Environmental Intelligence API · TX + NY

Every layer is a regulation
waiting to trigger.

Most GIS APIs return geometry. TierraLens returns geometry plus the rules that apply to it— Edwards Aquifer WPAPs, Article 24 wetland permits, SEQRA triggers, SOS overlays — structured, queryable, cited.

See it in action curl → tierralens.co/api

What other APIs return

{ "type": "Feature", "geometry": { ... } }

"flood_zone": "AE"

"wetland_type": "PFO1A"

Raw data. No context. You still have to figure out what it means for your project.

What TierraLens returns

"geometry": { ... }

"regulations": [{ "code": "CWA-404", ... }]

"permit_path": "Pre-app → JD → IP"

"citation": "33 U.S.C. §1344"

Geometry + regulations + citations + permit timelines. One call, full regulatory picture.

launch markets

Deep on two states before we go wide

Most “nationwide” GIS APIs stop at federal layers. TierraLens starts there, then goes deep on state stacks that actually break projects — starting with Texas and New York.

Texas

6 layers · 14 feeds

Edwards Aquifer, TCEQ, oil & gas, coastal

›Edwards Aquifer Recharge & Contributing Zones — TCEQ pre-construction WPAP/CZP required before any regulated activity on >1 acre of disturbance.
›No state wetland program — §404 goes straight to USACE (Galveston, Fort Worth, Albuquerque, or Tulsa districts depending on locale).
›TPWD Natural Diversity Database for state-listed species; Karst invertebrate critical habitat (USFWS) is unavoidable in the Austin–San Antonio corridor.
›Railroad Commission jurisdiction over oil & gas, produced water, and pipeline ROW — not TCEQ.

Explore the Texas stack →

New York

6 layers · 15 feeds

Article 24/25 wetlands, SEQRA, ORES, NYC DEP watershed

›Article 24 Freshwater Wetlands — post-2022 amendments dropped the threshold from 12.4 acres to 7.4 acres (Jan 2025) and will drop to all regulated wetlands by 2028, regardless of size.
›Article 25 Tidal Wetlands — NYC, Long Island, Westchester: separate 300-ft adjacent area permit regime.
›SEQRA (6 NYCRR Part 617) wraps every discretionary approval — Type I actions presume significance and require a full EAF/EIS.
›Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) replaces Article 10 for wind/solar >25 MW with a 1-year shot clock.

Explore the New York stack →

Next up: CA, FL, CO · vote in the waitlist form.

Toggle a layer. See what triggers.

Each data layer carries its regulatory context. Pick a launch state to see real layers and citations — not Lorem Ipsum.

Jurisdiction

Data Layers · Texas

2 regulations triggered across 1 active layer

Loading map…

Triggered Regulations

30.2672°N, 97.7431°W — Austin, TX 78745

TX-EAPP-WPAP

highTexas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)

Water Pollution Abatement Plan (Recharge Zone)

Any construction activity disturbing ≥1 acre on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone requires a TCEQ-approved WPAP before ground-breaking. Covers BMPs, sealing of sensitive features (caves, fractures, sinkholes), and post-construction water-quality controls.

Triggered by: Parcel overlaps Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone — Barton Springs segment

Citation: 30 TAC §213.5

Permit path: WPAP application → geologic assessment → TCEQ review (60–120 days) → pre-construction inspection

TX-SOS

highCity of Austin Watershed Protection

Austin Save Our Springs Ordinance

Impervious cover cap of 15–25% and net-zero increase in pollutant loading inside the Barton Springs Zone. Stricter than state rules.

Triggered by: Parcel inside Barton Springs Zone with proposed IC > 15%

Citation: Austin City Code §25-8-511

Permit path: SOS water-quality plan → Watershed Protection review → City Council variance if above cap

One call. Full regulatory picture.

Send coordinates + state, get back every triggered regulation with citations, risk levels, and permit timelines. Structured JSON, not a PDF.

Jurisdiction

Request — Texas

curl -X POST https://api.tierralens.co/v1/screen \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer tl_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "state": "TX",
    "lat": 30.2672,
    "lng": -97.7431,
    "layers": ["edwards", "karst", "tpdes"],
    "include_regulations": true,
    "include_permit_paths": true
  }'

