This guide is about understanding the response payload from the API. To learn how to obtain a response, see how to invoke the API using its REST endpoint.
Output field definitions
Note: We add new data fields periodically. New fields are typically added to the end but may be added at any point within the file so make sure your code can handle new object properties or even existing fields that are in a different order. The field names will never change.
Jump to:| Field Name | Type | Definition |
|---|---|---|
input_index |
int | The order in which this address was submitted with the others (0 if alone) |
candidate_index |
int | An input address can match multiple valid addresses. This ties the candidates to the input index. (eg. "1 Rosedale Street Baltimore Maryland" will return multiple candidates.) |
addressee |
varchar(50) | Will usually contain a firm name; intended recipient at an address |
delivery_line_1 |
varchar(50) |
Contains the first delivery line (usually the street address). This can
include any of the following:
|
delivery_line_2 |
varchar(50) | The second delivery line (if needed); it is common for this field to remain empty, but it may contain a private mail box number |
last_line |
varchar(50) | City, state, and ZIP code combined |
delivery_point_barcode |
varchar(12) | 12-digit POSTNET™ barcode; consists of 5-digit ZIP code,
4-digit addon code, 2-digit delivery point code,
and 1-digit check digit; whole thing enclosed with leading and
trailing forward slash /
|
components |
[Object] | See "Components" table below |
metadata |
[Object] | See "Metadata" table below |
analysis |
[Object] | See "Analysis" table below |
Components
| Field Name | Type | Definition |
|---|---|---|
urbanization |
varchar(28) | Primarily for Puerto Rican addresses; a very important component which contains area, sector, or development within a geographic area; should be included after the name of the recipient |
primary_number |
varchar(10) | The house, PO box, or building number |
street_name |
varchar(28) | The name of the street |
street_predirection |
char(2) | Directional information before a street name (N, SW, etc.) |
street_postdirection |
char(2) | Directional information after a street name (N, SW, etc.) |
street_suffix |
char(4) | Abbreviated value describing the street (St, Ave, Blvd, etc.) |
secondary_number |
varchar(8) | Apartment or suite number, if any |
secondary_designator |
varchar(4) | Describes location within a complex/building (Ste, Apt, etc.) |
extra_secondary_number |
varchar(8) | Descriptive information about the location of a building within a campus
(eg. E-5 in "5619 Loop 1604, Bldg E-5, Ste. 101 San Antonio TX) |
extra_secondary_designator |
varchar(8) | Description of the location type within a campus (e.g. Bldg, Unit, Lot, etc.) |
pmb_designator |
varchar(3) | Private mail box unit designator (assigned by a CMRA) |
pmb_number |
varchar(8) | The private mail box number, assigned by a CMRA |
city_name |
varchar(28) | The accepted/proper name of the city |
state_abbreviation |
char(2) | The two-letter state abbreviation |
zipcode |
char(5) | The 5-digit ZIP code |
plus4_code |
char(4) | The 4-digit add-on code (more specific than 5-digit ZIP) |
delivery_point |
char(2) | The last two digits of the house/box number unless an "H" record is matched; in which case this is the secondary unit number representing the delivery point information to form the delivery point barcode (DPBC). |
delivery_point_check_digit |
char(1) | Correction character, or check-digit, for the 11-digit barcode |
Metadata
| Field Name | Type | Definition |
|---|---|---|
record_type |
char(1) |
Indicates the type of record that was matched. Only given if a DPV match is made.
F — Firm; the finest level of match available for an address G — General Delivery; for mail to be held at local post offices H — high-rise; address contains apartment or building sub-units P — Post Office box; address is a PO box record type R — Rural Route or Highway Contract; may have box number ranges S — Street; address contains a valid primary number range [blank] — No record type because address did not make a valid DPV match |
county_fips |
char(5) | The 5-digit county FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code; it is a combination of a 2-digit state FIPS code and a 3-digit county code assigned by the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) |
county_name |
varchar(50) | The name of the county the address is in |
carrier_route |
char(4) | The postal carrier route for the address |
congressional_district |
char(2) | The congressional district to which the address belongs pertains. Output will be two digits from 01 - 53 or "AL". "AL" means that the entire state (or territory) is covered by a single congressional district. These include: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota,South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming, Washington DC, Virgin Islands and other territories. |
building_default_indicator |
char(1) | Indicates whether the address is the "default" address for a building; for example, the main lobby |
rdi |
varchar(12) |
Residential Delivery Indicator (residential or commercial).
