# environment_characteristics # environment_characteristics Environmental factors and natural-disaster exposure around the property. Environmental factors, natural disaster risks, and surroundings that affect property desirability and safety. The question it answers ## What is this house, physically? The feature vector, taken from the source of record rather than from a listing agent. Assessor and parcel records are authoritative; listing fields are agent-entered, inconsistent between markets, and absent entirely for a property that was never listed. Other classes answering this question ## Why it matters Environmental exposure is priced by insurers before it is priced by buyers, so it reaches a valuation through carrying cost as much as through desirability. ## In practice The class covers surroundings as well as hazards, which is deliberate: proximity to industrial use, noise and air quality are recorded facts about a location in some jurisdictions and are otherwise only visible from a site visit. ## Properties | Property | Type | Definition | | --- | --- | --- | | `source_http_request` | `object` | HTTP request configuration for retrieving this data. | | `request_identifier` | `string | null` | Identifier value that should be substituted into the source HTTP request to retrieve this specific data. | | `fire_zone` | `string | null` | Wildfire risk zone or fire district designation indicating wildfire hazard level and emergency response district. | | `wildfire_risk_level` | `string | null` | Standardized wildfire risk assessment based on vegetation, weather patterns, topography, and fire history. `VeryLow``Low``Moderate``High``VeryHigh``Extreme` | | `air_quality_index` | `string | null` | EPA Air Quality Index category indicating typical air pollution levels for the area. `Good``Moderate``UnhealthyForSensitiveGroups``Unhealthy``VeryUnhealthy``Hazardous` | | `air_quality_compliance` | `boolean` | Whether area is in attainment for all EPA ambient air quality standards. | | `noise_level` | `string | null` | Ambient noise level in the area affecting quality of life and property desirability. `Quiet``Moderate``Busy``Loud` | | `noise_sources` | `array` | Specific sources of noise in the area. | | `light_pollution_level` | `string | null` | Light pollution level affecting night sky visibility and natural darkness. `Dark``Rural``Suburban``Urban` | | `earthquake_zone` | `string | null` | Seismic zone designation or earthquake risk classification for the area. | | `soil_stability` | `string | null` | Soil stability assessment considering factors like erosion, subsidence, and landslide risk. `Stable``Moderate``Unstable``HighRisk` | | `environmental_hazards` | `array` | List of additional environmental hazards present in the area (e.g., 'Radon', 'Industrial Pollution', 'Mining Activity'). | | `flood_risk_level` | `string | null` | Flood risk assessment based on FEMA flood zone data. `Minimal``Low``Moderate``High``Extreme` | | `flood_zone_designation` | `string | null` | FEMA flood zone designation (e.g., 'Zone X', 'Zone AE'). | | `flood_insurance_required` | `boolean` | Whether flood insurance is required for the property. | | `wind_storm_risk` | `string | null` | Wind storm and hurricane risk assessment. `Minimal``Low``Moderate``High``Extreme` | | `hurricane_engineering_compliance` | `boolean` | Whether building is engineered for hurricane winds per current code. | | `radon_risk_level` | `string | null` | Radon gas exposure risk assessment. `Low``Moderate``High``Concern` | | `radon_building_type_assessment` | `string | null` | Radon risk specific to building type (e.g., 'rarely an issue in low-rise wood frame condos'). | | `environmental_surroundings` | `string | null` | Primary environmental setting surrounding the property. `CoastalBeach``Mountains``Desert``Forest``Urban``Suburban``Rural``Industrial` | | `beach_proximity` | `object` | Details about nearby beach access if applicable. | ## Provenance and coverage A record of this class is validated against the same definition whatever jurisdiction it came from, which is what makes two counties comparable without a per-county adapter. A jurisdiction appears below only where a committed configuration serves this class's surface. - Lee, Florida - Palm Beach, Florida - Miami-Dade, Florida - Orange, Florida - Santa Clara, California How a new jurisdiction is brought online