Response200 OK · 1.2s

{
  "state": "TX",
  "parcel": {
    "lat": 30.2672,
    "lng": -97.7431,
    "address": "South MoPac corridor, Austin, TX 78745",
    "acreage": 38.6,
    "zoning": "SF-2 w/ SOS overlay (Drinking Water Protection Zone)"
  },
  "layers_triggered": 5,
  "regulations_triggered": 6,
  "results": [
    {
      "code": "TX-EAPP-WPAP",
      "title": "Water Pollution Abatement Plan (Recharge Zone)",
      "authority": "Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)",
      "citation": "30 TAC §213.5",
      "risk": "high"
    },
    {
      "code": "TX-SOS",
      "title": "Austin Save Our Springs Ordinance",
      "authority": "City of Austin Watershed Protection",
      "citation": "Austin City Code §25-8-511",
      "risk": "high"
    },
    {
      "code": "ESA-7-KARST",
      "title": "ESA §7 — Karst Invertebrates",
      "authority": "USFWS Austin Ecological Services",
      "citation": "16 U.S.C. §1536; 50 CFR §17",
      "risk": "high"
    },
    {
      "code": "TX-TXR150000",
      "title": "TPDES Construction General Permit",
      "authority": "TCEQ (EPA-delegated NPDES)",
      "citation": "30 TAC §305 (TXR150000)",
      "risk": "medium"
    },
    {
      "code": "TX-RRC-SWR32",
      "title": "Statewide Rule 32 — Flaring & Venting",
      "authority": "Texas Railroad Commission",
      "citation": "16 TAC §3.32",
      "risk": "low"
    },
    {
      "code": "TX-CMP",
      "title": "Coastal Management Program Consistency",
      "authority": "Texas GLO + NOAA",
      "citation": "31 TAC §501; 16 U.S.C. §1456",
      "risk": "low"
    }
  ]
}

<3s

Response time

Launch states (TX · NY)

$35

Per full screening report

why api-first

Report-first tools generate documents. TierraLens returns data.

The incumbent pattern — Transect, Urbint, EPIC — is a generated PDF with a viewer. That's useful. It's also a dead end when you want to embed environmental intelligence inside your own product, underwrite portfolios at scale, or diff regulations across revisions.

Dimension	Report-first SaaS	TierraLens API
Output	PDF (or a PDF with an online viewer)	Structured JSON — every regulation, citation, and timeline as data
Latency	Minutes to hours, often with staff review	<3s per parcel, programmatic
Pricing	Enterprise seats + usage minimums	$35/report · cost + 15% for API access
Citations	Paraphrased regulatory narrative	Statute, rule, and agency portal URLs attached per rule
Shape of the data	One layer per page, human-readable	Regulations as first-class objects — joinable, filterable, versioned
Integration	Email → upload to DMS → copy into memo	curl · MCP · webhooks — wired into your stack

We love a good PDF. We also think regulations belong in your database.

Authoritative feeds, by jurisdiction

Federal baselines stay constant — the state stack changes everything. Here's what Texas actually requires.

Jurisdiction

Federal

USFWS NWI

Wetlands

Quarterly

FEMA NFHL

Flood Zones

Monthly

USFWS Critical Habitat

Species

Weekly

EPA WATERS

Waterways

Quarterly

USDA SSURGO

Soils

Quarterly

NPS NRHP

Cultural

Monthly

EPA Brownfields

Contamination

Weekly

State

TCEQ Edwards Aquifer

Aquifer Protection

Monthly

TPWD Natural Diversity DB

State Species

Quarterly

TCEQ STEERS

Permits / Stormwater

Daily

RRC GIS

Oil & Gas

Weekly

GLO CMP

Coastal Zone

Annual

THC Atlas

Historic / Archaeology

Quarterly

Local

Austin COA GIS

Local Zoning / SOS

Weekly

Volume pricing, not enterprise gatekeeping

Environmental screening shouldn't cost $250–500 per report. TierraLens prices at 15% above data cost — a volume play, not a margin play.

Single Report

$35/report

Full environmental screening with all layers, regulations, and permit paths.

All 14+ data layers
Full regulatory citations
Permit path timelines
PDF + JSON export

for builders

API Access

cost+ 15%

Programmatic access at near-cost. Build environmental intelligence into your product.

REST + MCP endpoints
Structured JSON responses
Regulation-as-layer schema
Webhook notifications

Community

Contribute

Local environmental intel earns API credits. Like a bug bounty for regulatory data.

Submit local ordinances
Verify regulation updates
Earn API credits
Community leaderboard

FAQ

Questions we get asked

Because two states done well beats fifty states done badly. The regulations that actually break projects — Edwards Aquifer WPAPs, SOS, SEQRA, NYC DEP Watershed, Article 24 thresholds — have to be modeled by someone who's read the statute. We're doing that work, state by state. CA, FL, and CO are next.

early access

Get on the waitlist

API access rolls out in batches. Drop your email and we'll send a key when your slot opens.

Every layer is a regulationwaiting to trigger.

Deep on two states before we go wide

Texas

New York

Toggle a layer. See what triggers.

Water Pollution Abatement Plan (Recharge Zone)

Austin Save Our Springs Ordinance

One call. Full regulatory picture.

Report-first tools generate documents. TierraLens returns data.

Authoritative feeds, by jurisdiction

Federal

State

Local

Volume pricing, not enterprise gatekeeping

Questions we get asked

Get on the waitlist

Every layer is a regulation
waiting to trigger.