residential — The address is a residential address commercial — The address is a commercial address unknown — The RDI of the address is currently unknown |
latitude |
decimal(9,6) | The horizontal component used for geographic positioning; it is the angle between 0° (the equator) and ±90° (north or south) at the poles. It is the first value in an ordered pair of (latitude, longitude). A negative number denotes a location below the equator; a positive number is above the equator. Combining lat/lon values enables you to pinpoint addresses on a map. |
longitude |
decimal(9,6) | The vertical component used for geographic positioning; it is the angle between 0° (the Prime Meridian) and ±180° (westward or eastward). It is the second number in an ordered pair of (latitude, longitude). A negative number indicates a location west of Greenwich, England; a positive number east. Combining lat/lon values enables you to pinpoint addresses on a map. |
precision |
varchar(18) |
Indicates the precision of the latitude & longitude values.
Unknown — Coordinates not known, possibly because address is invalid None — Coordinates are not provided for this address. Military addresses such as APO, FPO, and DPO do not provide coordinates. State — Reserved for future use SolutionArea — Reserved for future use City — Reserved for future use Zip5 — Accurate to a 5-digit ZIP code level (least precise) Zip6 — Accurate to a 6-digit ZIP code level Zip7 — Accurate to a 7-digit ZIP code level Zip8 — Accurate to a 8-digit ZIP code level Zip9 — Accurate to a 9-digit ZIP Code level (most precise but NOT rooftop level Structure — Reserved for future use |
Analysis
| Field Name | Type | Definition |
|---|---|---|
dpv_match_code |
varchar(1) |
Status of the Delivery Point Validation (DPV). This lets you know if
the USPS delivers mail to the address.
Y — Confirmed; entire address was DPV confirmed deliverable. N — Not Confirmed; address could not be DPV confirmed as deliverable. S — Confirmed By Dropping Secondary; address was DPV confirmed by dropping secondary info (apartment, suite, etc). D — Confirmed - Missing Secondary Info; The address was DPV confirmed, but it is missing secondary information (apartment, suite, etc). [blank] — The address was not submitted for DPV. This is usually because the address does not have a ZIP code and a +4 addon code, or the address has already been determined to be Not Deliverable. |
dpv_footnotes |
varchar(32) |
Indicates why the address was given its DPV value and potentially the type of
ZIP code that was matched. All these footnotes have a length of 2 characters and
there may be up to 16 footnotes.
AA — ZIP+4 matched; city/state/zip + Street are all valid A1 — ZIP+4 not matched; address is invalid BB — Confirmed entire address; address is valid CC — Confirmed address by dropping secondary (apartment, suite, etc.) information F1 — Matched to military address G1 — Matched to general delivery address M1 — Primary number (e.g. house number) is missing M3 — Primary number (e.g. house number) is invalid N1 — Confirmed with missing secondary information; address is valid but it also needs a secondary number (apartment, suite, etc.) P1 — PO, RR, or HC box number is missing P3 — PO, RR, or HC box number is invalid RR — Confirmed address with private mailbox (PMB) info R1 — Confirmed address without private mailbox (PMB) info U1 — Matched a unique ZIP code Here are some examples:
|
dpv_cmra |
varchar(1) | Indicates whether the address is associated with a Commercial Mail
Receiving Agency (CMRA), also known as a private mailbox (PMB) operator.
A CMRA is a business through which USPS mail may be sent or received,
for example the UPS Store and Mailboxes Etc.
Y — Address is associated with a valid CMRA N — Address is not associated with a valid CMRA [blank] — Address not submitted for CMRA verification |
dpv_vacant |
varchar(1) | Indicates that a delivery point was active in the past,
but is currently vacant (in most cases, unoccupied over 90 days),
and is not receiving deliveries. This status is often obtained
when mail receptacles aren't being emptied and are filling up, so mail
is held at the post office for a certain number of days before being
marked vacant.
Y — Address is vacant N — Address is not vacant [blank] — Address was not submitted for vacancy verification |
active |
varchar(1) | Indicates whether the address is active, or "in-service"
according to the USPS. Examples: New developments may have addresses but will be
"inactive" until somebody moves in. Or, after Hurricane Katrina, addresses in
the affected area were marked as inactive for a time. Residents may also mark
their own mailboxes as inactive for privacy and other reasons.
Y — Address is active N — Address is inactive [blank] — Activity status is not known by the USPS |
ews_match |
string(5) |
Early warning system flag; a positive results indicates the street of
the address is not yet ready for mail delivery and that the address
will soon be added to the master ZIP+4 file in the coming weeks or months.
