U.S. Soil Maps & Land Data by Address
GroundLayers brings together authoritative public records on land cover, mapped soils, ground elevation, watersheds, and flood hazard boundaries for locations across the United States.
What GroundLayers can show you
Every location query queries open, authoritative federal datasets in parallel. Information is organized into three primary environmental layers:
Terrain & Soil Composition
What soils are mapped here?
Identifies named USDA SSURGO soil map units, component series, natural drainage classifications (e.g. well drained vs. poorly drained), and hydrologic runoff groups.
How high is this location?
Calculates bare-earth ground elevation above sea level in feet and meters from the USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), establishing baseline topographic context.
Land Surface & Ecology
What is the land surface like?
Provides 30-meter satellite land-cover classifications from NLCD (e.g. developed open space, deciduous forest, pasture, or cultivated crops).
Are there mapped wetlands nearby?
Notes spatial intersections or proximity to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service mapped freshwater emergent wetlands, forested wetlands, or riverine habitats.
Hydrology & Natural Observations
Which watershed collects runoff?
Identifies the localized 12-digit USGS subwatershed (HUC12), upstream catchment name, and regional drainage basin.
Is flood or seismic context available?
Displays official FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) designations where digital maps exist, plus historical earthquake observations within 100km.
How it works
Enter a U.S. street address
Input any residential, commercial, or agricultural address in the 50 states or territories.
Census coordinates matching
The U.S. Census Bureau geocoder resolves the address street range to verified WGS84 geographic coordinates.
Public datasets assembled
GroundLayers queries federal REST services in parallel and compiles soil, elevation, and watershed records into a clean report.
Browse soil maps by state
Explore published county soil maps and summaries by state, or browse all county soil summaries.
Popular county soil pages
What a GroundLayers report includes
Every location report is structured into clear, readable sections providing comprehensive environmental context:
Standardized address matching, WGS84 coordinates, and county FIPS identity.
Primary land-use class (e.g. Developed, Forest, Cultivated Crops) from satellite observations.
Map unit name, dominant component series, drainage class, and hydrologic runoff group.
Calculated bare-earth elevation above sea level in feet and meters.
Localized subbasin name, 12-digit hydrologic unit code, and drainage basin context.
Available FEMA flood hazard zone designation and nearby USGS historical seismic records.
Built from official public data sources
GroundLayers is an independent reference utility. We do not invent proprietary scores, manufacture risk ratings, or sell property valuations. All data comes directly from public government records:
U.S. Census Bureau
TIGERweb 2023 County Boundaries & Public_AR_Current Address Geocoder API
USDA NRCS
Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) via official Soil Data Access REST API
U.S. Geological Survey
3DEP 1/3 arc-second digital elevation models and Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD)
MRLC Consortium
National Land Cover Database (NLCD 2021) 30-meter raster classification
FEMA NFHL
National Flood Hazard Layer REST map services where available
U.S. Fish & Wildlife
National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) surface and riverine map service
Data Limitations & Guidance
Not a Certified Survey: GroundLayers coordinates are produced by U.S. Census Bureau street centerline interpolation. They represent estimated geographic points rather than surveyed property corners or legal deed boundaries.
Dataset Vintages & Resolution: Different public records are collected at differing dates, scales, and resolutions (for example, NLCD 2021 satellite rasters vs. annual USDA SSURGO survey updates). Some rural areas or newer developments may have limited coverage.
Informational Reference Only: This service provides standardized public-domain reference data. It does not constitute structural engineering advice, environmental due diligence, geotechnical foundation recommendations, or a licensed flood insurance determination.