MapGrid aggregates publicly available government geospatial data. All source data remains the property of the issuing agency. This page documents every data source, its provider, verified licensing terms, and any restrictions.
Last audited: July 2026. Licensing research conducted via direct inspection of each state's GIS portal terms of use pages. Policy URLs linked where available.
Legal Basis for Federal Data
Federal government data is in the public domain under 17 U.S.C. §105 and the OPEN Government Data Act (2019, 44 U.S.C. §3502). State data varies — each state's terms are documented individually below.
Data from the following states is used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0): Utah (UGRC SGID), Colorado (State of Colorado), Oklahoma, District of Columbia (Open Data DC).
Data from the following states is used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0): Michigan, Rhode Island (RIGIS), Vermont (VCGI), Florida (DEP), Missouri (MSDIS).
All state and federal source data has been modified from its original form. Changes include: field name mapping, coordinate system reprojection to WGS 84 (EPSG:4326), geometry format conversion (Esri JSON to GeoJSON/PostGIS), and integration into a unified multi-state database schema. Data is refreshed on scheduled intervals and may not reflect the most current version available from the source agency.
Data originating from CC-BY-SA licensed sources and served through the MapGrid API retains its CC-BY-SA license. Users who download or export data from CC-BY-SA states must comply with the CC BY-SA 4.0 terms, including attributing the source agency and licensing any redistributed derivative data under CC-BY-SA 4.0.
All federal data is public domain per 17 U.S.C. §105. No restrictions on commercial use. Attribution not legally required but provided as best practice, in the form “Source: <agency>”. Basemap tile providers are listed separately below.
| Dataset | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
| FEMA Disaster Declarations | FEMA declared disaster areas (DECS) | FEMA |
| FEMA Risk Index (County) | FEMA National Risk Index — county-level composite hazard risk | FEMA National Risk Index |
| FEMA Risk Index (Tract) | FEMA National Risk Index — census-tract composite hazard risk | FEMA National Risk Index |
| FEMA Flood Zones | FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer — all US states and territories | FEMA NFHL |
| Health Professional Shortage Areas | HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas | HRSA |
| Medically Underserved Areas | HRSA Medically Underserved Areas/Populations | HRSA |
| Difficult Development Areas | HUD Difficult Development Areas (LIHTC basis boost) | HUD |
| Qualified Census Tracts (LIHTC) | HUD Qualified Census Tracts for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit | HUD |
| School Districts (National) | NCES unified school district boundaries | NCES EDGE |
| Wildfire Perimeters | Historic and current wildfire burn perimeters (NIFC) | NIFC / InterAgency Fire |
| Marine Protected Areas | NOAA Marine Protected Area inventory | NOAA |
| Transportation Network | Primary roads and highways — national (Census TIGER) | U.S. Census Bureau (TIGER) |
| Tribal Lands | BIA American Indian / Alaska Native land areas | US BIA |
| Areas of Critical Environmental Concern | BLM Areas of Critical Environmental Concern | US BLM |
| BLM Grazing Allotments | BLM rangeland grazing allotment boundaries | US BLM |
| BLM Monuments & NCAs | BLM National Monuments and National Conservation Areas | US BLM |
| Federal Lands (BLM) | BLM Surface Management Agency — federal land ownership | US BLM |
| Wild & Scenic Rivers | BLM-administered Wild and Scenic River segments — the NPS, USFS and USFWS reaches are not included | US BLM |
| Offshore Oil & Gas Leases | BOEM Outer Continental Shelf active lease blocks | US BOEM |
| Census Tracts | US Census Bureau tract boundaries | US Census Bureau |
| Census Demographics | ACS 5-year demographic data at census tract level — all US | US Census Bureau ACS |
| Military Installations | DoD military installation and range boundaries | US DoD |
| Energy Communities (Fossil) | IRA energy community fossil-fuel employment areas | US DOE / IWG |