This commonly occurs for new streets or streets undergoing a name change. The response will be boolean, output as a string.
true — The address was flagged by EWS, preventing a ZIP+4 match false — Address was not flagged by EWS |
footnotes |
varchar(12) |
Indicates which changes were made to the input address.
Footnotes are delimited by a # character.
See the footnotes table below
for details.
|
lacslink_code |
varchar(2) |
The reason for the LACSLink indication that was given (below).
A — Match: Address provided. LACSLink record match, and a converted address was provided. 00 — No Match. No converted address. No soup for you! 09 — Match: No new address. LACSLink matched an input address to an old address, which is a "high-rise default" address; no new address is provided. 14 — Match: No conversion. Found a LACSLink record, but couldn't convert the data to a deliverable address. 92 — Match: Dropped secondary number. LACSLink record matched after dropping the secondary number from input. [blank] — No LACSLink lookup attempted. |
lacslink_indicator |
varchar(1) |
Indicates whether there is an address match in the LACSLink database.
Y — LACS record match; a new address could be furnished because the input record matched to a record in the master file. S — LACS record - secondary number dropped; the record is a ZIP+4 street level or high-rise match. The input record matched to a master file record, but the input address has a secondary number and the master file record did not N — No match; a new address could not be furnished; the input record could not be matched to a record in the master file. F — False positive; a false positive record was detected. [blank] — No LACSLink lookup attempted. |
suitelink_match |
varchar(5) |
Indicates a match (or not) to the USPS SuiteLink data. SuiteLink attempts to provide secondary information such as "suite" or "apartment" whenever there is a match based on address and Firm Name (Company) input.
true — There was a SuiteLink match and the result is provide false — There was no SuiteLink match |
Footnotes
This table describes possible values in the footnotes field from the
analysis object.
(Example addresses may be changed at any time due to the nature of the data.)
| Value | Definition | Details |
|---|---|---|
| A# | ZIP code corrected | The address was found to have a different 5-digit ZIP code than given in the submitted list. The correct ZIP code is shown in the ZIPCode field. (eg. 4800 Fairmount Ave Kansas City MO 64112) |
| B# | City / state spelling corrected | The spelling of the city name and/or state abbreviation in the submitted address was found to be different than the standard spellings. The standard spelling of the city name and state abbreviations are shown in the City and State fields. (eg. 198 Fowler Dr Bowdon, BA 30108) |
| C# | Invalid city / state / ZIP | The ZIP code in the submitted address could not be found because a valid city, state, nor valid 5-digit ZIP code was present. SmartyStreets recommends that the customer check the accuracy of the submitted address. (eg. 198 Fowler Dr Bowdon, BA 30108) |
| D# | No ZIP+4 assigned | This is a record listed by the United States Postal Service as a non-deliverable location. SmartyStreets recommends that the customer check the accuracy of the submitted address. (eg. 2957 N Oakdale Ave Tampa FL 33602) |
| E# | ZIP code assigned for multiple response | Multiple records were returned, but each shares the same 5-digit ZIP code. (eg. 1229 Diana Ln Santa Barbara CA 93103) |
| F# | Address Not Found | The address, exactly as submitted, could not be found in the city, state, or ZIP code provided. SmartyStreets recommends that the customer check the accuracy of the submitted address. (eg. 2600 Rafe Lane Jackson MS 39201) |
| G# | Firm Data Used | Information in the firm line was determined to be a part of the address. It was moved out of the firm line and incorporated into the address line. (eg. 14315 50th Pl N First Union Plymouth, MN 55446) |
| H# | Missing secondary number | ZIP + 4 information indicates that this address is a building. The address as submitted does not contain a secondary (apartment, suite, etc.) number. SmartyStreets recommends that the customer check the accuracy of the submitted address and add the missing secondary number to ensure the correct Delivery Point Barcode (DPBC). (eg. 109 Wimbledon Sq Suite E Chesapeake, VA 23320) |
| I# | Insufficient / incorrect address data | More than one ZIP + 4 Code was found to satisfy the address as submitted. The submitted address did not contain sufficiently compete or correct data to determine a single ZIP + 4 Code. SmartyStreets recommends that the customer check the accuracy and completeness of the submitted address. For example, a street may have a similar address at both the north and south sides of the street. (eg. 8159 119th Ave W Parrish FL 34219) |
| J# | Dual address | The input contained two addresses. For example: 123 MAIN ST PO BOX 99. (eg. PO Box 38606 30th Street Train Station Philadelphia PA 19104) |
