Portland, ME
Cumberland County43.6574°N, 70.2587°W
Tracking 26,233 properties across Portland, Maine — a community where the median home dates to 1940 and the oldest to 1730. Every parcel mapped with building characteristics, environmental exposure, hazard risk, and ownership history assembled from 140+ sources.
26,233
Properties Tracked
1940
Median Year Built
$8K
Median Assessed Value
2%
FEMA Flood Zone
6.57M
NEP Data Facts Tracked
19%
Coastal Zone
Click any parcel to view intelligence
Portland, MEInc. 1632
Portland is Maine's largest city and the economic and cultural center of the state. The city's Old Port — a waterfront district of 19th-century brick buildings repurposed as restaurants, galleries, and shops — is one of the most successful historic preservation stories in New England. Portland's food scene has earned national recognition, and the working waterfront remains active with fishing, ferry service, and marine industry.
For property professionals, Portland is Maine's most complex market. The peninsula — where much of the historic housing and commercial property is concentrated — is geographically constrained, driving density and prices upward. The mainland neighborhoods offer more suburban options. The waterfront brings flood and coastal exposure, and the older housing stock on the peninsula requires attention to building condition and systems in a market where renovation quality significantly affects value.
Risk Profile
FEMA flood zones, fire protection grades, radon, coastal exposure, storm surge — parcel by parcel
FEMA Flood Zones
532 properties (2%) are in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas, where flood insurance is required for federally-backed mortgages.
X
25,701
AE
397
VE
110
AH
16
A
7
AO
2
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
3,547
Grade B
13,132
Grade C
9,016
Grade D
311
Grade E
227
Coastal & Water Exposure
5,077 properties (19%) are within 3 miles of the ocean. 2,008 are classified as waterfront. The closest property is 6 ft from the coastline.
746
SLR 1 ft
Properties affected
789
SLR 3 ft
Properties affected
1,279
SLR 6 ft
Properties affected
2,345
Surge Exposure
Cat 1/2/3/4
738
Estuary
Waterfront
579
Marine
Waterfront
201
Pond
Waterfront
Zone 2
Radon Risk
112 mph
Design Wind Speed
ASCE 7 standard
50 psf
Ground Snow Load
ASCE 7 standard
Very Low
FEMA Risk Index
NRI composite rating
The Property Landscape
26,233 properties · Median year built 1940 · Avg 28,086 sf
Property Types
Single Family
15,262
Condominium
4,874
Two-Family
1,726
Institutional
1,203
Commercial
1,025
Three-Family
931
Other
828
Industrial
141
Agricultural / Open Space
115
Mixed Use
67
Construction by Era
Pre-1800
37
1800-1849
392
1850-1899
2,642
1900-1949
8,828
1950-1979
4,549
1980-1999
3,183
2000+
2,382
Building Permits & Maintenance
54,504 municipal building permits on file · 49% of properties
NE Provenance tracks 54,504 building permits across 12,872 Portland properties — 49% coverage. 8,804 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.
54,504
Permits on File
49%
Coverage
Properties with permits
8,804
Active (5yr)
Recent permit activity
84%
Condition Rated
NEP assessment
Living in Portland
Cumberland County · Maine
Zip Codes04019041010410204103041050410604107041080410904110
VillagesCliff IslandDiamond CoveGreat Diamond IslandHouse IslandLittle Diamond IslandPeaks Island
68,408
Population
2020 Census
26,233
Properties
$8K
Median Assessed
53%
Owner-Occupied
21.5
Square Miles
Portland covers 21.5 square miles in Cumberland County, Maine. The median assessed property value is $8K.
Single-family homes account for 15,262 of Portland's 26,233 properties, with 4,874 condominiums and 2,662 multi-family buildings. There are 1,025 commercial properties and 56 parcels of vacant land. About 53% of properties are owner-occupied, and 10% are owned by someone out of state.
Assessed values range widely — the middle 50% of properties fall between $7K and $8K. For professionals working in this market, the value spread tells you a lot about what you'll encounter door to door.
Most of Portland (93%) is on municipal sewer. Electric service is provided by CENTRAL MAINE POWER CO. 2,128 properties have identified commercial activity — restaurants, retail, professional offices, and services that give Portland its character. 132 properties have swimming pools.
Environmental note: Portland has an average EPA lead paint indicator at the 73th percentile nationally, consistent with 3,071 properties built before 1900 when lead paint was standard. 20,957 properties exceed at least one EPA environmental justice threshold — a factor in lending compliance and environmental due diligence.
What Portland Property Intelligence Means for Professionals
Insurance & Underwriting
With 2% of properties in FEMA flood zones and 19% in the coastal zone, Portland concentrates several major underwriting variables. Parcel-level hazard data provides the granularity that ZIP-level aggregation misses.
Insurance solutionsReal Estate & Appraisal
Portland's 10 property types, spanning construction from 1730 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. 2% of Portland 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
54,504 permits across 49% of properties means most Portland inspection assignments can start with documented renovation and system history, not a blank slate.
Inspection solutionsExplore Portland property intelligence.
26,233 Portland 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/portland-me. For references or attribution, please link back to this page or neprovenance.com. Thank you, we appreciate it.