01 / Overview

Connect Addresses And Coordinates

Turn an address into a location, or coordinates into a readable address. Geocoding gives your application a geographic reference for maps, analysis, and location workflows.

See What's Included Coverage & Pricing

Two Ways To Resolve A Location

Conceptual Overview

Address

A Readable Location

Street address or place description.

ForwardReverse

Coordinates

A Geographic Reference

Latitude and longitude for the returned location.

Forward and reverse geocoding are alternative lookups. Inspect granularity and partial matches; a location does not certify deliverability or entrance access.

At A Glance

Provides: Address and coordinate lookups; v4 also supports destination lookups.
Not: Address validation, proof of deliverability, or guaranteed entrance access.

3core geocoding input types

4v3 location types

10Kmonthly free Geocoding requests

$5per 1,000 in the first paid band

Geocoding API overview docs

02 / What's Included

Choose An Input And Inspect The Result

Forward geocoding accepts address text; reverse geocoding accepts coordinates. Place geocoding resolves a Place ID. Responses can contain multiple results, partial matches, or no result. The location type describes how the location was determined, not a calibrated confidence score.

Included

Forward geocoding (address → lat/lng)
Reverse geocoding (lat/lng → address)
Place geocoding (Place ID lookup)
Component filtering (country, postal code)
v3 location types: ROOFTOP, RANGE_INTERPOLATED, GEOMETRIC_CENTER, APPROXIMATE

Not Included

Address component validation (separate API)
Autocomplete-as-you-type (Places API)
Turn-by-turn routing (Routes API)
Place attributes at scale (Places Insights)

Forward geocoding request/response Reverse geocoding request/response

v3 Location Types

ROOFTOPRANGE_INTERPOLATED GEOMETRIC_CENTERAPPROXIMATE

v3 Request Parameters

addresslatlng place_idcomponents boundsregion language

geocode() resultv4 · GA

formattedAddressSTRING

locationLatLng

granularityENUM

placeIdSTRING

addressComponentsARRAY

···· viewport, plusCode, types

03 / Why Google's Data

Check Coverage And Granularity

Google maintains map and address data used by the service. Coverage and result quality vary by region and address. Test representative addresses from your actual service area rather than using global Maps reach as a guarantee of rooftop precision.

Key Facts

Check the country-specific geocoding coverage list
Inspect returned location type, address components, and partial-match indicators
Treat an interpolated point or area center differently from a rooftop result

Coverage details

A Location Has A Method

Rooftop

A street-address location; still inspect the returned address.

Interpolated

Estimated along a street between known address points.

Center Or Approximate

A geometric center or approximate location; suitability depends on your use case.

Location type is not a probability of correctness.

04 / v3 → v4

v4 Adds Destination Context

Geocoding API v4 became generally available on March 30, 2026. It uses camelCase fields, supports OAuth and field masks, and provides destination search alongside address, location, and Place ID geocoding. Availability of individual destination fields depends on their launch stage and geographic coverage.

v4 Specifics

Use /v4/ for GA, /v4beta/ for Preview, and /v4alpha/ for Experimental features
Check the project’s current quota and the chosen method; the 25 QPS note in the quickstart is explicitly scoped to Preview
v3 experimental building outlines, entrances, navigation points, and grounds moved to destination search; migrate using the dedicated guide

v4 Overview Release Notes Destination Search

Select A Method

Address

Address text → candidate locations

Location

Coordinates → readable addresses

Place

Place ID → geocoding result

Destinations

Address, Place ID, or location → available destination context

Alternative methods, not sequential processing stages. Check the channel for each requested feature.

05 / Address Descriptors

When A Formal Address Isn't Enough

Address Descriptors add landmark- and area-based context to a geocoding result — useful anywhere addressing is informal or a rooftop point alone doesn't tell a driver where to actually go. A result can say a point is WITHIN, BESIDE, ACROSS_THE_ROAD from, or DOWN_THE_ROAD from a nearby landmark, and which named neighborhood or complex it's NEAR, WITHIN, or on the OUTSKIRTS of.

Availability

generally available in India since March 25, 2025, at no extra cost on top of the Geocoding (India) Essentials SKU
Experimental launch stage everywhere else

Address Descriptors request/response Coverage expansion announcement

Landmark Relationships

WITHINBESIDE ACROSS_THE_ROADDOWN_THE_ROAD

Area Containment

NEARWITHINOUTSKIRTS

06 / Extend With Maps Platform

The Address Resolver The Rest Of Maps Platform Builds On

Geocoding is usually step one, not the whole workflow. Once you have a place ID or a precise location, bridge straight into the API built for the next step — no separate vendor, no separate address model to reconcile.

