| Dates | 26 April – 16 September 1986 |
|---|---|
| Administrator | England and Wales Cricket Board |
| Cricket format | First-class cricket |
| Tournament format | League system |
| Champions | Essex (4th title) |
| Participants | 17 |
| Matches | 204 |
| Most runs | Graeme Hick, (Worcestershire) 1,934 |
| Most wickets | Courtney Walsh, (Gloucestershire) 118 |
The 1986 Britannic Assurance County Championship was the 87th officially organised running of the County Championship. Essex won the Championship title.
The Championship was sponsored by Britannic Assurance for the third time and a £1 million, three-year deal was announced.
| Team | P | W | L | D | Bat | Bowl | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essex | 24 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 51 | 76 | 287 |
| 2 | Gloucestershire | 24 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 50 | 65 | 259 |
| 3 | Surrey | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 54 | 66 | 248 |
| 4 | Nottinghamshire | 24 | 7 | 2 | 15 | 55 | 80 | 247 |
| 5 | Worcestershire | 24 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 58 | 72 | 242 |
| 6 | Hampshire | 24 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 54 | 69 | 235 |
| 7 | Leicestershire | 24 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 55 | 67 | 202 |
| 8 | Kent | 24 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 42 | 75 | 197 |
| 9 | Northamptonshire | 24 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 53 | 60 | 193 |
| 10 | Yorkshire | 24 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 62 | 59 | 193 |
| 11 | Derbyshire | 24 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 42 | 70 | 188 |
| 12 | Middlesex | 24 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 47 | 65 | 176 |
| 13 | Warwickshire | 24 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 61 | 51 | 176 |
| 14 | Sussex | 24 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 46 | 56 | 166 |
| 15 | Lancashire | 24 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 41 | 51 | 156 |
| 16 | Somerset | 24 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 52 | 52 | 152 |
| 17 | Glamorgan | 24 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 39 | 47 | 118 |