| Energy Community — Coal Closures | IRA energy community tracts (coal mine/plant closures) | US DOE / IWG |
| Radon Zones | EPA radon zone designations by county | US EPA |
| Sole Source Aquifers | EPA-designated sole source aquifers (principal drinking-water source) | US EPA |
| Superfund (NPL) Sites | EPA National Priorities List Superfund sites | US EPA |
| Brownfield Sites | EPA tracked brownfield properties — all US states | US EPA Brownfields Program |
| EPA Regulated Facilities | EPA Facility Registry Service — RCRA, TRI, and other regulated facilities | US EPA FRS |
| Opportunity Zones | Federal Qualified Opportunity Zones — all US states | US Treasury CDFI Fund |
| Leveed Areas | USACE National Levee Database leveed areas | USACE National Levee Database |
| Food Access (Low-Income/Low-Access) | USDA food desert / low-access census tracts | USDA ERS |
| National Forest Trails | USFS National Forest System trails | USDA Forest Service |
| National Forests | USFS administrative forest boundaries | USDA Forest Service |
| Wilderness Areas | National Wilderness Preservation System areas | USDA Forest Service |
| Critical Habitat (ESA) | USFWS designated critical habitat for ESA-listed species | USFWS |
| Coastal Barrier Resources (CBRS) | USFWS CBRS units — properties ineligible for federal flood insurance & funding | USFWS / USGS |
| Wetlands (NWI) | USFWS National Wetlands Inventory — currently loaded for New Jersey | USFWS National Wetlands Inventory |
| Quaternary Faults | USGS Quaternary fault and fold database — potential seismic sources | USGS |
| Protected Areas (PAD-US) | USGS Protected Areas Database — public lands and conservation areas | USGS GAP PAD-US |
| Railroads | USGS National Map railroad lines | USGS The National Map |
| Watersheds (HUC-12) | USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset, HUC-12 subwatersheds | USGS WBD |
These states have terms that may restrict commercial use. Data from these states requires written authorization, has explicit non-commercial clauses, or carries copyright claims that prevent unrestricted reuse.
TxGIO StratMap parcels carry an asserted copyright, not a commercial-use grant
The statewide TxGIO StratMap parcel layer is an as-is aggregation of county appraisal-district data ("Various Counties, Various Vendors") with copyright asserted and no affirmative commercial-redistribution license; Texas Tax Code §25.025/§25.027 further constrain owner data. Not served by MapGrid.
NC.gov / NC OneMap terms restrict state data to non-commercial use; separately qualified municipal zoning sources are served
State terms limit state datasets to non-commercial purposes; MapGrid serves only individually qualified municipal/county zoning sources with no such prohibition.
WA Dept of Ecology prohibits commercial use of state GIS material
Ecology bars commercial use of its GIS data; not served by MapGrid.
Commercial use prohibited without written agreement
eHawaii ToU: "You agree not to use for commercial purposes... unless allowed in a separate, written agreement"
"Personal and non-commercial use" only (data.nebraska.gov)
NebraskaMap.gov (GIS portal) is separate and less restrictive, but no explicit commercial license
Commercial use prohibited without written permission + possible license fee
ISGS is part of University of Illinois; copyright held by Board of Trustees
"Authorized users only, approved business purposes" (ArcGIS portal)
Portal includes restrictive language; old imap.maryland.gov is defunct (404). Contact service.desk [at] maryland.gov
Historically restricted resale of raw data
MassGIS Terms historically permitted derived products but restricted raw data redistribution. Site returned 403. Contact massgismail [at] mass.gov
"All Rights Reserved" copyright notice on portal
Footer reads "Arkansas GIS Office. All Rights Reserved." No open data license found
"Copyright 2015 Earth Data Analysis Center, UNM"
University-operated clearinghouse claims standard copyright. Contact clearinghouse [at] edac.unm.edu
Statewide parcel access requires an agreement; NYSDEC restricts secondary distribution
Despite the general EO95 open-data posture, the statewide parcel and DEC sources restrict redistribution; not served by MapGrid.
