Report inputs

Data layers

Groundreport uses these public datasets to generate the current parcel screening report.

National

National data layers

floodplain

FEMA floodplain analysis

Checks whether the saved parcel geometry (or, if no parcel boundary is available, the address point) intersects FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer flood zones.

Source: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer
Method: Parcel polygon intersection, or a buffered point query when no parcel boundary is available

wetlands

National Wetlands Inventory analysis

Checks whether the saved parcel geometry (or, if no parcel boundary is available, the address point) intersects mapped wetlands or water features from the National Wetlands Inventory.

Source: USFWS National Wetlands Inventory
Method: Parcel polygon intersection, or a buffered point query when no parcel boundary is available

environmental

EPA regulated water facilities nearby

Counts nearby Clean Water Act regulated facilities and recent violation/enforcement indicators from EPA ECHO.

Source: EPA ECHO Facility Search - Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids
Method: One-mile radius search from the lookup point

soils

SSURGO soils screening

Checks intersecting USDA NRCS SSURGO map units and major soil components for hydric, drainage, hydrologic group, slope, and farmland indicators. Falls back to the address point when no parcel boundary is available.

Source: USDA NRCS Soil Data Access / SSURGO
Method: Parcel polygon intersection with SSURGO map units plus tabular component lookup, or a point lookup when no parcel boundary is available

slope

USGS 3DEP slope screening

Samples USGS 3DEP elevation across the parcel boundary and centroid to estimate the steepest and average grade.

Source: USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP)
Method: Elevation sampling at parcel vertices plus centroid with pairwise slope estimation

roads

Road classification and traffic exposure

Checks Census TIGER/Line road layers near the parcel to flag primary highway frontage versus quieter secondary or local road access.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Roads
Method: Primary, secondary, and local road layer intersection within a 75 meter buffer

Maryland

Maryland data layers

maryland

Maryland Critical Area screening

Checks whether the saved parcel geometry intersects Chesapeake Bay Critical Area designations from Maryland iMAP.

Source: Maryland iMAP Critical Areas
Method: Parcel polygon intersection against town and county Critical Area layers

development

Developed vs. vacant land screening

Uses Maryland SDAT year-built, structure square footage, and improvement value fields to flag whether the parcel already has an existing structure.

Source: Maryland SDAT Real Property Assessment Data
Method: Maryland parcel assessment field lookup

utilities

Public water and sewer availability

Uses Maryland SDAT public water, public sewer, and street paved fields to flag utility availability and well/septic risk.

Source: Maryland SDAT Real Property Assessment Data
Method: Maryland parcel assessment field lookup