Yes, Kings County is part of New York City. In fact, Kings County and the borough of Brooklyn are exact geographic equivalents. If you are standing anywhere in Brooklyn, you are simultaneously standing in Kings County, and you are inside New York City.
The confusion stems from a quirk in New York State administration where counties and boroughs use different names. While most major US cities sit inside a county or span multiple counties, New York City is uniquely split into five distinct counties that operate as its five boroughs.
Why Kings County Causes So Much Confusion
People get tripped up because official government forms, legal documents, property deeds, and court records often list "Kings County" instead of "Brooklyn." If you move to the area or buy property, you will quickly notice that postal addresses say "Brooklyn, NY," but legal paperwork demands "Kings County."
This dual-naming convention makes many residents wonder if Kings County is a separate municipality, a town next to the city, or an independent entity. It is none of those things. It is simply the historical name given to the county boundaries established during the British colonial period that was later absorbed into the unified municipal government of Greater New York.
How the Five NYC Boroughs Match Up With Counties
To understand why Kings County exists, you have to look at how New York City is structured. When the modern city was consolidated in 1898, five distinct local jurisdictions merged into one mega-city. Each of these areas retained its historical county designation.
Here is how the boroughs and counties line up today:
- Brooklyn corresponds to Kings County.
- Manhattan corresponds to New York County.
- Queens corresponds to Queens County.
- The Bronx corresponds to Bronx County.
- Staten Island corresponds to Richmond County.
Because of this system, Manhattan is officially New York County, while Brooklyn is officially Kings County. If you live in Queens, your local government and court system operate under Queens County.
A Brief History of Kings County and Brooklyn
Long before it became part of New York City, the area was inhabited by the Lenape people. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Dutch settlers arrived and established towns like Breuckelen, Flatbush, Flatlands, and Gravesend.
When the British seized control of the region in 1664, they reorganized the territory. In 1683, the Province of New York was officially divided into twelve original counties. The Dutch settlement area on the western tip of Long Island was named Kings County in honor of King Charles II of England.
For more than two centuries, Kings County contained multiple towns and the expanding City of Brooklyn. By 1896, the City of Brooklyn had annexed every remaining town within the county boundaries, making the city and the county coterminous. Two years later, in 1898, the City of Brooklyn was dissolved as an independent municipality and consolidated into the City of New York, becoming the Borough of Brooklyn while keeping the underlying legal name of Kings County.
You can read more about the historical records of this era through the New York State Library.
Common Practical Problems Caused by the Name Split
The split naming convention creates everyday headaches for residents, business owners, and newcomers.
Mail and Package Delivery
Postal carriers and navigation apps use "Brooklyn" exclusively. If you try to mail a letter using "Kings County, NY" as the city line, the postal service may experience delays or return the mail. The United States Postal Service recognizes neighborhood and borough names for routing, not the underlying state county names for municipal addresses.
Taxes and Government Forms
When filing state taxes, registering a vehicle, or dealing with housing paperwork, state agencies often ask for your "County." Residents frequently search for a separate option for Kings County, only to find that state databases route everything through New York City or require selecting Kings County specifically for judicial and tax purposes.
Courts and Jury Duty
If you receive a summons for jury duty, the paperwork will likely come from the Kings County Supreme Court or the Kings County Civil Court. This confuses people who live in Brooklyn and assume municipal courts bear the borough name. In practice, the judicial system operates on the county level, meaning your local court is legally the Kings County court system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Brooklyn bigger than Kings County?
No. They occupy the exact same geographic footprint of 71 square miles. Every square inch of Brooklyn is inside Kings County, and every square inch of Kings County is inside Brooklyn.
Why isn't Brooklyn called Kings City?
The area grew from a collection of small Dutch towns anchored by the town of Breuckelen. When the British formed the regional administrative zones in 1683, they named the county Kings, but the primary urban center retained the name Brooklyn as it grew into a major independent city before consolidation.
Do I pay taxes to Kings County or New York City?
You pay taxes to the City of New York. Kings County does not function as an independent tax-collecting municipal government today; it serves primarily as a judicial and administrative district within New York State.
Are there other counties inside New York City?
Yes. All five boroughs of New York City serve as separate counties. New York City is unique in the United States for containing five complete counties within its municipal borders. You can check official municipal boundaries and regional definitions through resources like NYC.gov.
