Research Guides: Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers: Fire Insurance Plans &amp; Maps

Fire Insurance Maps

Fire insurance maps provide information on building footprints, building use (e.g., residential, commercial, industrial, etc.), building materials, building height, street names and addresses, property boundaries, location of water mains and fire hydrants, and more.

Fire Insurance Maps: North America

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps (Library of Congress)
Fire insurance maps released by the Sanborn Map Company from the late 19th century to mid-20th century. Coverage includes the United States and limited coverage of Canada, Mexico, and Cuba.
Fire Insurance Plans for Canada (Library and Archives Canada)
Fire insurance plans for Canadian cities. Coverage from 1870-1969.

Fire Insurance Maps: Middle East

Fire Insurance Maps of Turkey by Pervititch (SALT Research)
Collection of fire insurance maps created by Jacques Pervititch. Coverage dates range from 1929-1945.
Goad Fire Insurance Maps for Egypt (Harvard Map Library)
Fire insurance maps for Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt. Coverage from 1898-1905.
Maps and plans of Alexandria (Gallica)
Collection of maps and plans of Alexandria, Egypt, including fire insurance plans by Goad and others.

Fire Insurance Maps: Europe

Goad Fire Insurance Maps & Plans
British Library's collection of Goad fire insurance maps of the British Isles. Publication dates range from 1886 to 1930.
Charles Goad Fire Insurance Plans of Scottish Towns, 1880s-1940s
National Library of Scotland's collection of Goad fire insurance maps. Coverage includes Campbeltown, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Greenock, Leith, and Paisley.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map Keys

Black & White Sanborn Maps Key
For use with black and white copies of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps.
Sanborn Keys & Colors (Library of Congress)
For use with color-coded Sanborn Fire Insurance maps.
How to Read a Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
Story map by Clint Tomlinson (Ohio State University Libraries) on how to interpret Sanborn fire insurance maps.