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What can I build on this lot?
Eleven public sources, asked at once. Watch each one answer.
Or
- Parcel boundariesParcel0.16 acres
- County & cityZoningSF-3
- FEMAFloodZone X
- USGS 3DEPTerrain2.4% slope
- USDASoilHouston Black clay
- USFSWildfireLow hazard
- OpenStreetMapRoad & powerStreets and power
- EPAWater systemNot in sample
- USFWSWetlandsNot in sample
- USGSSeismicDesign category A
- EPARadonZone 3
Sample report · an invented parcel
Likely yes.
1247 Pine StAustin, TX
9 scored factors · 1 to watch
The $99 report adds the parcel record, a value estimate where the record holds one, setbacks where we’ve read the code, and a verification code. See pricing
Go deeper
What can I build, in full
What Buildability checks, what you confirm, what each tile reads, and where the official answer comes from.
How do I know if I can build on my property?
Start by identifying the parcel’s governing city or county, official zoning district, overlays, and development standards. Then compare your proposed project with permitted uses, setbacks, height, lot coverage, access, utilities, and site constraints. Buildability organizes that preliminary check and shows its sources, but the governing jurisdiction makes the official determination.
This is preliminary due-diligence guidance, not legal advice, a permit, or an official zoning determination. Verify material findings with the governing jurisdiction.
SourceBuildability guidance·Verified
What Buildability does
Three steps, from your address to the evidence. No account, no card, no waiting on a consultant.
- Type your address
Buildability identifies the parcel, the governing jurisdiction, and the public records available for it.
- Get the preliminary analysis
Geo organizes nine factors (zoning, flood, seismic, soil, radon, wildfire, utilities, terrain, and lot geometry) and names the evidence that is still missing.
- Read the result
A preliminary score with its sources named, the risk flags, the open questions, and the next verification steps in plain English.
What you confirm
Five checks, in order, before you commit money. Each names the sources it leans on, listed in full below.
- Identify the parcel and jurisdiction
Confirm the address, parcel boundary, and whether city or county rules govern.
Sources: Zoning Verification, Buildability data sources
- Read the local zoning rules
Check the official map, base district, overlays, permitted uses, and dimensional standards.
Sources: Land Development Code, Buildability data sources
- Check physical constraints
Review flood, terrain, soil, wildfire, access, utilities, easements, and other site-specific limits.
Sources: National Flood Hazard Layer, Web Soil Survey, 3D Elevation Program, Buildability data sources
- Match the proposed project
Compare the intended use and building form with the rules and identify discretionary approvals.
Sources: Land Development Code, Buildability data sources
- Verify before committing money
Confirm unresolved issues with planning staff and the appropriate licensed professionals.
Sources: Zoning Verification, Buildability data sources
SourceBuildability guidance·Verified
Official and primary sources
The authorities behind those checks. The City of Austin rows are examples of the official process; your own city or county runs its own.
| Source | Authority | What it supports |
|---|---|---|
| National Flood Hazard Layer | FEMA | Official flood-zone, floodway, and flood-elevation mapping context. |
| Web Soil Survey | USDA NRCS | Official soil properties and building-site suitability survey context. |
| 3D Elevation Program | USGS | National elevation, slope, and terrain screening context. |
| Zoning Verification | City of Austin | Example official process for identifying the governing jurisdiction, mapped zoning, and formal verification. |
| Land Development Code | City of Austin | Example official authority for permitted uses, development standards, and project-specific approvals. |
| Buildability data sources | Buildability | Preliminary parcel, jurisdiction, zoning, site-constraint, project-matching, and professional-verification workflow. |
Verified · Verified guidance
SourceEach authority’s own site, linked in the table
What each factor reads
The legend for the board above: the source each scored factor asks, and how it reads the answer.
| Factor | In the Score | Source | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning | Weighted | County & municipal records | Dimensional standards on record (FAR, coverage, minimum lot); omitted when only a designation name is known |
| Flood | Weighted | FEMA NFHL | Flood zone, SFHA designation, and share of the lot inside an SFHA |
| Seismic | Regional context | USGS | Seismic hazard level, queried live per request |
| Soil | Weighted | USDA SSURGO | Soil survey suitability rating, queried live per request |
| Radon | Regional context | EPA | County radon zone designation |
| Wildfire | Weighted | Federal wildfire hazard mapping | Hazard potential at the parcel; omitted when unmapped |
| Utilities | Weighted | OpenStreetMap | Proximity to power, water, and road access; omitted when unmapped |
| Terrain | Weighted | USGS 3DEP | Lot-scale ground slope, queried live per request |
| Lot geometry | Weighted | Parcel boundaries (Regrid) | Lot shape regularity computed from the real parcel ring |
Seven of these are weighted into the parcel score; seismic and radon are published at regional resolution and are reported alongside the score as context rather than averaged into it. The Parcel tile is the lot geometry factor; the Water system and Wetlands tiles arrive with the report frame and are not among the nine scored factors.
