · checked 14 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Iron County yet.
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

Iron by the Census

Population

57,289 2020 Census count

Housing units

21,752 2020 Census count

Land area

3,296 square miles

Water area

4.4 square miles

People per sq mi

17 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.

Permits

Building Permits, Zoning, Inspectionsfrom ironcountyut.gov

Zoning and code

GIS Maps Plat, zoning, parcel mapsfrom ironcountyut.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Iron County.
ironcounty.net

See your own lot on these maps

Open Iron 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 Iron County

When was Iron County founded?: Iron County was founded in 1850, and named after iron.
What is the county seat of Iron County?: The county seat of Iron County is Parowan.
Is there an online parcel map for Iron County?: Yes. Utah Geospatial Resource Center (UGRC), State of Utah publishes a parcel map of 58,976 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Iron County's boundary or name changed?: Iron County was created in 1850. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 18 later changes, chiefly involving Washington County, Beaver County and Garfield County. It was formerly called Little Salt Lake.
Who issues building permits in Iron County?: The county's page on building permits: Building Permits, Zoning, Inspections. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Iron County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

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