Varies by provider — some counties explicitly prohibit commercial redistribution
PASDA is a clearinghouse with 200+ providers. Lancaster County prohibits redistribution. Verify per dataset
State imagery restricted to government use only (Google license)
OCGA 50-29-2 authorizes GIS data sales. Non-imagery data: contact GIO. Do NOT use GA imagery commercially
SCDNR "retains all rights"; court precedent supports licensing restrictions
Seago v. Horry County supports GIS licensing restrictions. SCDNR claims all rights. Contact gis [at] dnr.sc.gov
ARS 39-121.03 — commercial use OK but must disclose purpose + may owe fees
Unique: commercial purpose must be disclosed in writing. Market-value fees may apply. Treble damages for non-disclosure
NRS 250 restricts commercial redistribution of recorder/GIS data
Statewide parcel data is county-managed and commercial redistribution is restricted; not served by MapGrid.
No license; Parcel Data Exchange Standard exists but not publicly accessible
County-level data sharing agreements may impose restrictions. Contact Idaho Geospatial Office (IGO)
NDDOT web services: non-commercial, informational use only
State GIS web-service terms limit use to non-commercial/informational purposes; not served by MapGrid.
State copyright asserted ("Copyright 2019 State of Mississippi")
MARIS describes data as "FREE" but terms doc not publicly retrievable. Contact GISHelp [at] dc.ms.gov
WVGISTC: "All Rights Reserved"; MapWV: permissive but ambiguous
WVGISTC asserts full copyright. MapWV allows "view, copy, distribute without obligation" but commercial use unclear
AK DNR asserts copyright; republication prohibited without permission
The statewide parcel (DNR) source requires permission to republish despite the portal default; not served by MapGrid.
Custom "Data Distribution Agreement" — commercial use not explicitly permitted
Attribution required. Metadata must remain intact. Cannot imply sponsor approval. More restrictive than most states
KRS 61.874 — commercial use must be declared; misrepresentation is unlawful
Must certify commercial intent and pay commercial-rate fees. KYTC data is CC0. Non-KYTC data needs formal agreement
KSA 45-220(c)(2) — certain records require no-commercial-use certification
Whether parcel GIS data falls under certification requirement is unconfirmed. Contact DASC at kansasgis.org
We could not confirm an affirmative commercial-use license for these states, so out of an abundance of caution MapGrid does not currently serve their data. Each is under legal review and may be added once terms are verified.
Unverified — parcel item license is "none"
The statewide parcel item declares license "none" with only a warranty disclaimer + "All Rights Reserved"; no CC license is published. Held pending confirmation; not served.
Unverified — no affirmative commercial license found
No statewide parcel service (66-county fragmented); state items are unlicensed and the state disclaimer permits "personal or informational use" only. The "CC-BY" seen elsewhere is a City-of-Sioux-Falls badge, not the State. Held; not served.
Unverified — no affirmative commercial license found
Source carries only a warranty disclaimer; TPRA §10-7-506(c) attaches a "commercial value" reproduction fee to public GIS data. Held pending confirmation; not served.
Unverified — no affirmative commercial license found
No statewide parcel service (county-fragmented); ADEM environmental data carries only a liability disclaimer, no CC license. Held pending confirmation; not served.
Licensing status is not coverage. A cleared state is one MapGrid may serve; several cleared states are not loaded yet. For what is live right now, run a state search in Find Parcels — an empty result for a state-only search means MapGrid carries no parcels there.
