Portsmouth, NH
Rockingham County43.0751°N, 70.7602°W
Tracking 11,105 properties across Portsmouth, New Hampshire — a community where the median home dates to 1959 and the oldest to 1664. Every parcel mapped with building characteristics, environmental exposure, hazard risk, and ownership history assembled from 140+ sources.
11,105
Properties Tracked
1959
Median Year Built
$706K
Median Assessed Value
5%
FEMA Flood Zone
2.97M
NEP Data Facts Tracked
59%
Coastal Zone
Click any parcel to view intelligence
Portsmouth, NHInc. 1630
Portsmouth is one of the oldest cities in America, with a colonial-era downtown that is widely considered among the finest in New England. The city's position at the mouth of the Piscataqua River — with the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard across the river in Kittery, Maine — has shaped its identity as a maritime and military community. Today, downtown Portsmouth is a cultural destination with restaurants, galleries, theaters, and a walkable streetscape of 18th and 19th century buildings.
For property professionals, Portsmouth is the premium market on the New Hampshire Seacoast — high assessed values, historic preservation requirements, tidal river and coastal flood exposure, and a housing stock that spans from colonial-era homes in the Strawbery Banke district to modern waterfront condominiums. The city's compact geography and density make it the most urban property environment on the Seacoast.
Risk Profile
FEMA flood zones, fire protection grades, radon, coastal exposure, storm surge — parcel by parcel
FEMA Flood Zones
548 properties (5%) are in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas, where flood insurance is required for federally-backed mortgages.
X
10,557
A
340
AE
208
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
1,361
Grade B
4,874
Grade C
4,085
Grade D
621
Grade E
164
Coastal & Water Exposure
6,580 properties (59%) are within 3 miles of the ocean. 2,017 are classified as waterfront. The closest property is 1.1 mi from the coastline.
645
SLR 1 ft
Properties affected
714
SLR 3 ft
Properties affected
1,057
SLR 6 ft
Properties affected
1,243
Surge Exposure
Cat 1/2/3/4
913
Estuary
Waterfront
572
Pond
Waterfront
Zone 1
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
11,105 properties · Median year built 1959 · Avg 3,536 sf
Property Types
Single Family
5,068
Condominium
3,971
Other
486
Multi-Family
465
Commercial
447
Institutional
312
Vacant Land
255
Industrial
78
Residential Other
16
Mixed Use
7
Construction by Era
Pre-1800
203
1800-1849
671
1850-1899
970
1900-1949
2,409
1950-1979
2,133
1980-1999
2,149
2000+
1,931
Architectural Styles
Conventional
1,078
Ranch
1,073
Cape Cod
956
Condominium
917
Colonial
498
Commercial
387
Duplex
274
Apartment
197
Building Permits & Maintenance
35,987 municipal building permits on file · 42% of properties
NE Provenance tracks 35,987 building permits across 4,604 Portsmouth properties — 42% coverage. 2,897 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.
35,987
Permits on File
42%
Coverage
Properties with permits
2,897
Active (5yr)
Recent permit activity
94%
Condition Rated
NEP assessment
Living in Portsmouth
Rockingham County · New Hampshire
Zip Codes0380103870
21,956
Population
2020 Census
11,105
Properties
$706K
Median Assessed
50%
Owner-Occupied
15.7
Square Miles
Portsmouth covers 15.7 square miles in Rockingham County, New Hampshire. The median assessed property value is $706K.
Single-family homes account for 5,068 of Portsmouth's 11,105 properties, with 3,971 condominiums and 465 multi-family buildings. There are 447 commercial properties and 255 parcels of vacant land. About 50% of properties are owner-occupied, and 13% are owned by someone out of state.
Assessed values range widely — the middle 50% of properties fall between $464K and $1.1M, with the highest assessed property at $250.4M. For professionals working in this market, the value spread tells you a lot about what you'll encounter door to door.
Most of Portsmouth (82%) is on municipal sewer, and 88% have public water service. Electric service is provided by UNITIL ENERGY SYSTEMS. 1,062 properties have identified commercial activity — restaurants, retail, professional offices, and services that give Portsmouth its character.
Environmental note: Portsmouth has an average EPA lead paint indicator at the 56th percentile nationally, consistent with 1,844 properties built before 1900 when lead paint was standard. 3,428 properties exceed at least one EPA environmental justice threshold — a factor in lending compliance and environmental due diligence.
What Portsmouth Property Intelligence Means for Professionals
Insurance & Underwriting
With 5% of properties in FEMA flood zones and 59% in the coastal zone, Portsmouth concentrates several major underwriting variables. Parcel-level hazard data provides the granularity that ZIP-level aggregation misses.
Insurance solutionsReal Estate & Appraisal
Portsmouth's 10 property types, spanning construction from 1664 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. 5% of Portsmouth 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
35,987 permits across 42% of properties means most Portsmouth inspection assignments can start with documented renovation and system history, not a blank slate.
Inspection solutionsExplore Portsmouth property intelligence.
11,105 Portsmouth 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/portsmouth-nh. For references or attribution, please link back to this page or neprovenance.com. Thank you, we appreciate it.