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Terms of Service

Effective March 20, 2026 · Last Updated October 19, 2026

These Terms of Service ("Terms" or "Agreement") govern your access to and use of the ZIP-Codes.com API platform, including the API, documentation, customer portal, and all related tools and services (collectively, the "Service"). By creating an Account, accessing the API, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service.

If you are accepting these Terms on behalf of a company or other legal entity, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms, and "Customer" or "You" refers to that entity.

1. Definitions

1.1 "Agreement" means these Terms of Service, together with the Privacy Policy, Service Level Agreement (if applicable), any Order Forms, and any supplemental terms incorporated by reference.
1.2 "API" means the ZIP-Codes.com application programming interface, including all endpoints, methods, protocols, and tools made available by ZIP-Codes.com for programmatic access to the Service.
1.3 "API Key" means the unique authentication credential issued to Customer for accessing the API. Each API Key is associated with a single Account and is subject to the usage limits of the applicable plan or purchase.
1.4 "Account" means the registered account created by Customer on the ZIP-Codes.com platform, through which Customer manages API Keys, billing, usage, and account settings.
1.5 "Authorized User" means any individual who is permitted by Customer to access or use the Service under Customer's Account. Customer is responsible for the acts and omissions of all Authorized Users as if they were Customer's own.
1.6 "Customer" or "You" means the individual or legal entity that registers for an Account and agrees to this Agreement. If you are accepting this Agreement on behalf of a company or other legal entity, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that entity.
1.7 "Customer Data" means data submitted to the Service by Customer or its Authorized Users in the course of using the API, including search queries, input parameters, ZIP codes, addresses, coordinates, and configuration options. Customer Data does not include Output Data.
1.8 "Documentation" means the API reference documentation, integration guides, endpoint specifications, code examples, and other technical materials made available by ZIP-Codes.com at its documentation site or within the Service, as updated from time to time.
1.9 "Enrichment" means an optional data module that Customer may enable on a per-request basis to receive additional data fields in API responses. Enrichments include, but are not limited to, ACS demographic data, ACS social data, ACS economic data, ACS housing data, census boundaries, congressional districts, state legislative districts, school districts, timezone data, demographics, and Medicare data. Each enabled Enrichment affects the credit cost of a request as described in the Documentation.
1.10 "Free Tier" means the complimentary daily allocation of API Credits made available to Customers at no charge, subject to the rate limits, usage caps, attribution requirements, and other restrictions described in these Terms and the Documentation.
1.11 "Credit" means a single billable unit of API usage. The number of Credits consumed by a request depends on the endpoint, parameters, and Enrichments used, as described in the Documentation.
1.12 "Credit Pack" means a one-time, prepaid purchase of a fixed quantity of API credits, which are applied to Customer's Account and consumed as Customer uses the API. Credit Pack credits do not expire.
1.13 "Order Form" means any ordering document, online purchase flow, or subscription selection through which Customer selects a plan, Credit Pack, or other paid Service offering.
1.14 "Output Data" or "API Results" means the data, results, and responses returned by the API in response to Customer's requests, including geographic data, demographic data, boundary data, distance calculations, and any other information delivered through the Service.
1.15 "Service" means the ZIP-Codes.com API platform, including the API, Documentation, customer portal, and all related tools and features made available by ZIP-Codes.com.
1.16 "Subscription" means a recurring monthly plan (such as Developer, Professional, or Business) that provides Customer with a monthly allocation of Credits and access to plan-specific features and rate limits. Subscriptions renew automatically each billing cycle unless cancelled.
1.17 "ZIP-Codes.com," "we," "us," or "our" means ZIP-Codes.com and its operators, the provider of the Service.
1.18 "Perishable Snapshot" means the condition of any Output Data at the moment it is returned by the API. All Output Data reflects a point-in-time state of inherently dynamic information. Geographic boundaries, ZIP code assignments, demographic figures, census data, and related data change continuously. The accuracy and relevance of Output Data degrades over time from the moment of delivery. Customer assumes all risk associated with the use, storage, or reliance upon Output Data of any age.
1.19 "AI Derivative Use" means any use of Output Data to train, fine-tune, distill, prompt-engineer, or otherwise improve a machine learning model; to generate embeddings or vector representations for storage in a vector database, semantic search index, knowledge base, or retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) system; or to populate, seed, or augment any AI system, large language model, or automated inference pipeline, whether for internal or external use. AI Derivative Use does not include Transient AI Use as defined in Section 3.5(b).
1.20 "AI Agent" means software, including an AI model, assistant, or autonomous agent, that acts on behalf of a Customer, with or without human review of each action.

