Idaho Counties and Historical Facts

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Idaho County Records
List of Idaho Extinct Counties
List of Idaho Counties with Burned Courthouses

Idaho County records vary widely from county to county in both quality and quantity. Some have been carefully preserved while others have been much abused and neglected. Some Idaho records have simply disappeared.

For genealogists doing research in Idaho there is no effective replace for an on-site search of county courthouse records.

Idaho Map of Counties
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Idaho Counties Map

Idaho County Records

There are 44 counties that exist in Idaho.

Each one holds records that may include: Land, Estates, Taxes, Vital Records, Divorces, Naturalizations, Voter Registration, Court Records. The county seat holds many county historical resources.

The county recorder’s office has land records on file. Probate records can be accessed through the probate clerk. The district court clerk, meanwhile, holds court records.

Some counties have vital records on file from before the time when it was mandatory to record such records.

Court records, including minutes and judgments, from before the counties were formed are also available, along with some land records.

The district court clerk’s office holds naturalization records, which generally start at the time when the county was founded.

See also a list of links to county and county seat government run websites.

List of Idaho Extinct Counties

Idaho has counties that no longer exist because they were discontinued, renamed or merged with another county.

A lot of these counties were established and disbanded within the 19th century; county borders have changed very little since 1900.

These are important for genealogy research purposes. Pay attention where the courthouse records went to if the county was eliminated or joined with some other county.

See the History of Idaho Counties for more details.

List of Idaho Counties with Burned Courthouses

Idaho burned county courthouse
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The damage to courthouses greatly has a bearing on genealogists in every way.

Not only are these historic structures torn from our lifetimes, so are the records they housed: marriage, wills, probate, land records, and others.

Once destroyed they’re lost forever. Although they have been placed on mircofilm, computers and film burn too.

However, not all records were damaged or lost in some counties.

CountyDate FormedParent CountyCounty Seat
Ada1864Boise CountyBoise
Adams1911Washington CountyCouncil
Bannock1839Bingham CountyPocatello
Bear Lake1875Oneida CountyParis
Benewah1915Kootenai CountySt. Maries
Bingham1885Oneida CountyBlackfoot
Blaine1895AlturasHailey
Boise1863Original countyIdaho City
Bonner1907Kootenai CountySandpoint
Bonneville1911Bingham CountyIdaho Falls
Boundary1915BonnerBonners Ferry
Butte1917Bingham, Blaine, and Jefferson countiesArco
Camas1917Blaine CountyFairfield
Canyon1891Ada CountyCaldwell
Caribou1919Bannock CountySoda Springs
Cassia1879Owyhee CountyBurley
Clark1919Fremont CountyDubois
Clearwater1911Nez Perce CountyOrofino
Custer1881Alturas and Lemhi countiesChallis
Elmore1889AlturasMountain Home
Franklin1913Oneida CountyPreston
Fremont1893Bingham CountySaint Anthony
Gem1915Boise and Canyon countiesEmmett
Gooding1913Lincoln CountyGooding
Idaho1864Original countyGrangeville
Jefferson1913Fremont CountyRigby
Jerome1919Gooding and Lincoln countiesJerome
Kootenai1864Nez Perce CountyCoeur d'Alene
Latah1864Nez Perce CountyMoscow
Lemhi1869Idaho CountySalmon
Lewis1911Nez Perce CountyNezperce
Lincoln1895LoganShoshone
Madison1913Fremont CountyRexburg
Minidoka1913Lincoln CountyRupert
Nez Perce1861Original countyLewiston
Oneida1864Original CountyMalad City
Owyhee1863Original countyMurphy
Payette1917Canyon CountyPayette
Power1913Bingham, Blaine, and Oneida countiesAmerican Falls
Shoshone1864Original countyWallace
Teton1915Bingham, Fremont, and Madison countiesDriggs
Twin Falls1907Cassia CountyTwin Falls
Valley1917Boise and Idaho countiesCascade
Washington1879Ada CountyWeiser
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