| State | License | Agency | Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | NJ Open Data — "anyone may view, copy or distribute without obligation" | NJDEP / NJGIN | Link |
| Utah | CC BY 4.0 — Must credit "UGRC SGID" and include last-updated date | UGRC | Link |
| Colorado | CC BY 4.0 (state portal) — Environmental data from CDPHE served under CC BY 4.0. Parcel data not served — the parcel FeatureServer copyrightText states "resale of this data is strictly forbidden." Must credit "State of Colorado" | CDPHE / CO OIT GIS | Link |
| Oklahoma | CC BY (data.ok.gov) — GIS portal (okmaps.gov) was unreachable; data.ok.gov uses CC BY for 66+ datasets | OK GIS | Link |
| District of Columbia | CC BY 4.0 — Verified July 2026 from the portal’s own DCAT-US catalog (opendata.dc.gov/api/feed/dcat-us/1.1.json), which declares CC BY 4.0 for 1,782 of 1,864 datasets — including all three MapGrid ingests: "Common Ownership Lots" (parcels), "Underground Storage Tanks" and "Leaking Underground Storage Tanks". Must credit "Open Data DC". | DC OCTO / OTR / DOEE (Open Data DC) | Link |
| Connecticut | CC0 (parcels confirmed); other layers vary — CT parcel layer is CC0 (public domain). Other DEEP layers may have null license — verify individually | CT DEEP / Geodata Portal | Link |
| California | CC0 required by state policy (SAM 5160.1) — State Admin Manual mandates CC0 or equivalent for published data. CA Supreme Court confirmed GIS is public record | CA Open Data Portal / DTSC | Link |
| Delaware | "Freely available for any purpose" (Open Data Council definition) — Open Data Council explicitly states data can be used for any purpose. No attribution required | FirstMap / Open Data Council | Link |
| Oregon | ORS 276A.356 — statute prohibits use restrictions on published data — Statutory mandate: "without restrictions on use." Individual agencies may opt out under ORS 276A.509 | OR GEO / DEQ | Link |
| Virginia | VA FOIA (§2.2-3704) — no restriction on use of public records — FOIA "does not restrict how public records can be used once obtained." Attribution to VGIN recommended | VGIN / VDEQ | Link |
| Ohio | OH Public Records Act (ORC §149.43) — no commercial use restriction — No purpose-of-use condition except for BMV/student records. Verify individual county dataset metadata | OGRIP / OH EPA | Link |
| Montana | MT public records law — "no restriction placed on subsequent use of information provided" — MSL content is public domain. MCA mailing-list restriction (§2-6-109) does not apply to GIS display | MT State Library / DOR | Link |
| Maine | Board policy explicitly permits commercial products — "No restrictions will be placed on re-use... may be used to create derivative data or commercial products" | Maine GeoLibrary | Link |
| Iowa | Iowa Code §22.2(1) — right to publish/disseminate; HSEM terms permit distribution — Statewide parcel layer sourced from Iowa HSEM (2017 snapshot). HSEM terms: "may be distributed or copied." Iowa Code §22.2(1) grants the right to "publish or otherwise disseminate" public records with no commercial restriction. Credit: Iowa HSEM | Iowa HSEM / DNR | Link |
| Indiana | Public records — IC 4-23-7.3 ("not subject to licensing or royalties") — State GIS law establishes public access without royalties. No formal CC license but statute supports commercial use | IndianaMap / IDEM | Link |
| Minnesota | Open data — use for any purpose; preserve source metadata when redistributing — Served parcels are MnGeo’s opt-in-open statewide layer (Access/Use Constraints: “None”); the separate full/non-open aggregation is not used. Environmental coverage uses MPCA “What’s In My Neighborhood” contamination programs only (tanks, remediation, brownfields, cleanup and solid waste), whose source-specific license grants use for any purpose. The linked item carries the original metadata and download documentation. | MN Geospatial Commons / Minnesota Pollution Control Agency | Link |
| Wisconsin | Public domain — "There are no use restrictions" (2013 Wisconsin Act 20) — Served: the DOA/SCO statewide parcel layer, declared public domain with "no use restrictions" in the current V12 schema documentation. WI DNR environmental data remains noncommercial and is not served. | WI DOA / State Cartographer (SCO) | Link |
| State | License | Agency | Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | CC-BY-SA + FL Sunshine Law (Ch. 119 F.S.) — Sunshine Law permits commercial reuse of public records; DEP portal metadata shows CC-BY-SA | FL DEP | Link |
| Michigan | CC-BY-SA — Attribution required; derivative works must carry same license | MI State GIS / EGLE | Link |
| Rhode Island | CC-BY-SA 4.0 — Must credit "RIGIS"; derivative products must use CC-BY-SA | RIGIS | Link |
| Vermont | Custom policy + CC-BY-SA in metadata — Value-add commercial use OK; direct resale of unmodified data prohibited | VCGI / VT ANR | Link |
| Missouri | CC-BY-SA (confirmed on MSDIS open data portal) — MO Sunshine Law has no commercial restriction. CC-BY-SA share-alike applies to derivative distributions | MSDIS (U of MO) / MO DNR | Link |
These states publish data on public GIS portals but have no discoverable open data license. Data is treated as public government records under each state's Freedom of Information / public records law.