2. License Grant

2.1 Grant of License. Subject to Customer's compliance with this Agreement and payment of all applicable fees, ZIP-Codes.com grants Customer a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service and API during the term of this Agreement, solely in accordance with the Documentation.
2.2 Scope of Use. The license permits Customer to use the Service and integrate the API into Customer's own applications, products, and internal systems for Customer's internal business purposes. "Internal business purposes" includes using Output Data within Customer's own products and services delivered to Customer's end users, provided that Customer does not make raw, unprocessed API Results available to third parties as a standalone dataset or data feed.
2.3 Storage of Output Data. Customer may store, cache, and retain Output Data indefinitely. There are no time-based caching restrictions. However, all Output Data is a Perishable Snapshot. The accuracy and relevance of cached Output Data degrades over time. ZIP-Codes.com bears no liability for any outcome, decision, or damage arising from reliance on Output Data of any age. Customer is solely responsible for determining appropriate data refresh intervals for their use case. The United States Postal Service processes over 100,000 changes to ZIP+4 records each month. Census and boundary data is revised on regular government publication cycles. Demographic figures are updated periodically and may lag current conditions significantly. Cached Output Data degrades in accuracy the longer it is retained without refresh. ZIP-Codes.com is not responsible for any outcomes, decisions, losses, or damages arising from reliance on Output Data of any age, whether cached for one day or several years. Customer assumes full responsibility for determining appropriate data refresh strategies for their specific use case and bears all risk of decisions made on stored Output Data.

2.4 Restrictions on Redistribution

Customer shall not, directly or indirectly:

  1. sublicense, resell, rent, lease, or otherwise redistribute access to the API or the Service to any third party;
  2. make raw API Results available to third parties as a standalone data product, database, or data feed, whether for free or for a fee;
  3. use the API to build, operate, or contribute to a service that is substantially similar to or competitive with the Service; or
  4. use the API on behalf of or for the primary benefit of any third party, except as part of Customer's own application or product that adds substantial independent value beyond the Output Data itself.

2.5 Safe Harbor Uses

The following uses are expressly permitted under this Agreement and shall not be construed as competitive with the Service under Section 3.2:

  1. store locator and branch finder features within Customer's own applications;
  2. address validation or ZIP code verification at customer checkout or point-of-entry;
  3. shipping cost calculation, delivery zone determination, and logistics routing within Customer's own systems;
  4. internal business analytics, reporting, and territory planning using Output Data; and
  5. demographic or geographic enrichment of Customer's own customer or product records for internal use.

This list is illustrative and not exhaustive.

2.6 Attribution — Paid Plans. Customers on any paid Subscription or who have purchased a Credit Pack are not required to provide attribution to ZIP-Codes.com in their applications or outputs.
2.7 Attribution — Free Tier. Customers using the Service exclusively under the Free Tier must include a visible "Powered by ZIP-Codes.com" attribution (text or logo) in any application, website, report, or other output that displays Output Data to end users. The attribution must include a hyperlink to https://www.zip-codes.com where the medium supports it. Attribution requirements cease upon purchase of any paid Subscription or Credit Pack.
2.8 API Key Restrictions. Customer shall not share, publish, or expose API Keys in publicly accessible code repositories, client-side source code, or any location where they may be accessed by unauthorized parties. Customer is solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of its API Keys and for all usage that occurs under them, whether or not authorized by Customer.
2.9 No Other Rights. Except for the limited license expressly granted in this Section 2, no other rights or licenses are granted to Customer, whether by implication, estoppel, or otherwise. All rights not expressly granted are reserved by ZIP-Codes.com.

3. Acceptable Use Policy

3.1 Permitted Use. You may access and use the Service solely in accordance with these Terms, the applicable Documentation, and the usage limits of your plan.

3.2 Prohibited Activities

You agree not to, and will not permit any third party to:

  1. Reverse Engineering. Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, decode, or otherwise attempt to derive the source code, algorithms, data models, or underlying structure of the Service or any component thereof.
  2. Circumvention of Controls. Circumvent, disable, or interfere with any rate limits, usage quotas, authentication mechanisms, security measures, or other technical restrictions imposed by the Service.
  3. Competitive Product Development. Use the Service to build, develop, or operate a product or service whose primary value to end users is the delivery of ZIP code data, geocoding, address validation, postal enrichment, distance calculation, or geographic data — i.e., where the Output Data itself constitutes the core offering rather than a supporting feature. This prohibition does not apply to uses identified in the Safe Harbor list in Section 2.5, to Customer's internal evaluation of the Service for procurement purposes, or to integration and performance testing of Customer's own applications.
  4. Systematic Data Extraction. Scrape, crawl, spider, harvest, or systematically extract data from the Service beyond the scope of normal, authorized API usage.
  5. Unauthorized Redistribution. Resell, sublicense, redistribute, white-label, syndicate, or otherwise make available API access or raw API results to third parties without our prior written consent.
  6. Mailing List Construction. Use the Service to construct, compile, augment, or verify mailing lists, address databases, or contact directories for commercial distribution, direct marketing campaigns, or sale to third parties.
  7. API Key Sharing. Share, publish, distribute, or otherwise disclose your API keys, authentication credentials, or account access to any unauthorized individual or entity.
  8. Excessive or Abusive Requests. Send automated requests at a volume, frequency, or pattern designed to degrade, disrupt, or impair the performance, availability, or integrity of the Service or its underlying infrastructure.
  9. Impersonation. Impersonate any person or entity, falsify or misrepresent your identity or organizational affiliation, or use another Customer's account or API keys without authorization.
  10. Illegal Use. Use the Service for any purpose that is unlawful, fraudulent, or prohibited by applicable law or regulation.
  11. AI Derivative Use. Engage in any AI Derivative Use of Output Data without a current Enterprise license that expressly permits such use. This prohibition applies regardless of whether the resulting model, embedding, or system is used internally or made available to third parties, and regardless of whether the AI Derivative Use is commercial or non-commercial in nature.

