When was Orange County founded?

Orange County was founded in 1781, formed from Cumberland County, and named after William III of England.

What is the county seat of Orange County?

The county seat of Orange County is Chelsea.

Is there an online parcel map for Orange County?

Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 17,516 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Orange County's boundary or name changed?

Orange County was created in 1781 from Cumberland County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 14 later changes, chiefly involving Caledonia County, Washington County and Addison County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 50017

Orange CountyVermont

Orange County is a county in Vermont, with its seat in Chelsea. The county was formed on February 16, 1781, from Cumberland County.

Founded1781
County seatChelsea
Named forWilliam III of England
Land area687 sq mi + 4.6 sq mi water
Population29,277 2020 Census
Parcels mapped17,516 checked 15 October 2026

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

Updated 20 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Orange on the map of Vermont

Vermont has 14 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Counties of Vermont · Orange highlighted

History

Formed in 1781 from Cumberland County

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

Orange County was named after William Iii of England. The county's boundaries changed multiple times in its early years, gaining towns from Rutland County and exchanging territory with Addison County.

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

1781
Orange County created Orange created from Cumberland (extinct); Cumberland eliminated.
from Cumberland
16 February 1781 · Vt. State Papers, 13:5-6
1783
Gained territory Orange gained town of Brookfield from Rutland.
from Rutland
21 February 1783 · Vt. State Papers, 13:174
1783
Gained territory Orange gained town of Randolph from Rutland.
from Rutland
27 February 1783 · Vt. Laws 1783 in Vt. State Papers, 13: 191
1786
Exchanged territory Orange exchanged with Addison.
with Addison
30 October 1786 · Vt. State Papers, 14:99-100
1787
Lost territory Orange lost town of Kingston (now Granville) to Addison.
to Addison
19 October 1787 · Vt. State Papers, 14:354

Show all 15 changes (10 more)

1781
Orange County created Orange created from Cumberland (extinct); Cumberland eliminated.
from Cumberland
16 February 1781 · Vt. State Papers, 13:5-6
1781
Changed Orange overlapped Grafton (New Hampshire) when Vermont attempted to annex part of New Hampshire (area known as East Union); New Hampshire did not lose control of the area.
Grafton (N.H.)
11 April 1781 · Vt. State Papers, 13:17-18, 55-56; Vt. Recs. Gov., 2:294-296
1782
Changed Orange overlap of Grafton (New Hampshire) ended when Vermont gave up its attempt to annex East Union.
Grafton (N.H.)
23 February 1782 · Vt. State Papers, 3, pt. 2: 67-68
1783
Gained territory Orange gained town of Brookfield from Rutland.
from Rutland
21 February 1783 · Vt. State Papers, 13:174
1783
Gained territory Orange gained town of Randolph from Rutland.
from Rutland
27 February 1783 · Vt. Laws 1783 in Vt. State Papers, 13: 191
1786
Exchanged territory Orange exchanged with Addison.
with Addison
30 October 1786 · Vt. State Papers, 14:99-100
1787
Lost territory Orange lost town of Kingston (now Granville) to Addison.
to Addison
19 October 1787 · Vt. State Papers, 14:354
1792
Lost territory Orange lost to creation of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans; Caledonia (including the part of Orleans that was attached to Caledonia) and Essex not fully organized, attached to Orange for administrative and judicial purposes.
to Caledonia to Essex to Orleans
5 November 1792 · Vt. State Papers, 15:100-102, 399
1796
Changed Part of Orleans (town of Craftsbury) detached from Chittenden, attached to Caledonia for administrative and judicial purposes, thereby increasing the territory attached to Orange.
Orleans Chittenden Caledonia
24 October 1796 · Vt. State Papers, 16:9-10
1796
Changed Caledonia fully organized, detached from Orange. Essex detached from Orange, attached to Caledonia for administrative and judicial purposes.
Caledonia Essex
1 December 1796 · Vt. State Papers, 15:100-102, 399 and 16:82-84
1810
Lost territory Orange lost to creation of Jefferson (now Washington); Jefferson not fully organized, part attached to Orange for administrative and judicial purposes.
to Jeffersonto Washington
1 November 1810 · Vt. Laws 1810, ch. 74/pp. 101-103
1811
Changed Jefferson (now Washington) fully organized, detached from Orange.
JeffersonWashington
1 December 1811 · Vt. Laws 1811, ch. 1/pp. 3-6
1821
Lost territory Orange lost town of Roxbury to Washington.
to Washington
1 January 1821 · Vt. Laws 1820, ch. 35/p. 42
1824
Lost territory Orange lost to Windsor when town of Rochester gained small area from town of Braintree.
to Windsor
10 November 1824 · Vt. Laws 1824, ch. 13/p. 15
1839
Changed Legislature authorized Orange to gain small area along the Ompompanoosuc River from Windsor when town of Thetford was to gain from town of Norwich. No evidence that change took effect.
Windsor
13 November 1839 · Vt. Laws 1839, no. 36/p. 87

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Orange

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 17,516 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 14 October 2026 · checked 15 October 2026
Address points Official

One point per address, 18,751 in all from Vermont Enhanced 911 Board via VCGI.
edited 19 February 2026 · checked 13 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

Orange by the Census

Population

29,277 2020 Census count

Housing units

14,953 2020 Census count

Land area

687 square miles

Water area

4.6 square miles

People per sq mi

43 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

See your own lot on these maps

Open Orange 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 Orange County

When was Orange County founded?: Orange County was founded in 1781, formed from Cumberland County, and named after William III of England.
What is the county seat of Orange County?: The county seat of Orange County is Chelsea.
Is there an online parcel map for Orange County?: Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 17,516 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Orange County's boundary or name changed?: Orange County was created in 1781 from Cumberland County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 14 later changes, chiefly involving Caledonia County, Washington County and Addison County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Orange County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby