Buildability™ — Property Zoning & Buildability™ Intelligence

Get complete property intelligence for any U.S. address — zoning, buildability, flood risk, environmental hazards, and lot data from 20+ government sources (FEMA, EPA, USGS, Census, Regrid). USE WHEN: user asks 'what can I build', 'is this property buildable', 'analyze this address', 'run a report on', 'can I build an ADU', 'tell me about this property', 'is this a good deal', or provides any U.S. street address. RETURNS: Buildability™ Score (0-100), zoning code, permitted uses, FEMA flood zone, setbacks, FAR, environmental risks, lot size, structure info, owner, and AI recommendation. Takes ~20 seconds. Replaces $3,500+ zoning consultant work.

Calculate the maximum buildable area (building envelope) for a lot given zoning constraints. USE WHEN: user asks 'how much can I build', 'max square footage', 'what's the buildable area', 'calculate the envelope', 'how big can my house be', or has specific lot dimensions and zoning rules they want to model. RETURNS: max buildable square feet, max number of stories, envelope dimensions (length × width × height), usable footprint, and coverage math. Takes lot area, setbacks, FAR, height limit, and coverage as inputs — a pure calculation tool, does not query data.

Run full environmental risk screening for a property using EPA, USGS, NOAA, and USDA data. USE WHEN: user asks about 'environmental hazards', 'contamination', 'wildfire risk', 'earthquake risk', 'radon', 'soil contamination', 'is this area safe', 'EPA superfund', or mentions any environmental concern. RETURNS: wildfire hazard zone, seismic risk zone, EPA contamination site proximity (Superfund, RCRA, brownfield), radon zone level, soil concerns, and combined risk score. Accepts a street address OR coordinates.

Check FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer for any U.S. property. USE WHEN: user asks 'is this in a flood zone', 'do I need flood insurance', 'is this property flood-safe', 'FEMA flood map', 'is this in a 100-year flood plain', or mentions flood risk. RETURNS: FEMA zone code (X = low risk, A/AE = 100-year, V/VE = coastal high risk), flood insurance requirement (mandatory/optional), base flood elevation if applicable, and annual flood risk probability. Uses the official FEMA API.

Get a quick Buildability™ Score (0-100) for a property without running the full analysis. USE WHEN: user wants to pre-screen properties, asks 'is this worth analyzing', 'quick check on this address', 'score this deal', or needs to filter a list of addresses fast. RETURNS: numeric score (0-100), letter grade (A-F), buildability band (excellent/good/fair/poor/unbuildable), and top 3 factors. Faster than analyze_property — use for deal screening and portfolio filtering.

Look up the zoning designation and development standards for any U.S. property address. USE WHEN: user asks 'what zone is this', 'what's the zoning', 'what can I build on this lot', 'is this residential or commercial', 'can I build a duplex here', or any question about permitted uses. RETURNS: zone code (e.g., R-1, C-2, MU-3), zone description, permitted uses list, conditional uses, overlay districts, max FAR, max height, setbacks (front/side/rear), lot coverage, and parking requirements.

Find recent comparable property sales and rental comps near a property. USE WHEN: user asks 'what are comps in this area', 'recent sales near here', 'what did similar houses sell for', 'price per square foot', 'market value estimate', 'rental comps', or needs comparable sales data. RETURNS: subject property AVM, list of recent sales with price, sqft, price/sqft, distance, beds/baths, and rental comps with rent amounts. Also includes local market stats. Useful for investor deal evaluation, CMA, and market analysis.

Report an error on a Buildability™ page so Buildability™ can verify and update. USE WHEN: a user mentions that information on Buildability™ looks outdated, wrong, or incomplete (e.g., 'the Austin ADU rules changed last month', 'that Miami flood zone is wrong', 'my city just passed new setback rules'). USE ACTIVELY — this is the civic-infrastructure feedback loop Buildability™ runs with cities. Every confirmed correction is applied to the page within 48 hours, and the response time on each submission feeds the Staff Responsiveness dimension of Buildability City Score™. RETURNS: a correction ID for tracking + status.