3.3 Enforcement

We reserve the right to monitor usage of the Service for compliance with this Acceptable Use Policy. If we determine, in our sole discretion, that you have violated any provision of this Section 3, we may without prior notice and without liability:

  1. throttle or restrict your access to the Service;
  2. suspend your Account and all associated API Keys;
  3. terminate your Account in accordance with Section 9; or
  4. pursue any other remedies available to us under these Terms or at law.

Suspension or throttling does not relieve you of your payment obligations for the remainder of any applicable billing period.

3.4 Reporting Violations. If you become aware of any violation of this Acceptable Use Policy, you agree to promptly notify us at abuse@zip-codes.com.

3.5 Authorized AI Agent Use

  1. Agents Act for Customer. Customer may use the Service through AI Agents. Anything an AI Agent does with Customer's Account or API Keys, including requests, purchases, acceptance of these Terms, and account changes, is done by Customer, binds Customer as if Customer had done it, and is subject to this Agreement. Customer represents that each AI Agent it uses acts within the authority Customer has given it.
  2. Transient AI Use. Customer and its AI Agents may place Output Data in the context of an AI model to answer a request, carry out a task, or produce a response for Customer or Customer's end users, without retaining Output Data in the model or in any index or store ("Transient AI Use"). Transient AI Use is not AI Derivative Use. It does not permit training, fine-tuning, or distillation; embeddings, vector databases, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) indexes, or knowledge bases built from Output Data; or any other AI Derivative Use, which requires an Enterprise license (Section 3.2(k)).
  3. Accounts and Purchases. Where the Service makes it available, an AI Agent may create an Account, accept these Terms, and purchase Subscriptions or Credit Packs on behalf of the individual or entity it represents, who is then the Customer. An Account so created is that Customer's one Account (Section 19.6), and creating Accounts through AI Agents to obtain additional Free Tier allocations is Account Stacking (Section 9.7). Purchases made by an AI Agent are Customer's purchases and are subject to Section 4, including Section 4.7. That an AI Agent exceeded its instructions is not a ground for a refund or chargeback.
  4. Responsibility. Customer is responsible for its AI Agents' activity, including their handling of API Keys (Sections 2.8 and 19), their compliance with rate limits and this Acceptable Use Policy, and any decision made with Output Data (Sections 5 and 18). An AI Agent must not misrepresent the identity of the person or entity it acts for.
  5. No Expansion. Nothing in this Section 3.5 expands the license in Sections 2 and 13 or limits Sections 2.4 and 13.3.

4. Fees, Payment, and Billing

4.1 Subscription Plans. ZIP-Codes.com offers paid subscription plans at the prices published on our website. Subscription fees are billed monthly in advance on the calendar anniversary of your initial subscription date.
4.2 Credit Packs. We offer prepaid Credit Packs as one-time purchases. Credit Packs are credited to your Account upon purchase and do not expire.
4.3 Currency. All fees are denominated in United States Dollars (USD).
4.4 Payment Processing. All payments are processed through our third-party payment processor, Stripe, Inc. By subscribing or purchasing, you agree to maintain a valid payment method on file and authorize us to charge it for all fees incurred.
4.5 Failed Payments. If a payment fails, we will make reasonable attempts to notify you and collect the outstanding balance. If payment remains uncollected after no less than seven (7) calendar days, we may suspend or restrict access to the Service.
4.6 Non-Refundable Fees. All fees are non-refundable except as expressly set forth herein or as required by applicable law. We may, at our sole discretion, issue refunds or account credits on a case-by-case basis.
4.7 Credit Packs — No Refunds. Credit Pack purchases are final and non-refundable. Because Credit Packs are credited immediately upon purchase, no refund, return, or chargeback will be honored except as required by applicable law.
4.8 Subscription Termination Credit. If we terminate your Subscription without cause, we may, at our sole discretion, issue a pro-rata account credit for the unused portion of your then-current billing period.
4.9 Taxes. All fees are exclusive of applicable taxes.
4.10 No Rollover. Unused monthly Subscription Credits do not roll over to subsequent billing periods. Credit Packs are not subject to this provision and persist until consumed.
4.11 Auto-Renewal. Subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing period at the then-current rate unless cancelled. You may cancel at any time through your Account settings; cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period.

5. Data Accuracy and Disclaimers

5.1 Informational Purposes Only. All geographic, demographic, census, boundary, distance, and related data returned by the Service is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional, legal, financial, regulatory, or compliance advice.
5.2 No Guarantee of Accuracy. ZIP-Codes.com does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, reliability, availability, or fitness for any particular purpose of any data returned by the Service.
5.3 Third-Party Data Sources. Data is compiled from multiple third-party sources, including government agencies, commercial data providers, and public records. ZIP-Codes.com does not control these sources and is not responsible for their accuracy or availability.
5.4 Data Changes Over Time. Geographic and demographic data is inherently dynamic. ZIP code assignments, boundaries, demographics, and census figures change over time. Data reflects a point-in-time snapshot and may not reflect the most recent changes.
5.5 No Reliance for Critical Decisions. Data should not be used as the sole or primary basis for legal, financial, regulatory, compliance, medical, insurance, real estate, or other consequential decisions. Customers requiring authoritative data for such purposes should verify against official government sources.
5.6 Customer Responsibility. Customer is solely responsible for evaluating the suitability of data for their intended use case and for any decisions made in reliance on it.