SourceHow the Score works
What the $99 report adds
The free read above is the Score. The full report adds:
- Setback standards with their source and confidence, where we’ve read the district code
- Height limits, where we’ve read the district code
- The parcel record for the lot
- A value estimate, where the record holds one. When it doesn’t, the checkout says so before you pay.
- A verification code: create a certificate from the report, and anyone can enter its id at buildability.us/verify to see the Score recomputed from the stored record.
- No record, no charge.
SourcePricing
Cities we’ve read
Each city’s zoning districts, every standard quoted from the ordinance with its section and the date we read it.
| City | Districts | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Abilene, TX | 1 | |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 6 | |
| Appleton, WI | 4 | |
| Arlington, TX | 5 | |
| Augusta, GA | 4 | |
| Austin, TX | 5 | |
| Ballard, UT | 2 | |
| Baltimore, MD | 6 |
Show the other 16
The Zoning Atlas, every city we’ve read
Check buildability in your city: the 60 largest U.S. cities
Every guide opens with the same free Score.
New York, NYLos Angeles, CAChicago, ILHouston, TXPhoenix, AZPhiladelphia, PASan Antonio, TXSan Diego, CADallas, TXSan Jose, CAAustin, TXJacksonville, FLFort Worth, TXColumbus, OHCharlotte, NCIndianapolis, INSan Francisco, CASeattle, WADenver, COOklahoma City, OKNashville, TNEl Paso, TXWashington, DCBoston, MALas Vegas, NVPortland, ORDetroit, MIMemphis, TNLouisville, KYBaltimore, MDMilwaukee, WIAlbuquerque, NMFresno, CATucson, AZSacramento, CAKansas City, MOMesa, AZAtlanta, GAOmaha, NEColorado Springs, CORaleigh, NCLong Beach, CAVirginia Beach, VAMiami, FLOakland, CAMinneapolis, MNTulsa, OKBakersfield, CAWichita, KSArlington, TXTampa, FLAurora, CONew Orleans, LACleveland, OHHonolulu, HIAnaheim, CAHenderson, NVLexington, KYStockton, CACorpus Christi, TX
The first 24 Atlas cities, alphabetically, and the 60 largest U.S. cities. The Atlas list is read from the database daily; each city link points to its guide or its Atlas hub, re-checked daily.
Questions
This page
Is this a permit guarantee?
No. Buildability is preliminary due-diligence information, not legal advice, an entitlement, a permit, or an official zoning determination. Every tile names its source, and the governing jurisdiction has the final word: verify material findings with it. The method is on the accuracy page.
Why did a source say “No answer”?
Public services time out or have gaps. That factor is left out of the Score. If it is one that can cap the Score, the line under the dial says what the Score assumed without it.
What is a good score?
80 and up is Strong, 60 Viable, 40 Moderate, under 40 Constrained. Read the tiles too: one Watch can matter more than the number.
Building on a property
What can I build on my property?
Start with the governing jurisdiction, official zoning district and overlays, then check permitted uses, setbacks, height, access, utilities and site constraints for your proposed project. Buildability brings available evidence together for a preliminary check; the local authority confirms what is allowed.
Is this lot buildable?
A lot is suitable only in relation to a specific project and its requirements. Check zoning, usable area, access, utilities, hazards and recorded restrictions before committing to a purchase or design; a score alone is not permission to build.
Can I build another home on my property?
A second home may follow different rules depending on whether it is an ADU, duplex or separate primary dwelling. Verify the allowed use, unit count, lot standards, access and utility requirements with the governing jurisdiction before commissioning plans.
What could prevent construction on my property?
Restrictions on the intended use, inadequate access, utility limitations, easements or site hazards can change or prevent a project. Use an early screen to identify open questions, then confirm material issues before paying for detailed plans.
Can I build an ADU on my property?
ADU rules depend on state law, the governing local code, zoning, lot and building conditions, overlays, utilities, and project design. Check the current local sources for the address and verify unresolved requirements with planning staff. More on the ADU page.
How accurate is the preliminary analysis?
Every finding should identify its source and confidence. Federal hazard data can be screened nationally, while local zoning depth varies by jurisdiction. Verify any fact that affects acquisition, design, financing, or construction with the responsible authority or licensed professional. The method is on the accuracy page.
Read your lot.
Nine factors on your address, with sources, in about 20 seconds.
Or a single question: flood zone · zoning · ADU
Free to score · Property Report $99 · Available sources shown