Portland, ME
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.
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.
Fire Protection Grades
Fire protection grades reflect proximity to fire stations and hydrant infrastructure. Grade affects insurance pricing in every New England state.
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.
The Property Landscape
26,233 properties · Median year built 1940 · Avg 28,086 sf
Property Types
Construction by Era
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.
Living in Portland
Cumberland County · Maine
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.
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.