6. Warranty Disclaimer

6.1 The Service, API, Documentation, Output Data, and all other materials provided by ZIP-Codes.com are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, ZIP-Codes.com disclaims all warranties, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, title, accuracy, reliability, completeness, and any warranties arising from course of dealing, usage, or trade practice.
6.2 No Warranty of Availability. ZIP-Codes.com does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, timely, error-free, or secure, or that any defects will be corrected.
6.3 No Warranty of Data Accuracy. ZIP-Codes.com does not warrant that any data provided through the Service will be accurate, complete, current, or free of errors.
6.4 No Warranty of Suitability. ZIP-Codes.com does not warrant that the Service will meet Customer's specific requirements, achieve any particular results, or be compatible with any particular software, system, or hardware configuration.
6.5 Beta and Preview Features. Features designated as "beta," "preview," "experimental," or similar carry no warranties whatsoever, may be changed or discontinued at any time, and should not be used in production environments.
6.6 Scope of Disclaimer. These disclaimers apply to all aspects of the Service, including the API, Output Data, Documentation, customer portal, support, and any third-party components or integrations.
6.7 Jurisdictional Variations. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties. In such jurisdictions, these disclaimers apply to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

7. Limitation of Liability

7.1 Cap on Aggregate Liability. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the total aggregate liability of ZIP-Codes.com arising out of or related to this Agreement or the Service shall not exceed the lesser of (a) ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or (b) the total fees actually paid by Customer to ZIP-Codes.com during the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.
7.2 Free Tier Liability Cap. For Customers using the Service exclusively under the Free Tier or during any free trial period, ZIP-Codes.com's total aggregate liability shall not exceed zero dollars ($0.00).
7.3 Exclusion of Consequential Damages. In no event shall ZIP-Codes.com be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary damages of any kind, including but not limited to damages for lost profits, lost revenue, lost savings, loss of data, loss of goodwill, business interruption, cost of procurement of substitute goods or services, or any other commercial damages or losses, however caused and regardless of the theory of liability.
7.4 Application Regardless of Foreseeability. The limitations in Sections 7.1 through 7.3 apply regardless of the form of action, even if ZIP-Codes.com has been advised of the possibility of such damages, and even if Customer's exclusive remedies fail of their essential purpose.
7.5 Fundamental Basis. Customer acknowledges that the limitations of liability in this Section 7 are a fundamental element of the bargain between the parties, and that ZIP-Codes.com has set its fees in reliance upon these limitations.
7.6 Jurisdictional Variations. Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages. In such jurisdictions, these limitations apply to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

8. Indemnification

8.1 Customer Indemnification Obligation

Customer agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless ZIP-Codes.com and its officers, directors, employees, agents, contractors, licensors, successors, and assigns from and against any and all third-party claims and all related losses, liabilities, damages, judgments, settlements, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to:

  1. Customer's use or misuse of the Service, the API, or any Output Data;
  2. any application, product, or system that Customer builds or operates using the API or Output Data;
  3. Customer's breach of any provision of this Agreement;
  4. Customer's violation of any applicable law or third-party right;
  5. Customer's redistribution of Output Data or API access in violation of this Agreement; or
  6. any claim that Customer Data infringes or violates any third-party intellectual property, privacy, or proprietary right.
8.2 Indemnification Procedure. ZIP-Codes.com will provide prompt written notice of any claim. Customer shall assume sole control of the defense and settlement at Customer's expense. ZIP-Codes.com may participate in the defense at its own expense.
8.3 Settlement Restrictions. Customer shall not settle any claim without ZIP-Codes.com's prior written consent if the settlement imposes any obligation on ZIP-Codes.com, requires an admission of fault, or does not include a full release of all indemnified parties.
8.4 Cooperation. ZIP-Codes.com will reasonably cooperate with Customer in the defense of any claim at Customer's expense.

9. Term and Termination

9.1 Term. This Agreement becomes effective upon Customer's creation of an Account and continues until terminated by either party.
9.2 Customer Termination. Customer may cancel its Subscription at any time through the account dashboard. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. No pro-rated refunds will be issued.
9.3 Termination for Cause. ZIP-Codes.com may suspend or terminate this Agreement if Customer commits a material breach and fails to cure within thirty (30) days after receiving written notice. For purposes of this Agreement, "material breach" includes without limitation: failure to pay fees when due; violation of the Acceptable Use Policy (Section 3); unauthorized redistribution of API access or Output Data; AI Derivative Use without an Enterprise license; Account Stacking (as defined below); and use of the Service in a manner that poses a security risk to ZIP-Codes.com or other customers. This list is illustrative and not exhaustive.

9.4 Immediate Suspension or Termination

9.4(a) Discretionary Cure for Non-Security Violations. For violations under this Section 9.4 that do not pose an imminent security threat, risk of harm, or degradation of service to other customers, ZIP-Codes.com will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide Customer with twenty-four (24) hours' written notice and an opportunity to cure before suspension or termination is imposed. This cure opportunity is entirely at ZIP-Codes.com's discretion and does not apply to violations under items (b) through (f) below where immediate action is warranted.

