How it works
Methodology
Terrachek composes a property-risk report from official public sources. Every figure in a report links back to its source and shows when it was retrieved.
Sources
Flood zone, Special Flood Hazard Area status (whether flood insurance is federally required), FIRM panel + effective date, and Letters of Map Change at the property point.
Multi-hazard risk ratings for the property's census tract — overall risk plus individual hazards (riverine/coastal flooding, wildfire, hurricane, tornado, heat, and more).
EPA-regulated facilities within a radius of the property, with program (air, water, hazardous waste), compliance status, violations, and enforcement.
Turns an address into coordinates and the county / state / census-tract context the other layers need.
How risk levels are derived
We normalize each source onto a single, deliberately non-alarmist five-level scale — Minimal, Low, Moderate, Elevated, High — so the report reads consistently. Flood severity follows FEMA zone designations (e.g. a Special Flood Hazard Area such as AE or VE reads as Elevated or High; an unmapped/Zone X area reads as Minimal). Natural-hazard severity follows the NRI rating for the tract. Environmental severity reflects the compliance status of nearby facilities (a facility in significant noncompliance raises the level). The overall level is the highest single layer — never an average that hides a real concern.
If a source is unavailable or returns no data, we say so explicitly and never substitute a guess. A layer marked “data unavailable” means we could not retrieve it — not that there is no risk.
What this is — and isn't
A Terrachek report is an informational summary to help you ask better questions. It is not a certified flood determination, not a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, and not insurance, legal, or professional advice. Certified determinations and Phase I ESAs are regulated products provided by licensed professionals — Terrachek is explicitly not that. For any decision with legal or financial weight, consult a licensed professional.