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Know the environmental risk of any U.S. property. Instantly.

GroundTruth screens any address against 12 federal databases and delivers a scored Environmental Risk Brief in under a minute. Flood zones, wetlands, contamination, wildfire, seismic hazard, protected species, and more. Regulatory interpretation included. Built by an environmental GIS analyst.

The data is public. The analysis is not.

The federal government maintains environmental records across FEMA, the EPA, USFWS, USDA, USGS, NOAA, and the CDC. In theory, anyone can look this up. In practice, the data lives across dozens of disconnected endpoints, arrives in incompatible formats, and requires domain expertise to interpret correctly. Knowing that a parcel sits in Zone AE is not the same as understanding what that means for flood insurance premiums, elevation certificate requirements, and construction feasibility.

GroundTruth was built to close that gap. The system queries 12 federal sources in parallel and delivers structured intelligence, not a data dump. Each finding passes through a regulatory interpretation layer developed by an environmental GIS analyst, encoding the kind of judgment that typically requires hiring a consultant. The output is a scored brief with plain-language findings, permit timeline estimates, cost-of-delay projections, and source citations for every data point.

GroundTruth is the informed screening step that happens before a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment is commissioned. On sites that come back clean, it can eliminate the need for a Phase I entirely. On sites that flag concerns, it tells you exactly what you are walking into before the $3,000 engagement begins.

12 federal assessments, one report

Each assessment queries authoritative federal data, applies domain-specific interpretation rules, and contributes a weighted sub-score to the composite Development Complexity Score.

FEMA
Flood Risk
National Flood Hazard Layer. Flood zone classification, Special Flood Hazard Area status, base flood elevation, NFIP insurance implications.
USFWS
Wetland Intelligence
National Wetlands Inventory. Cowardin classification, on-parcel and buffer-zone proximity, Section 404 Clean Water Act permit triggers.
USFWS
Protected Species
Critical Habitat database. ESA-listed species, active critical habitat ranges, Section 7 and Section 10 consultation requirements.
EPA
Contamination Proximity
Facility Registry Service. Superfund sites, RCRA facilities, Brownfields, and Toxics Release Inventory within one mile. CERCLA liability flags.
USDA NRCS
Soil Analysis
SSURGO survey data. Hydric soil rating, drainage class, hydrologic soil group. Implications for septic suitability and foundation stability.
USGS
Land Cover
National Land Cover Database (2021). Satellite-derived surface classification. Habitat sensitivity and conservation easement indicators.
USGS
Terrain
3D Elevation Program. Elevation, slope, aspect, drainage direction. Stormwater management and erosion control implications.
FEMA
Disaster History
OpenFEMA API. County-level federal disaster declarations since 2000, incident type classification, and recurrence patterns.
NOAA
Sea Level Rise
Digital Coast inundation data. Coastal flooding projections at 1, 2, and 3+ foot scenarios. Storm surge vulnerability assessment.
USDA / USFS
Wildfire Risk
Wildfire Hazard Potential classification. Community risk context. Defensible space and fuel reduction mandate applicability.
USGS
Seismic Hazard
Earthquake Hazards Program. Probabilistic ground shaking estimates. Seismic activity zone classification for structural planning.
CDC
Environmental Justice Index
EJI 2024 and Social Vulnerability Index. Pollution burden percentile, demographic burden, Title VI review indicators.

How it works

1

Enter an address

Any U.S. street address. The system geocodes the location and dispatches all 12 federal assessments in parallel, typically returning results in under 60 seconds.

2

Regulatory interpretation

Raw federal data passes through an interpretation layer built by an environmental GIS analyst. Findings are scored, permit triggers are identified, and everything is translated into language you can act on without a consultant present.

3

Scored brief delivered

You receive an Environmental Risk Brief with a composite Development Complexity Score, individual dimension scores, plain-language findings with source citations, permit timeline estimates, and cost-of-delay projections.

Development Complexity Score

A weighted composite of all 12 sub-assessments. Flood zone and wetland findings carry the highest weight because they trigger mandatory federal permitting. If any high-weight factor is severe, the composite score cannot be diluted below 4.

1
Clear
2
Low
3
Moderate
4
High
5
Very High

Reports include the composite score, individual sub-scores for each assessment dimension, and an explanation of what drives the rating. Every finding links to its federal data source.

Who uses GroundTruth

Homebuyers

Before you make an offer on a $400,000 property, know whether it sits in a FEMA flood zone, near an EPA-regulated contamination site, or in a county with repeated federal disaster declarations. A $29 report surfaces what the listing does not.

Homeowners

Understand the environmental profile of the property you already own. Run a report when FEMA updates its flood maps, when you are planning a renovation, or when you want to get ahead of buyer questions before listing.

Real estate agents

Pull a report before your clients do. Environmental flags in flood zones, wetland buffers, or contamination proximity are better surfaced by you than discovered at inspection. One $29 report can prevent a deal-breaking surprise at the eleventh hour.

Land developers

Screen acquisition candidates before you commit to due diligence spend. A $79 Professional report covers the same ground a Phase I ESA covers in its preliminary records review, in minutes rather than weeks. Run 10 candidate parcels for less than the cost of one EDR desktop review.

Real estate attorneys

Assess regulatory exposure at client intake, not after engagement. Every finding references the federal data source and retrieval timestamp, which you can cite directly in disclosure documents and transaction filings.

Lenders and underwriters

Flag environmental risk at origination. An automated 12-source assessment checks flood zone, contamination proximity, wetland presence, species habitat, seismic exposure, and disaster history in a single report, with an audit trail for every data point.

Platform integrators

Embed environmental intelligence into any platform via REST API. Loan origination systems, MLS listings, proptech workflows. JSON response with score, summary, findings, and raw data. Bulk processing and white-label PDFs for portfolio-level use.

Pricing

Per-report pricing for individuals. Volume access for teams and platforms.

Quick Score
Free
per address
  • Composite Development Complexity Score (1–5)
  • Plain-language one-sentence summary
  • Top risk factor identified
  • Email delivery
Try it free
Standard
$29
per report
  • Full 12-source assessment
  • Plain-language findings with regulatory context
  • Source citations with retrieval timestamps
  • Shareable link and CSV data export
Get started
Enterprise
Custom
volume pricing
  • REST API access with authentication
  • Bulk and batch processing
  • White-label PDF reports
  • Portfolio dashboard
  • Dedicated support
Contact us

Screen a property before you commit.

Enter any U.S. address and receive a scored Environmental Risk Brief in under a minute. 12 federal sources. Regulatory interpretation. Actionable guidance. Free Quick Score to start.

Run a Free Quick Score

Field Assembly Ecosystem

Works with GroundTruth

GroundTruth is part of Field Assembly, a portfolio of tools for homeowners and property professionals.