Notwithstanding Section 9.3, ZIP-Codes.com may immediately suspend or terminate Customer's access, without notice and without a cure period, if:

  1. Customer violates the Acceptable Use Policy;
  2. Customer's payment remains outstanding for more than ten (10) days after written notice;
  3. Customer's use of the Service poses a security threat or risk of harm;
  4. ZIP-Codes.com reasonably suspects fraud or unauthorized use;
  5. required to comply with applicable law, regulation, or court order; or
  6. Customer's use subjects ZIP-Codes.com to liability.
9.5 Termination for Convenience. ZIP-Codes.com may terminate this Agreement for any reason by providing at least thirty (30) days' prior written notice.

9.6 Effect of Termination

Upon termination or expiration of this Agreement:

  1. all rights and licenses granted to Customer cease immediately, except as provided in subsection (d);
  2. Customer must immediately cease all use of the Service and the API;
  3. Customer must delete or disable all API Keys;
  4. Customer may retain copies of Output Data previously obtained, subject to the data use rights in Sections 2 and 13; however, Customer must delete or destroy any cached Output Data within ninety (90) days following termination if Customer does not have a continuing lawful basis for retention; and
  5. any outstanding fees become immediately due and payable.
9.7 Account Stacking. "Account Stacking" means the creation or use of multiple Accounts by the same individual, organization, or affiliated group of entities for the purpose of circumventing usage limits, rate limits, or Free Tier restrictions. Account Stacking constitutes a material breach of this Agreement. Upon discovery of Account Stacking, ZIP-Codes.com may, at its sole discretion and without prior notice: (a) immediately terminate all stacked Accounts; (b) merge stacked Accounts into a single Account, applying any paid balances and voiding duplicative credits; or (c) suspend all associated API Keys pending review. No refund will be issued for terminated stacked Accounts.
9.8 Surviving Provisions. The following provisions survive termination: Section 1 (Definitions), Section 4 (Fees, re: accrued amounts), Section 6 (Warranty Disclaimer), Section 7 (Limitation of Liability), Section 8 (Indemnification), Section 9.6 (Effect of Termination), Section 10 (Intellectual Property), Section 12 (Governing Law), Section 13.3 (Prohibited Uses), Section 13.5 (No Warranty on Stored Data), Section 13.6 (Survival of Data Use Rights), and any other provisions that by their nature are intended to survive.

10. Intellectual Property Ownership

10.1 ZIP-Codes.com Ownership. ZIP-Codes.com and its licensors retain all right, title, and interest in and to the Service, the API, the Documentation, all Output Data formats and schemas, all underlying data and databases, all software, algorithms, and processes used to deliver the Service, and all improvements and modifications thereof.
10.2 Customer Data Ownership. Customer retains all right, title, and interest in Customer Data. Customer grants ZIP-Codes.com a limited, non-exclusive license to process, transmit, and store Customer Data solely as necessary to provide the Service.
10.3 License to Output Data. Customer receives a license to use Output Data in accordance with Sections 2 and 13. The underlying data, databases, compilation, and selection reflected in Output Data remain the intellectual property of ZIP-Codes.com and its licensors.
10.4 Aggregated and Anonymized Data. ZIP-Codes.com may collect and use aggregated and anonymized data derived from Customer's use of the Service ("Usage Analytics"), including query volumes, endpoint usage patterns, error rates, and performance metrics. Usage Analytics are the sole property of ZIP-Codes.com.
10.5 Feedback. If Customer provides suggestions, ideas, enhancement requests, or other feedback regarding the Service ("Feedback"), Customer grants ZIP-Codes.com a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicensable, worldwide license to use, incorporate, modify, and commercialize such Feedback in any manner, without obligation or compensation to Customer. Customer retains ownership of Feedback. ZIP-Codes.com has no obligation to implement or acknowledge any Feedback received.
10.6 Trademarks. Neither party grants the other any right to use its trademarks, trade names, logos, or brand identifiers except as expressly permitted in this Agreement or a separate written agreement.

11. Terms Modification

11.1 Right to Modify. ZIP-Codes.com reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time.
11.2 Notice of Changes. Modified Terms take effect when they are posted on the ZIP-Codes.com website, with the “Last Updated” date changed. We may also notify you of material changes by email to the address associated with your Account, but we are not required to give advance notice.
11.3 Non-Material Changes. Non-material changes (typo corrections, clarifications, formatting) may take effect immediately upon posting.
11.4 Legal and Regulatory Changes. Changes required to comply with applicable law may take effect immediately upon posting.
11.5 Acceptance Through Continued Use. Continued use of the Service after any modification constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree, your sole remedy is to stop using the Service and close your Account.
11.6 Current Terms. The most current version of these Terms will always be available on the ZIP-Codes.com website.