| State | Status | Agency | Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | No explicit license (university-operated) — UNH IP policies may apply separately from state records law. Contact granit [at] unh.edu | NH GRANIT (UNH) | Link |
MapGrid carries parcels in 17 states and Washington, DC. A state can be cleared in the audit above and still carry none — whether we may serve a feed and whether we have ingested it are separate questions, so a green row above is a licensing result, not a coverage claim.
A state listed as covered normally means the whole state. In the exceptions below the published feed we ingest carries only part of it, so parcels outside that area aren't on the map and an address there returns nothing — which looks exactly like a search that simply missed. Everywhere else we load all of what the state publishes: for most states that is the whole state, but a few feeds omit a tail of outlying rural counties, so a rural address can come back empty even in a state not named here.
Parcel addresses come from whatever each state's source publishes, and some publish none. In these states we serve the parcels, their boundaries and their attributes, but the source carries no street address — so searching an address there returns nothing even though the parcels are on the map. Search by parcel ID, or find the property on the map directly.
Elsewhere the gap is partial. These states publish a street address for most of their parcels but not all of them, so an address search can miss a property that is on the map — measured against each state's own feed, not assumed:
Searching a city name resolves through a gazetteer built from the municipality names each state's parcel source publishes — and most publish none. Where it is missing, a city name still matches text we do hold, so it returns similarly-named streets and sites rather than nothing: searching “Milwaukee” can surface a Milwaukee Street in another county. Those are real parcels, just not the city you asked for. Use the map, a parcel ID, or (where published) a street address instead.
City search currently resolves in:
Everywhere else, the state's parcel source publishes no municipality names, so there is nothing to build the index from. Extending it needs a separate national gazetteer.
Tax sale listings are aggregated from the following legally-cleared county open-data sources. Each publishes public tax-sale records and has affirmative terms permitting MapGrid's use.
| County | Official sale page | Reuse basis |
|---|---|---|
| Orange County, FL | County sale information | Florida public records (Ch. 119, F.S.) |
| Douglas County, CO | County sale information | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
| Lucas County, OH | County sale information | Ohio public records (ORC §149.43) |
| Stark County, OH | County sale information | Ohio public records (ORC §149.43) |
Coverage is limited to these active sources; MapGrid does not scrape commercial auction platforms.
Legal basis: Feist Publications v. Rural Telephone Service (1991) — raw factual data (property addresses, amounts, dates) cannot be copyrighted. Post-Van Buren v. United States (2021), accessing publicly available websites does not violate the CFAA.
| Basemap | Provider | License |
|---|---|---|
| Street Map | OpenFreeMap | Open source (free for all use) |
| Topographic Map | OpenFreeMap | Open source (free for all use) |
| Dark Map | CARTO | CARTO free tier (commercial use allowed) |
| Satellite Imagery | U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | Public domain (17 U.S.C. §105) |
Disclaimer: MapGrid is not authorized by, endorsed by, or affiliated with any government agency listed above. Data is provided for informational purposes only. See our full data disclaimer.