Chatham, MA
Barnstable County41.6823°N, 69.9595°W
Tracking 6,184 properties across Chatham, Massachusetts — a community where the median home dates to 1972 and the oldest to 1638. Every parcel mapped with building characteristics, environmental exposure, hazard risk, and ownership history assembled from 140+ sources.
6,184
Properties Tracked
1972
Median Year Built
$538K
Median Assessed Value
15%
FEMA Flood Zone
1.71M
NEP Data Facts Tracked
100%
Coastal Zone
Click any parcel to view intelligence
Chatham, MAInc. 1665
Chatham sits at the elbow of Cape Cod where the peninsula turns north, facing the open Atlantic on its south and east sides. The town is one of the most exposed communities on the Cape — Chatham Light overlooks a coastline that has been dramatically reshaped by erosion, storm breaches, and shifting sandbars. The 1987 breach that created South Beach altered the town's coastal dynamics and remains a defining event in local property history.
The housing stock ranges from the classic sea captain's homes near the village center to waterfront estates along Shore Road and Stage Harbor to more modest year-round residences. For property professionals, Chatham concentrates coastal risk, high property values, and environmental dynamism in a way that makes parcel-level coastal data essential. Properties that were 500 feet from the ocean a decade ago may be significantly closer today.
Risk Profile
FEMA flood zones, fire protection grades, radon, coastal exposure, storm surge — parcel by parcel
FEMA Flood Zones
931 properties (15%) are in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas, where flood insurance is required for federally-backed mortgages.
X
5,253
AE
715
VE
216
Fire Protection Grades
Fire protection grades reflect proximity to fire stations and hydrant infrastructure. Grade affects insurance pricing in every New England state.
Grade A
308
Grade B
1,836
Grade C
3,566
Grade D
383
Grade E
91
Coastal & Water Exposure
6,183 properties (100%) are within 3 miles of the ocean. 1,735 are classified as waterfront. The closest property is 0 ft from the coastline.
770
SLR 1 ft
Properties affected
965
SLR 3 ft
Properties affected
1,303
SLR 6 ft
Properties affected
1,568
Surge Exposure
Cat 1/2/3/4
888
Estuary
Waterfront
255
Pond
Waterfront
168
Lake
Waterfront
Zone 3
Radon Risk
136 mph
Design Wind Speed
ASCE 7 standard
25 psf
Ground Snow Load
ASCE 7 standard
Relatively Moderate
FEMA Risk Index
NRI composite rating
The Property Landscape
6,184 properties · Median year built 1972 · Avg 28,428 sf
Property Types
Single Family
4,603
Institutional
470
Two-Family
362
Commercial
314
Multi-Family
284
Mixed Use
87
Industrial
43
Other
10
Vacant Land
5
Condominium
4
Construction by Era
Pre-1800
34
1800-1849
122
1850-1899
167
1900-1949
699
1950-1979
2,065
1980-1999
1,286
2000+
833
Architectural Styles
Cape Cod
2,017
Ranch
1,076
Colonial
431
Antique
360
Religious School / Hall
178
Condominium
156
Old Style
150
Church / Synagogue
119
Market Activity
Recorded transactions from Barnstable County Registry of Deeds
1
Sales (12 mo)
Arms-length transactions
$317K
Median Sale Price
Past 12 months
22%
Owner-Occupied
24%
Out-of-State Owners
NE Provenance tracks recorded deeds, mortgages, and liens for 100% of Chatham properties. Ownership intelligence includes transaction history, entity detection, portfolio identification, and lien analysis — assembled from public registry records into a single property-level profile.
Building Permits & Maintenance
36,604 municipal building permits on file · 72% of properties
NE Provenance tracks 36,604 building permits across 4,421 Chatham properties — 72% coverage. 3,112 properties have permit activity in the last five years.
Each permit record reveals maintenance decisions: roof replacements, electrical upgrades, kitchen renovations, solar installations. For insurance, lending, and appraisal professionals, permit history is the most objective evidence of property condition available from public records.
36,604
Permits on File
72%
Coverage
Properties with permits
3,112
Active (5yr)
Recent permit activity
84%
Condition Rated
NEP assessment
Living in Chatham
Barnstable County · Massachusetts
Zip Codes026330265002659
6,594
Population
2020 Census
6,184
Properties
$538K
Median Assessed
22%
Owner-Occupied
17.0
Square Miles
Chatham covers 17.0 square miles in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. The median assessed property value is $538K.
Single-family homes account for 4,603 of Chatham's 6,184 properties and 646 multi-family buildings. There are 314 commercial properties. About 22% of properties are owner-occupied, and 24% are owned by someone out of state.
Assessed values range widely — the middle 50% of properties fall between $354K and $1.0M, with the highest assessed property at $44.1M. For professionals working in this market, the value spread tells you a lot about what you'll encounter door to door.
22% of properties are on municipal sewer, with the remainder on private septic systems, and 93% have public water service. Electric service is provided by NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY. 513 properties have identified commercial activity — restaurants, retail, professional offices, and services that give Chatham its character.
What Chatham Property Intelligence Means for Professionals
Insurance & Underwriting
With 15% of properties in FEMA flood zones and 100% in the coastal zone, Chatham concentrates several major underwriting variables. Parcel-level hazard data provides the granularity that ZIP-level aggregation misses.
Insurance solutionsReal Estate & Appraisal
Chatham's 10 property types, spanning construction from 1638 to present, require local market knowledge for accurate comparable selection and valuation. NEP assembles building characteristics, environmental exposure, and condition signals into a single property profile.
Real estate solutionsLending & Title
Collateral assessment requires flood zone verification, environmental screening, and ownership chain validation. 15% of Chatham properties are in SFHAs where flood insurance is a federal lending requirement. NEP provides property-level compliance data from public records.
Lending solutionsInspection & Property Services
36,604 permits across 72% of properties means most Chatham inspection assignments can start with documented renovation and system history, not a blank slate.
Inspection solutionsExplore Chatham property intelligence.
6,184 Chatham properties — each with risk profiles, building data, permit history, and ownership analysis from 140+ sources. Open any property and see the full picture.
Newburyport, MA · Federalist · 3,524 sq ft · 4 bed / 3 bath · Built 1800 · Historic District
NEP Property Intelligence Summary
ConditionC1Fire ClassBFlood ZoneXOwnerIndividualOccupancyOwner-Occupied
Purchased2018 (8yr)Permits11 totalSystems3 updatedLiensClearAssessed$1.6MOcean0.3 mi
EraPre-1940HistoricDesignatedRenovationRecentRadonZone 1
Cite this data
Source: NE Provenance, “Professional Property Intelligence for New England,” neprovenance.com/insights/town/chatham-ma. For references or attribution, please link back to this page or neprovenance.com. Thank you, we appreciate it.