Parcels · Hazard layers · Contamination · October 17, 2026

Superfund Sites Map: How to Check Sites Near a Property

How to use a Superfund sites map: find EPA cleanup sites near an address, read each site's status, and check a parcel for use limits before you buy.

A Superfund sites map shows where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is investigating or cleaning up land and water contaminated with hazardous substances. Buyers pull one up when a listing sits near an old factory, landfill or rail yard, and owners look when a neighbor mentions a cleanup or a groundwater warning. The map is a good first check, but a dot on it is not a property line, and being near a site does not by itself mean a parcel is contaminated. This guide explains where to find the maps, how to check a specific property, what the site status labels mean and what to do with what you find.

What a Superfund site is

Superfund is the common name for the federal cleanup program created in 1980 by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, or CERCLA. It lets EPA investigate contaminated sites, clean them up and make the parties responsible for the pollution pay for or do the work. Sites range from a single former plating shop to old mines, landfills, military bases and miles of river sediment.

The most serious sites are placed on the National Priorities List (NPL). EPA scores candidate sites with its Hazard Ranking System, and a score of 28.50 or higher makes a site eligible for listing. According to EPA’s NPL page, there were 1,337 final NPL sites, 37 proposed sites and 466 deleted sites as of October 1, 2026. Many more contaminated places are handled outside the NPL, through short-term removal actions, state programs or other federal programs.

Where to find a Superfund sites map

EPA’s “Search for Superfund Sites Where You Live.” This page has a searchable table of sites by state, city, county and ZIP code, plus the Superfund National Priorities List Where You Live map. It covers sites proposed to, on and deleted from the NPL, along with Superfund Alternative Approach sites, which are cleaned up under agreements without being listed.
Cleanups in My Community. EPA’s broader map adds other kinds of cleanup sites, such as brownfields and hazardous waste facilities under corrective action, so it catches places the NPL map leaves out.
Superfund advanced search. EPA’s Superfund data system can be searched for active and archived sites, both NPL and non-NPL.
State cleanup lists. Most states keep their own databases of contaminated sites, which often list far more sites than the federal map. Examples include California’s EnviroStor and GeoTracker and New Jersey’s Known Contaminated Sites List. Search your state environmental agency’s site for “contaminated sites” or “site cleanup.”

How to check Superfund sites near a property

Pin down the parcel. Find the exact lot in the county parcel viewer so you are measuring from the right place; see how to find a parcel number by address, or start from our land map.
Open the NPL map and zoom to the parcel. Note any site within a mile or two and its status.
Check Cleanups in My Community for brownfields and other cleanup sites the NPL map does not show.
Open each nearby site’s profile. EPA site pages describe the contaminants, which media are affected (soil, groundwater, surface water or indoor air), where the cleanup stands and any land or water use limits.
Search the state list for the address, the street and nearby business names.
Search the county land records for recorded restrictions on the parcel itself. A cleanup can leave behind a deed notice or an environmental covenant that limits how the land can be used.
For a purchase, order a Phase I. A professional Phase 1 environmental site assessment searches these databases in a set radius and looks at the site’s history in a way a map cannot.

What the site status labels mean

Proposed: EPA has published the site for listing and is taking public comment.
Final: the site is on the NPL and eligible for long-term federal cleanup funding.
Deleted: EPA has decided no further cleanup response is needed. Deleted sites can still have use restrictions and periodic reviews, especially where some waste was left in place.
Partial deletion: part of a site has been removed from the list while work continues on the rest.
Construction complete: the physical cleanup work is built, though long-term pumping, monitoring or reviews may continue for years.
Superfund Alternative Approach: the site needs the same kind of cleanup as an NPL site but is handled under an agreement with the responsible parties instead of being listed.

How to read the map

A dot is not a boundary. EPA notes that the map coordinates come from the scoring records used to list each site. The contaminated area can be large, oddly shaped or spread out underground.
Groundwater moves. A plume of contaminated groundwater can reach well beyond the original source. Site documents such as the Record of Decision and Five-Year Reviews often include plume maps.
Distance alone is not exposure. Whether a site matters for a home depends on what was released, how it moves and whether people come into contact with it, for example through a private well or vapors seeping into a basement.
Not every problem site is on the map. Old gas stations, dry cleaners and small dumps are more often on state lists than on the NPL.

Superfund sites and buying property

Ask about disclosures. State rules on disclosing nearby contamination differ. Ask the seller what they know and read any disclosure forms closely.
Check the water source. If the parcel is on a private well near a groundwater plume, ask about water testing and read the site documents; see how to find well records.
Look for use limits. Restrictions on wells, digging, building or residential use can run with the land and bind future owners.
Understand cleanup liability for commercial land. Under CERCLA, an owner can be liable for cleanup costs even if someone else caused the pollution. Buyers who complete “all appropriate inquiries” before buying, usually through a Phase I done to the ASTM E1527-21 standard, can qualify for liability protections such as the bona fide prospective purchaser defense. Talk with an environmental attorney before buying land with a known problem.
Redevelopment is possible. Many former Superfund and brownfield sites have been reused for parks, stores and housing once cleanup and controls are in place.

Health questions

For health concerns, the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) prepares health assessments and consultations for many Superfund sites, and state health departments often take part. Site pages usually list a community involvement coordinator you can contact with questions about the cleanup.

What a Superfund map cannot tell you

Whether a particular parcel is contaminated.
The exact edge of a site or a groundwater plume.
Every past use of the land. Old aerial photos, fire insurance maps and a Phase I fill in that history.
Where the property lines are. For that, see how to read a property survey.

A Superfund check belongs on the same due-diligence list as the other hazard layers for a parcel: the flood zone by address, a radon map, a sinkhole map and an oil and gas well map.

Questions people ask

How do I find Superfund sites near me?

Use EPA's Search for Superfund Sites Where You Live page, which has a searchable table and the National Priorities List map, and EPA's Cleanups in My Community map for brownfields and other cleanup sites. Then check your state's contaminated site list.

What is the National Priorities List?

The National Priorities List is EPA's list of the most serious known hazardous waste sites under the Superfund program. Sites are scored with the Hazard Ranking System, and a score of 28.50 or higher makes a site eligible for listing.

What does a deleted Superfund site mean?

A deleted site is one EPA has removed from the National Priorities List because no further cleanup response is needed. Some deleted sites still have land or water use limits and periodic reviews, especially where waste was left in place.

Is it safe to live near a Superfund site?

It depends on the contaminants, how they move and whether people come into contact with them, for example through a private well or vapors. Distance alone does not answer it. Read the site documents and any health assessments, and ask the site contacts.

Do sellers have to disclose a nearby Superfund site?

Disclosure rules vary by state. Ask the seller directly, read the disclosure forms, and check the EPA and state maps and the county land records yourself rather than relying on disclosure alone.

Does a Phase 1 environmental site assessment check for Superfund sites?

Yes. A Phase 1 reviews federal and state environmental databases, including National Priorities List sites, within set search distances of the property, along with the site's history and a site visit.