The North Carolina General Assembly has the power to create and abolish counties, and redraw county lines. The following table provides the years in which counties were created by act of the General Assembly, as well as the county or counties that the new county was carved from.
| County formation dates | ||
| County | Date | Parent(s) |
| Alamance | 1849 | Orange |
| Alexander | 1847 | Iredell, Caldwell, Wilkes |
| Alleghany | 1859 | Ashe |
| Anson | 1750 | Bladen |
| Ashe | 1799 | Wilkes |
| Avery | 1911 | Mitchell, Watauga, Caldwell |
| Beaufort | 1705 | Bath |
| Bertie | 1722 | Chowan |
| Bladen | 1734 | New Hanover |
| Brunswick | 1764 | New Hanover, Bladen |
| Buncombe | 1791 | Burke, Rutherford |
| Burke | 1777 | Rowan |
| Cabarrus | 1792 | Mecklenburg |
| Caldwell | 1841 | Burke, Wilkes |
| Camden | 1777 | Pasquotank |
| Carteret | 1722 | Craven |
| Caswell | 1777 | Orange |
| Catawba | 1842 | Lincoln |
| Chatham | 1771 | Orange |
| Cherokee | 1839 | Macon |
| Chowan | 1668 | Albemarle |
| Clay | 1861 | Cherokee |
| Cleveland | 1841 | Rutherford, Lincoln |
| Columbus | 1808 | Brunswick, Bladen |
| Craven | 1705 | Bath |
| Cumberland | 1754 | Bladen |
| Currituck | 1668 | Albemarle |
| Dare | 1870 | Currituck, Tyrrell, Hyde |
| Davidson | 1822 | Rowan |
| Davie | 1836 | Rowan |
| Duplin | 1750 | New Hanover |
| Durham | 1881 | Orange, Wake |
| Edgecombe | 1741 | Bertie |
| Forsyth | 1849 | Stokes |
| Franklin | 1779 | Bute |
| Gaston | 1846 | Lincoln |
| Gates | 1779 | Chowan, Hertford, Perquimans |
| Graham | 1872 | Cherokee |
| Granville | 1746 | Edgecombe |
| Greene | 1799 | Glasgow |
| Guilford | 1771 | Rowan, Orange |
| Halifax | 1758 | Edgecombe |
| Harnett | 1855 | Cumberland |
| Haywood | 1808 | Buncombe |
| Henderson | 1838 | Buncombe |
| Hertford | 1759 | Chowan, Bertie, Northampton |
| Hoke | 1911 | Cumberland, Robeson |
| Hyde | 1705 | Bath |
| Iredell | 1788 | Rowan |
| Jackson | 1851 | Haywood, Macon |
| Johnston | 1746 | Craven |
| Jones | 1779 | Craven |
| Lee | 1907 | Moore, Chatham |
| Lenoir | 1791 | Dobbs |
| Lincoln | 1779 | Tryon |
| Macon | 1828 | Haywood |
| Madison | 1851 | Buncombe, Yancey |
| Martin | 1774 | Halifax, Tyrrell |
| McDowell | 1842 | Rutherford, Burke |
| Mecklenburg | 1762 | Anson |
| Mitchell | 1861 | Yancey, Watauga, Caldwell, Burke, McDowell |
| Montgomery | 1779 | Anson |
| Moore | 1784 | Cumberland |
| Nash | 1777 | Edgecombe |
| New Hanover | 1729 | Craven |
| Northampton | 1741 | Bertie |
| Onslow | 1734 | New Hanover |
| Orange | 1752 | Johnston, Bladen, Granville |
| Pamlico | 1872 | Craven, Beaufort |
| Pasquotank | 1668 | Albemarle |
| Pender | 1875 | New Hanover |
| Perquimans | 1668 | Albemarle |
| Person | 1791 | Caswell |
| Pitt | 1760 | Beaufort |
| Polk | 1855 | Rutherford, Henderson |
| Randolph | 1779 | Guilford |
| Richmond | 1779 | Anson |
| Robeson | 1787 | Bladen |
| Rockingham | 1785 | Guilford |
| Rowan | 1753 | Anson |
| Rutherford | 1779 | Tryon |
| Sampson | 1784 | Duplin |
| Scotland | 1899 | Richmond |
| Stanly | 1841 | Montgomery |
| Stokes | 1789 | Surry |
| Swain | 1871 | Jackson, Macon |
| Surry | 1771 | Rowan |
| Transylvania | 1861 | Henderson, Jackson |
| Tyrrell | 1729 | Chowan, Bertie, Currituck, Pasquotank |
| Union | 1842 | Anson, Mecklenburg |
| Vance | 1881 | Granville, Warren, Franklin |
| Wake | 1771 | Johnston, Cumberland, Orange |
| Warren | 1779 | Bute |
| Washington | 1799 | Tyrrell |
| Watauga | 1849 | Ashe, Wilkes, Caldwell, Yancey |
| Wayne | 1779 | Dobbs |
| Wilkes | 1777 | Surry, District of Washington |
| Wilson | 1855 | Edgecombe, Nash, Johnston, Wayne |
| Yadkin | 1850 | Surry |
| Yancey | 1833 | Burke, Buncombe |
| Abolished/abandoned counties | |||
| County | Date | Parent(s) | Note |
| Albemarle | 1664 | Original county | abolished 1739 |
| Bath | 1696 | Original county | abolished 1739 |
| Bute | 1764 | Granville | abolished 1779 |
| Clarendon | 1664 | Original county | abandoned 1667 |
| Dobbs | 1758 | Johnston | abolished 1791 |
| Glasgow | 1791 | Dobbs | abolished 1799 |
| Tryon | 1768 | Mecklenburg | abolished 1779 |
Source: Genealogical Services Branch of the State Library of North Carolina