| K# | Multiple response due to cardinal rule | CASS rule does not allow a match when the cardinal point of a directional changes more than 90%. (i.e., 100 North Main will not match up with 100 South Main) (eg. 478 West Fork Street Hungry Horse, MT 59919) |
| L# | Address component change | An address component (i.e., directional or suffix only) was added, changed, or deleted in order to achieve a match. (eg. 173 Broadway Salt Lake UT 84101) |
| LL# or LI# |
Address flagged for LACSLink | The input address matched to a record that was LACS-indicated, and that it was submitted to LACSLink for processing. This does not mean that the address was converted; it only means that the address was submitted to LACSLink because the input address had the LACS indicator set. |
| M# | Street name changed | The spelling of the street name was changed in order to achieve a match. (eg. 3308 Fountainviuw Monsey NY) |
| N# | Address standardized | The delivery address was standardized. For example, if STREET was in the delivery address, SmartyStreets will return ST as its standard spelling. (eg. 2438 Brown Ave Knoxville TN 37917) |
| O# | Lowest +4 Tie-Breaker | More than one ZIP+4 Code was found to satisfy the address as submitted. The lowest ZIP +4 addon may be used to break the tie between the records. (eg. RR 2 Box 132 Wolf Summit WV 26426) |
| P# | Better address exists | The delivery address is matchable, but it is known by another (preferred) name. For example, in New York, NY, AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS is also known as 6TH AVE. An inquiry using a delivery address of 39 6th Avenue would be flagged with Footnote P. (eg. 131 Stone Farm Lebanon NH 03766) |
| Q# | Unique ZIP match | Match to an address with a unique ZIP code. (eg. 645 Swick Hill Street Charlotte NC 28263) |
| R# | No match due to EWS | The delivery address is matchable, but the Early Warning System file indicates that an exact match will be available soon. (eg. 499 Studebaker Spur 1 CASTLE ROCK WA 98611) |
| S# | Incorrect secondary address | The secondary information (apartment, suite, etc.) does not match that on the national ZIP + 4 file. The secondary information, although present on the input address, was not valid in the range found on the national ZIP + 4 file. (eg. 8100 Highwood Dr # 45 Bloomington MN 55438) |
| T# | Multiple response due to magnet street syndrome | The search resulted in a single response; however, the record matched was flagged as having magnet street syndrome and the input street name components (pre-directional, primary street name, post-directional, and suffix) did not exactly match those of the record. A “magnet street” is one having a primary street name that is also a suffix or directional word, having either a post-directional or a suffix (i.e., 2220 PARK MEMPHIS TN logically matches to a ZIP + 4 record 2200-2258 PARK AVE MEMPHIS TN 38114-6610), but the input address lacks the suffix “AVE” which is present on the ZIP + 4 record. The primary street name “PARK” is a suffix word. The record has either a suffix or a post-directional present. Therefore, in accordance with CASS requirements, a ZIP + 4 Code must not be returned. The multiple response return code is given since a “no match” would prevent the best candidate. (eg. 84 Green St Northampton MA) |
| U# | Unofficial post office name | The city or post office name in the submitted address is not recognized by the United States Postal Service as an official last line name (preferred city name), and is not acceptable as an alternate name. The preferred city name is included in the City field. (eg. 9894 Bissonnet St #723 Sharpstown TX 77036) |
| V# | Unverifiable city / state | The city and state in the submitted address could not be verified as corresponding to the given 5-digit ZIP code. This comment does not necessarily denote an error; however, SmartyStreets recommends that the customer check the accuracy of city and state in the submitted address. (eg. 173 Broadway Salt Lake UT 84101) |
| W# | Invalid delivery address | The input address record contains a delivery address other than a PO BOX, General Delivery, or Postmaster 5-digit ZIP code that is identified as a “small town default”. The USPS does not provide street delivery service for this ZIP code. The USPS requires use of a PO Box, General Delivery, or Postmaster for delivery within this ZIP code. |
| X# | Unique ZIP code generated | Default match inside a unique ZIP code. (eg. 609 Pheasant Ridge Road Wayne PA 19088) |
| Y# | Military match | Match made to a record with a military ZIP code. (eg. PSC 10 Box 1324 APO AE 09142) |
| Z# | Match made using ZIPMOVE product data | The ZIPMOVE product shows which ZIP + 4 records have moved from one ZIP code to another. If an input address matches to a ZIP + 4 record which the ZIPMOVE product indicates as having moved, the search is performed again in the new ZIP code. (eg. 2600 Tarawa Ct Suite 200 Norfolk VA 23521) |
If you have further questions about any of the output, you may contact us and we'll be happy to help you out.