Parcel Maps

Coast and earthquake parcel map check

A quick way to see which map questions to ask before you buy or build near the coast or in a quake zone.

Checklist Last reviewed June 29, 2026

Why it matters

One lot can have extra steps because of the coast, a fault line, soft soil, steep ground, or an old report. Use the maps, then ask the local office.

Directory shelf

Home risk checks

Wildfire, insurance, coast, earthquake, and retrofit checks.

First moves

1
Find the parcel number, the city or county office, and the work you want to do.
2
Check if the parcel sits in the coastal zone.
3
If it does, ask who handles the coastal permit: city, county, or Coastal Commission.
4
Check EQ Zapp for fault zones, soft-soil zones, and landslide zones.
5
If the map line is close, do not guess from a screenshot. Ask the local office or a licensed pro.
6
If you are buying, ask for natural hazard forms and any old soil, fault, coast, or permit reports.

Watch for

1
The coastal map does not approve your project by itself.
2
A building permit and a coastal permit can be two different stops.
3
Alquist-Priolo mostly means surface fault rupture. It does not cover every quake risk.
4
Seismic hazard zones are the soft-soil and landslide maps.
5
Insurance, loans, disclosures, permits, remodels, and new homes can ask this in different ways.
6
Old reports and local files can matter more than a quick map screenshot.

Go deeper

Coastal development permits

A simple first pass before you build, grade, or change use in the coastal zone.

California earthquake fault zones

A practical first stop for Alquist-Priolo fault zones, seismic hazard zones, disclosure, and local planning-office checks before you buy or build.

Directory paths

Keep moving through the directory.

Use the nearby shelf when this is the right lane, or jump back to the full directory if the task changed names.