Free Elevation Data for New York
USGS elevation data is public domain. This site adds area selection, analysis and convenient export formats.
Data and service are separate
You can obtain the original USGS datasets directly. Every tool here is free to run on the map, while the configured pass unlocks file downloads for a time window.
Choose the product you need
Use a DEM for GIS analysis, contour vectors for mapping or CAD, and a terrain mesh for a printed model. A fine output grid does not create detail absent from the original survey.
Data and accuracy
Ground elevations come from the public-domain USGS 3DEP seamless bare-earth model, above NAVD 88. Source detail varies by location. Lidar coverage and source resolution vary across New York. Check your location against the USGS 3DEP index; no statewide coverage percentage is asserted. Buildings and trees are excluded from every terrain analysis in this edition.
Accuracy depends on the source survey, its date and processing. Check the work-unit metadata for your site; this tool does not promise a vertical accuracy. Bare-earth elevations exclude buildings and tree canopy. Coarser source areas have less detail, and a fine contour interval does not create finer source data. These results are not a substitute for surveyed elevations where engineering or legal decisions depend on them.
DXF exports use New York State Plane, US survey feet (zone selected for the area). Each file records the exact zone and local origin.
Try it on your site
Map analysis is free. Downloads use a pass: US$29 for 24 hours, US$99 for 30 days or US$399 for 12 months, one-off payments with no subscription.
Data sources and further reading
Everything on this page is built on public elevation data from the USGS 3D Elevation Program and New York’s lidar program. If you want the raw data rather than a processed result, these are the places it lives.
Primary sources
- USGS 3DEP elevation service — Bare-earth elevation for the map and downloads, with 3.3 ft source cells where available and coarser detail elsewhere.
- USGS 3DEP lidar work units — Coverage footprints, collection dates, source resolution and quality levels.
- NYS GeoHub public tax parcels — Assessment parcel boundaries in participating counties. Reference data, not surveys.
Search, basemaps and terms
- USGS GNIS place names — Place search is restricted to New York.
- NYS GeoHub address geocoder — Public address search.
- USGS Topo — Topographic display basemap.
- Esri World Imagery — Display-only aerial basemap, under Esri terms. Aerial downloads use USGS NAIP instead.