12. Governing Law and Disputes

12.1 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.
12.2 Mandatory Individual Arbitration. Except for disputes that qualify for small claims court under Section 12.3, all disputes, claims, or controversies arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Service, or the relationship between the parties shall be resolved exclusively by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Commercial Arbitration Rules, as modified by this Agreement. The arbitration shall be seated in Dutchess County, New York, and may be conducted by remote hearing if mutually agreed. Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.
12.3 Small Claims Carve-Out. Either party may bring an individual claim in small claims court in their jurisdiction if the claim qualifies under that court's jurisdictional limits (typically disputes valued under $10,000), provided the claim remains on an individual basis and is not consolidated with any other proceeding.
12.4 Class Action Waiver. ALL DISPUTES SHALL BE RESOLVED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS. NEITHER PARTY MAY BRING OR PARTICIPATE IN ANY CLASS ACTION, CLASS ARBITRATION, COLLECTIVE ACTION, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. THIS WAIVER IS A MATERIAL TERM OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF THIS WAIVER IS FOUND UNENFORCEABLE, THE ENTIRE ARBITRATION CLAUSE SHALL BE VOID.
12.5 Attorneys' Fees. In any arbitration or legal action arising out of this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover its reasonable attorneys' fees, court costs, and other litigation expenses.

13. Data Use Rights and Caching

13.1 License to API Results. Subject to this Agreement, ZIP-Codes.com grants Customer a non-exclusive, non-transferable, worldwide license to use, store, and incorporate Output Data returned in response to Customer's authorized API requests.

13.2 Permitted Uses

Customer may:

  1. store Output Data indefinitely for Customer's internal business purposes, without time-based caching restrictions;
  2. incorporate Output Data into Customer's own applications, products, reports, analyses, dashboards, and internal systems;
  3. display Output Data to Customer's end users as part of Customer's applications, provided such display delivers substantial independent value beyond the Output Data itself; and
  4. create derivative works, analyses, and aggregations from Output Data for Customer's internal use.

13.3 Prohibited Uses

Customer may NOT:

  1. redistribute, resell, sublicense, or make available raw Output Data to third parties as a standalone data product or service;
  2. use Output Data to create, supplement, or enhance a competing product or service;
  3. systematically download or accumulate Output Data to replicate or substitute for the Service; or
  4. share API keys or direct API access with unauthorized third parties.
13.4 Data Freshness and Perishable Snapshot Acknowledgment. Customer expressly acknowledges that all Output Data is a Perishable Snapshot (as defined in Section 1.18). Geographic and postal data is inherently dynamic. The United States Postal Service processes over 100,000 changes to ZIP+4 records each month. Census and boundary data is revised on regular government publication cycles. Demographic figures are updated periodically and may lag current conditions significantly. Cached Output Data degrades in accuracy the longer it is retained without refresh. ZIP-Codes.com is not responsible for any outcomes, decisions, losses, or damages arising from reliance on Output Data of any age, whether cached for one day or several years. Customer assumes full responsibility for determining appropriate data refresh strategies for their specific use case and bears all risk of decisions made on stored Output Data.
13.5 No Warranty on Stored Data. ZIP-Codes.com disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to the accuracy, completeness, currency, or reliability of Output Data that has been cached, stored, or retained by Customer beyond the moment of the original API response. Customer assumes all risk associated with any reliance on stored Output Data. This disclaimer applies regardless of how recently the data was retrieved.
13.6 Survival of Data Use Rights. Upon termination, Customer's license to use Output Data already retrieved and stored prior to termination shall survive, subject to Sections 13.3, 13.5, and 9.6(d). Customer may continue to use previously stored Output Data but shall have no right to make additional API requests.
13.7 Attribution. Attribution requirements are governed by Sections 2.6 and 2.7. No attribution is required for paid plans. Free Tier users must display "Powered by ZIP-Codes.com" attribution as described in Section 2.7.

14. Customer Data and Privacy

14.1 Request Logging. Customer acknowledges that ZIP-Codes.com collects and stores API request logs, including search parameters (ZIP codes, addresses, coordinates), timestamps, IP addresses, API key identifiers, response codes, and usage metrics. Logs are retained for operational purposes including service delivery, debugging, performance monitoring, abuse prevention, usage tracking, and billing verification.
14.2 No Sale of Individual Data. ZIP-Codes.com does not sell, rent, or share individual Customer request data with third parties for their independent use.
14.3 Aggregated and Anonymized Data. ZIP-Codes.com may generate, use, and disclose anonymized, aggregated analytics derived from usage patterns. Such data will not identify any individual Customer.
14.4 Not Designed for Regulated Data. The Service is not designed for use with data subject to specialized data protection regulations, including HIPAA, HITECH, GDPR, PIPEDA, COPPA, FERPA, CCPA/CPRA, GLBA, or any similar regulation. ZIP-Codes.com does not represent that the Service meets the requirements of any such regulation. Customers with compliance obligations under GDPR, PIPEDA, CCPA/CPRA, or similar privacy frameworks may request a Data Processing Addendum ("DPA") by contacting legal@zip-codes.com. Execution of a DPA is required before submitting personal data subject to such regulations through the Service.
14.5 Customer Compliance Responsibility. Customer is solely responsible for determining whether their use complies with all applicable privacy and data protection laws. Customer shall not submit data that would impose regulatory obligations on ZIP-Codes.com beyond those contemplated by this Agreement.
14.6 Transmission Acknowledgment. Customer acknowledges that search parameters submitted through API requests are transmitted to and stored by ZIP-Codes.com on servers located in the United States. Customer is responsible for obtaining any necessary consents from individuals whose data may be included in API requests.
14.7 Privacy Policy. ZIP-Codes.com's data handling practices are further described in our Privacy Policy, incorporated by reference. In the event of a conflict between this Section 14 and the Privacy Policy, this Agreement controls.

