What’s My Elevation? – Check Your Address
Enter any address to see your ground elevation free — height above sea level, straight from USGS data. Then get the full report: how your elevation compares to the flood line for your area, plus your whole property’s risk picture.
Free Elevation Lookup
Enter any address – your ground elevation free, flood context in the report
Get your elevation report & flood context
Enter your email to see how your elevation compares to the flood line for your area (the base flood elevation), plus your home’s full property risk — flood zone, storm & hail exposure, roof, and radon — with what each factor means, on the next screen.
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and to receive your report by email. Unsubscribe anytime.
How it works
Enter an Address
Type any US property address into the form above.
We Look Up Your Ground Elevation
We geocode your address to its rooftop location and query USGS 3DEP — the government’s national elevation dataset — for the ground elevation at your exact point, in feet above sea level.
See Your Elevation & What It Means
Instantly see your ground elevation free; enter your email for how it compares to the flood line for your area (the base flood elevation), plus your home’s full property risk.
Why your elevation matters
Your ground elevation — how many feet your land sits above sea level — is a quiet driver of flood risk, drainage, and what you pay for insurance. On its own the number is just a fact; what makes it useful is the comparison. Elevation matters most relative to the base flood elevation (BFE) for your area: the height floodwater is expected to reach in a high-risk zone. A property that sits well above its BFE is treated very differently from one below it. This tool reads your ground elevation from USGS 3DEP free, then pairs it with your flood zone and BFE so the number actually means something — no phone calls and no signup.
How homeowners use their elevation
Gauge flood exposure: your elevation relative to the flood line is a major risk signal
Understand your insurance: feet above or below the BFE is a key flood-rating factor
Budget before you buy: a low-lying lot below the flood line can mean high premiums — check before closing
See your full picture: pair your elevation with flood, storm, roof, and radon risk for the whole property
What ground elevation is (and isn’t)
- Ground elevation: the height of the land at your address above a vertical datum (we use NAVD88), read from USGS 3DEP lidar — typically accurate to about a foot where modern lidar exists.
- Not your structure’s elevation: 3DEP measures the ground, not your home’s lowest floor. Insurance rating uses your structure’s elevation, which only a surveyed elevation certificate establishes.
- Elevation vs. BFE: the useful quantity for flood is the difference between your ground elevation and the base flood elevation for your area — surfaced in the full report where a BFE is mapped.
- Not a survey: 3DEP is not survey-grade and is not a substitute for an elevation certificate, which is the legal standard for insurance.
A note on accuracy
This is a free lookup of USGS 3DEP ground elevation (via the EPQS point service) — a confident starting point, not a surveyed elevation certificate. 3DEP has a typical vertical accuracy of roughly a foot in modern-lidar areas and is not survey-grade; it measures ground elevation at your point, not your structure. Your home’s actual elevation relative to the flood line must be set by a licensed surveyor’s elevation certificate, which is the legal standard for flood-insurance rating. The flood zone and base flood elevation shown in the report come from FEMA’s maps; confirm the details that affect your premium with FEMA or your insurer.
Elevation data courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS 3DEP). This product also uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s OpenFEMA API for flood-zone context, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency’s website(s).
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the elevation of my address?
Enter your address above. We resolve it to your rooftop location and read the ground elevation at that point from USGS 3DEP — the government’s national elevation dataset — in feet above sea level. The result appears free in seconds; the full report adds how your elevation compares to the flood line for your area.
What does “elevation above sea level” mean?
It’s the height of the ground at your address relative to a standard vertical reference (we use NAVD88, the North American Vertical Datum). A higher number means your land sits higher above sea level. It’s measured against a datum, not the ocean’s daily tide, so it’s a stable, comparable figure.
How accurate is USGS elevation data?
USGS 3DEP elevation is typically accurate to within about a foot in areas with modern lidar coverage, which is most of the US. It measures the ground elevation at your point. It is not survey-grade and is not a substitute for a surveyed elevation certificate, which measures your structure and is the legal standard for flood-insurance rating.
Why does my elevation matter for flood risk and insurance?
Elevation alone doesn’t determine flood risk — what matters is your elevation relative to the base flood elevation (BFE), the height floodwater is expected to reach in a high-risk zone. Feet above or below that line is a major flood-insurance rating factor. That’s why the full report pairs your USGS elevation with your FEMA flood zone and BFE.
Is this the same as an elevation certificate?
No. An elevation certificate is prepared by a licensed surveyor and records your structure’s actual elevation relative to the BFE — it’s the legal standard insurers use to rate a policy. This tool reads the ground elevation at your address from USGS data as a fast, free starting point; it does not replace a survey.
Does the report show my elevation vs. the flood line?
Yes, where FEMA has mapped a base flood elevation for your area (typically high-risk AE and VE zones). The report pairs your ground elevation with your flood zone and BFE so you can see roughly how your land sits relative to the flood line. Low-risk zones like X have no mapped BFE, so no comparison is shown.
Is this really free?
Yes. The ground-elevation lookup is completely free — no credit card and no hidden fees. Enter your email to also get your full property risk report (elevation vs. flood line, flood zone, storm, roof, and radon) at no cost; a deeper paid report is offered but never required.
How do I use BuildFolio’s free elevation lookup?
Enter any US property address in the form above — no signup or account required. The tool resolves your address, reads your ground elevation from USGS 3DEP, and shows it free, then gives your elevation-vs-flood-line context and full property risk on the next screen. Results appear in seconds.
Ready to find your elevation?
Get your free ground-elevation lookup by address from USGS data — then how it compares to the flood line and your full property risk report — in seconds. No signup.
Find My Elevation