Find Elevation by Address
Enter any address or coordinates to check the elevation above sea level, slope angle, drainage direction, and terrain cross-section profiles. Uses SRTM satellite radar data at approximately 30-meter resolution.
How It Works
Enter an Address
Type any street address, city name, or paste latitude and longitude coordinates. The tool works for any location worldwide.
View 3D Terrain
See elevation extrusions colored by relative height across a 2 km area. Drag to orbit the view and scroll to zoom in or out.
Read the Analysis
Get elevation in meters above sea level, slope angle with drainage direction, and north-south and west-east cross-section profiles.
How to Read Your Elevation Results
Elevation Panel
The elevation value shows the height of the ground surface above mean sea level at your searched address, measured against the EGM96 geoid model. Below the main reading, the range shows the lowest and highest elevation points within the surrounding 2 km grid. Relief is the difference between those two values. A location with 57 meters of relief sits in hilly terrain with significant grade changes. A location with 3 meters of relief is a flat coastal plain or river delta where even small elevation differences affect drainage.
Slope and Drainage Direction
Slope measures how steeply the ground tilts at your location, expressed in degrees. The scale breaks down into five categories: flat (under 1 degree), gentle (1 to 3 degrees, typical for most residential areas), moderate (3 to 8 degrees, a visible grade), steep (8 to 15 degrees, hillside properties), and very steep (above 15 degrees). The interactive 3D slope panel rotates in sync with the map. The blue arrow points in the downhill direction, showing which way water drains away from the property. A flat reading with no arrow means water has no clear drainage path and may pool during heavy rain.
Cross-Section Profiles
The north-south and west-east cross-section charts slice through the terrain in two perpendicular directions, centered on your searched address. The red dot marks your location along each profile. Reading these profiles reveals the shape of the surrounding terrain. If your location sits at the bottom of a V-shape, water from both sides of the transect flows toward you. If you sit on a ridge or high point, water drains away in both directions. A flat line means the terrain is level for the full 2 km span. Pairing both profiles together gives a quick read on whether a property sits in a natural collection area or on elevated ground.
What Is Elevation and How Is It Measured?
Elevation vs. Altitude
Elevation and altitude are related but measure different things. Elevation refers to the height of a point on the Earth’s surface above mean sea level. A building’s elevation is the height of the ground it sits on, not the height of its roof. Altitude refers to the height of an object, such as an aircraft or drone, above the ground or above sea level. When you find the elevation of an address, you are measuring the ground surface, not any structure on it.
How Satellite Elevation Data Works
This tool uses data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), flown aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in February 2000. Over 11 days, two radar antennas separated by a 60-meter mast captured interferometric measurements of the Earth’s surface, producing the first near-global elevation dataset. SRTM covers roughly 80 percent of the planet’s land area between 60 degrees north and 56 degrees south latitude, with a resolution of 1 arc-second (approximately 30 meters per pixel). In open terrain with sparse vegetation, vertical accuracy is within 5 to 10 meters. The radar measures the first surface it encounters, which means readings in densely built areas reflect rooftop and canopy heights rather than bare ground.
Why Elevation Matters for Property Owners
Elevation and Flood Risk
A property’s elevation is the single most important factor in determining its flood exposure. During Hurricane Harvey in 2017, homes elevated 4 feet or more above their surrounding street level avoided damage that destroyed neighboring properties sitting just 1 to 3 feet higher than the road. FEMA defines a Base Flood Elevation (BFE) for each flood zone, representing the water surface height during a 1-percent-annual-chance flood. Your property’s elevation relative to the local BFE determines your flood insurance premium and risk classification. Checking your elevation is the first step in a thorough flood risk assessment, and pairing it with a flood damage calculator translates that elevation gap into a dollar estimate of potential loss.
Slope and Drainage Patterns
Elevation alone does not tell the full story. A property at 20 meters elevation on a 3-degree slope drains very differently than one at the same elevation on flat ground. Flat lots in low-lying areas collect runoff from surrounding higher terrain, especially when municipal storm drains are sized for routine 2-year rainfall events and cannot handle heavier storms. The cross-section profiles on this tool reveal whether a property sits in a natural drainage path or on ground that sheds water in both directions. Understanding slope direction helps explain why some properties flood during heavy rain while neighboring lots at similar elevations stay dry. Pluvial flooding from surface water accumulation is often more damaging in flat, low-relief areas than riverine flooding is on sloped terrain.
Coastal Elevation and Sea Level Rise
Coastal properties at low elevation face compounding risk as sea levels rise. Under IPCC AR6 sea level rise projections, locations below 3 meters elevation along coastlines and tidal rivers will see increasing flood frequency through 2050 and beyond, even under moderate emissions scenarios. A property that currently floods once every 50 years may shift to flooding every 10 years as the baseline water level rises. Checking your coastal elevation against projected sea level changes is essential for long-term property valuation, insurance planning, and adaptation decisions.