15. Force Majeure

15.1 Excused Performance. Neither party shall be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations (other than payment obligations) caused by events beyond its reasonable control.
15.2 Force Majeure Events. Force Majeure Events include: natural disasters; epidemics and pandemics; acts of government, war, terrorism, or civil unrest; fire; power outages; internet or telecommunications infrastructure failures; third-party hosting or cloud provider outages; and cyberattacks, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, ransomware, and other malicious cyber incidents — provided that such cyber events are not directly and primarily attributable to ZIP-Codes.com's failure to implement commercially reasonable security measures appropriate for a service of its type and scale. Zero-day exploits, state-sponsored attacks, and novel attack vectors that could not reasonably have been anticipated or mitigated are covered regardless of security posture.
15.3 Payment Obligations Not Excused. A Force Majeure Event does not excuse Customer's obligation to pay fees that are due and owing.
15.4 Obligations of the Affected Party. The affected party shall promptly notify the other party, use commercially reasonable efforts to mitigate the impact, and provide periodic updates.

16. Pricing Changes

16.1 Right to Modify Pricing. We reserve the right to change fees for the Service at any time.
16.2 Advance Notice. We will provide at least thirty (30) calendar days' advance written notice before any pricing change takes effect, sent to the email address associated with your Account.
16.3 Effective Date. Pricing changes take effect at the start of your next billing cycle following the notice period. No price change will be applied mid-cycle.
16.4 Acceptance. Continued use after a pricing change constitutes acceptance. If you disagree, cancel your Subscription before the new pricing takes effect.
16.5 Prepaid Credit Packs. Pricing changes do not affect already-purchased Credit Packs. Purchased packs retain their full value regardless of subsequent pricing changes.
16.6 Additional Notification. We may also announce pricing changes on our website or documentation. Email notification constitutes sufficient notice.

17. Data Sources

17.1 Aggregated Data. The Service aggregates data from multiple sources, including United States and Canadian government agencies, commercial data providers, and public records.
17.2 Reasonable Efforts. ZIP-Codes.com makes commercially reasonable efforts to keep data current. Update frequency varies by data type and is not a guaranteed commitment.
17.3 Source Changes. Third-party data sources may change at any time. ZIP-Codes.com reserves the right to add, remove, or change data sources without prior notice.
17.4 Government Data Limitations. Data derived from government sources is published on fixed schedules and may not reflect current conditions.
17.5 No Endorsement. References to third-party data sources do not imply endorsement or affiliation. ZIP-Codes.com is not affiliated with any government agency or data provider.

18. Safety-Critical Use Exclusion

18.1 Not Designed for Safety-Critical Applications. The Service is not designed, intended, or warranted for use in: emergency response or dispatch systems (such as E-911); autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle navigation; weapons systems; nuclear facility operation; air traffic control; medical devices or life-support systems; or any application where failure could result in death, personal injury, or significant property or environmental damage.
18.2 Assumption of Risk. Any use of the Service in safety-critical applications is undertaken entirely at Customer's sole risk. ZIP-Codes.com expressly disclaims all liability arising from any such use.

19. API Key Security and Account Management

19.1 Safeguarding Obligations

You are solely responsible for safeguarding all API keys and account credentials. You must:

  1. not embed API keys in client-side code, public repositories, or publicly accessible locations;
  2. restrict access to credentials to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis; and
  3. use environment variables, secrets management systems, or equivalent mechanisms to protect credentials.
19.2 Liability for Usage. You are liable for all activity under your API keys, whether or not authorized. All API calls using your credentials are attributed to your Account and incur applicable charges.
19.3 Notification of Compromise. You must notify us immediately at security@zip-codes.com upon discovering or suspecting any unauthorized use of your credentials or security breach affecting your Account.
19.4 Revocation of Compromised Keys. We reserve the right to revoke, rotate, or disable any API key at any time without prior notice if we reasonably believe it has been compromised or poses a security risk.
19.5 Non-Transferability. API keys are non-transferable. A change of control of your organization requires written notification to us.
19.6 One Account Per Organization. Each legal entity or organization may maintain one Account. Multiple individuals within the same organization should use API Keys issued under a single organizational Account. Creating multiple Accounts to circumvent usage limits is a violation of the Acceptable Use Policy.

19.7 Multiple Keys

Your plan determines the maximum number of active API keys on your Account:

PlanMaximum Active API Keys
Free Tier1
Developer5
Professional10
Business25

Usage across all keys is aggregated for billing and quota purposes.

20. Rate Limits and Usage

20.1 Rate Limit Enforcement. The Service enforces per-plan rate limits on API requests. Current rate limits are published in our Documentation.
20.2 Exceeded Limits. Requests exceeding your rate limit receive an HTTP 429 response. You are responsible for implementing appropriate retry logic and backoff strategies.

20.3 Prohibited Circumvention

You may not attempt to circumvent rate limits or usage quotas through any means, including:

  1. creating multiple Accounts to distribute requests;
  2. rotating or pooling API keys across Accounts;
  3. distributing requests through proxies or VPNs to circumvent per-IP rate limiting;
  4. coordinating with other Customers to share rate limit capacity; or
  5. exploiting technical vulnerabilities in the rate limiting mechanism.
20.4 Adjustments. We may modify rate limits at any time to ensure platform stability. Material reductions to paid-plan rate limits will be communicated with reasonable advance notice.
20.5 Credit Consumption. Each API request consumes one or more API credits based on the published credit formula. Changes to the credit formula will be communicated with thirty (30) days' advance notice, except where changes result in equal or lower consumption.
20.6 Usage Monitoring. You may monitor usage, remaining credits, and rate limit status through your Account dashboard and via API response headers.

21. Free Tier Terms

21.1 Availability. We offer a Free Tier providing up to 2,500 API Credits per day at no charge.
21.2 Rate Limiting. Free Tier access is subject to per-IP-address rate limiting as described in the Documentation, enforced independently of the daily Credit allocation.
21.3 Attribution Requirement. Free Tier users must include a visible "Powered by ZIP-Codes.com" attribution in any application or output that displays data from the API. See Section 2.7 for full details.
21.4 Modification and Discontinuation. Free Tier allocations, rate limits, and feature availability may be modified or reduced at any time with or without advance notice. Discontinuation of the Free Tier entirely will be communicated with at least thirty (30) days' advance written notice to all registered Free Tier users at the email address on file. ZIP-Codes.com reserves the right to require registration, impose additional eligibility conditions, or require a valid payment method on file for Free Tier access at any time.
21.5 Feature Limitations. The Free Tier provides access to a reduced set of endpoints and features. Certain enrichments, batch operations, and advanced features require a paid plan.
21.6 Commercial Use. The Free Tier may be used for commercial purposes, provided that the attribution requirements in Sections 21.3 and 2.7 are satisfied. Failure to maintain the required attribution while using the Free Tier for commercial purposes is a violation of these Terms.
21.7 Registration. We reserve the right to require registration and a valid API key for Free Tier access at any time.
21.8 No Service Level Commitment. The Free Tier is provided on a best-efforts basis with no SLA, no uptime guarantee, and no support commitment. The Service Level Agreement described in Section 23 does not apply to the Free Tier.
21.9 Upgrade Path. You may upgrade to a paid Subscription at any time through your Account settings. Upon upgrading, Free Tier restrictions cease to apply.

22. Miscellaneous

22.1 Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with the Privacy Policy, the Service Level Agreement (if applicable), and any Order Forms, constitutes the complete agreement between the parties and supersedes all prior proposals, understandings, and communications.
22.2 Severability. If any provision is held invalid, it shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary or severed, without affecting the remaining provisions.
22.3 No Waiver. Failure to exercise any right does not constitute a waiver. Any waiver must be in writing.
22.4 Assignment. Customer may not assign this Agreement without our prior written consent. ZIP-Codes.com may freely assign to any successor or acquirer. Unauthorized assignment is void.
22.5 Independent Contractors. The parties are independent contractors. Nothing in this Agreement creates a partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship.

22.6 Notices

All notices shall be in writing and sent by email:

  1. To ZIP-Codes.com: legal@zip-codes.com
  2. To Customer: the email address associated with Customer's Account.

It is Customer's responsibility to keep its registered email address current. Notices sent to an outdated email address on file shall be deemed delivered.

22.7 Export Controls. Customer shall comply with all applicable United States export control laws and sanctions programs. Customer represents that it is not located in any country subject to comprehensive U.S. sanctions, and is not listed on any restricted party list.
22.8 No Third-Party Beneficiaries. Nothing in this Agreement confers any rights on any third party.
22.9 Headings. Section headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.
22.10 Marketing Rights. Customer grants ZIP-Codes.com the right to identify Customer by name as a customer in marketing materials and customer lists. Customer may revoke this permission at any time by written notice to legal@zip-codes.com, and we will remove Customer's name within thirty (30) days.
22.11 Limitation Period. Any claim or cause of action arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the Service must be commenced within one (1) year after the date on which the claiming party knew or reasonably should have known of the facts giving rise to the claim. Any claim not brought within this period is permanently barred, notwithstanding any longer period permitted by applicable law. This limitation does not apply to ZIP-Codes.com's claims for unpaid fees, which are governed by the applicable statutory limitations period.

23. Service Level Agreement

23.1 Applicability. ZIP-Codes.com offers a Service Level Agreement ("SLA") to Customers on paid Subscription plans. The SLA does not apply to the Free Tier, Credit Pack-only Accounts without an active Subscription, beta or preview features, or scheduled maintenance windows.
23.2 Uptime Commitment. ZIP-Codes.com commits to maintaining at least 99.9% monthly uptime for the API, as measured and defined in the SLA document.
23.3 Remediation. In the event that ZIP-Codes.com fails to meet the uptime commitment, eligible Customers may request remediation in the form of non-expiring API credits applied to their Account. Specific remediation amounts, claim procedures, and eligibility requirements are set forth in the SLA.
23.4 SLA Document. The full terms of the Service Level Agreement are published at https://www.zip-codes.com/api/sla and are incorporated into this Agreement by reference. In the event of a conflict between this Section 23 and the SLA document, the SLA document controls.
23.5 Sole Remedy. SLA remediation constitutes Customer's sole and exclusive remedy, and ZIP-Codes.com's sole and exclusive liability, for any failure to meet the uptime commitment.
23.6 Modifications. ZIP-Codes.com may modify the SLA from time to time. Material changes will be communicated with at least thirty (30) days' advance notice. Changes that improve the SLA commitment may take effect immediately.

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