Use the credential and access model required by each service. API key/OAuth configuration is separate from BigQuery identity, dataset permissions, and country subscriptions.

Address Validation APIValidate address components and review uncertain results before shipping or billing.

Places API & Place DetailsPull live hours, photos, and reviews for the place ID a geocode result already gave you.

Routes APIFeed geocoded origins and destinations straight into routing and ETA calculations.

Places InsightsAnalyze the surrounding place mix through country-specific Places Insights datasets and their governed query interfaces.

Address Validation API docs Routes API docs

Pairs Well With

Address Validation API Places API Routes API Places Insights Maps JavaScript API BigQuery

07 / Example Requests

What A Request Actually Looks Like

One forward, one reverse — the classic v3 REST shape. Select Show Example on either card; these are mocked responses, not a live connection.

Forward Geocoding

an address to a rooftop-precision location

GET https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/geocode/json
    ?address=1600+Amphitheatre+Parkway,+Mountain+View,+CA
    &key=YOUR_API_KEY

Illustrative output · No request executed

Field	Value
formatted_address	1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
location	37.4224764, -122.0842499
location_type	ROOFTOP
place_id	ChIJ2eUgeAK6j4ARbn5u_wAGqWA

Reverse Geocoding

a lat/lng to a structured street address

GET https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/geocode/json
    ?latlng=40.714224,-73.961452
    &result_type=street_address
    &key=YOUR_API_KEY

Illustrative output · No request executed

Field	Value
formatted_address	277 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211, USA
types	street_address
place_id	ChIJd8BlQ2BZwokRAFUEcm_qrcA

Get started with Geocoding API v4

08 / Use Cases And Industries

Where The Geocoding API Gets Used

Almost every workflow that puts a location on a map, calculates a route, or joins data by place starts by resolving an address or a coordinate first.

Delivery & logisticsResolve drop-off addresses to candidate coordinates; use destination search for available navigation points and entrance context.

Store locators & site mappingResolve store or branch addresses to map points within request quotas and applicable storage/display policies.

Data enrichmentStandardize inconsistent address text in CRM or customer data into clean coordinates and address components for joins.

Risk & underwritingLocate an address for spatial analysis, after checking granularity and validating suitability for the risk decision.

Ride-hailing & mobilityUse available landmark and destination context to help a user choose a pickup point.

Emergency & field dispatchConvert a caller's coordinates into a readable address, or an address into a location a crew can navigate to.

Industries

Logistics & delivery Retail & QSR Real estate Insurance Ride-hailing & mobility Telecom Government & public safety Field services

09 / Reliability

Plan For Reliability And Recovery

The Maps Platform SLA defines service availability commitments for covered services. Design your integration to handle errors and retries; an uptime commitment does not guarantee the correctness or completeness of each result.

The Commitment

99.9% monthly uptime objective for covered services
Credits require eligibility, a timely claim, and the conditions in the SLA

The Proof

Use the public status dashboard to investigate incidents
Preview and Experimental features are subject to their own terms and exclusions

SLA Terms Service Status

Operating Checklist

Handle Responses

Inspect status and returned fields; missing data is not a successful business decision.

Recover Safely

Use bounded retries and backoff for retryable failures; avoid retry storms.

Review An Incident

Compare your logs with the public status dashboard and SLA claim requirements.

Availability and result quality are different measures.

10 / Coverage And Pricing

Calculate Cost Across Volume Bands

The core Geocoding SKU has a 10,000-request monthly free allowance under global pay-as-you-go pricing. Paid usage is charged cumulatively across volume bands; the lowest reached rate does not apply to all earlier requests. Coverage varies by location and feature.

Free Tier & Bundling

10,000 core Geocoding requests free per month under global pay-as-you-go
Subscription plans have a shared allowance across included SKUs; do not add their allowance to this pay-as-you-go example

For 1,000,000 total monthly requests: 10,000 free + 90,000 × $5/1,000 + 400,000 × $4/1,000 + 500,000 × $3/1,000 = $3,550. Assumes global pay-as-you-go pricing, no negotiated discount, and excludes taxes or other usage.

Maps Platform pricing reference

Monthly Volume	Price / 1,000
0 – 10,000	Free
10,001 – 100,000	$5.00
100,001 – 500,000	$4.00
500,001 – 1,000,000	$3.00
1,000,001 – 5,000,000	$1.50
5,000,001+	$0.38

Global core Geocoding list rates checked September 14, 2026. Applicable India pricing, subscription plans, negotiated agreements, or destination-specific billing may differ. Verify the method, SKU, and account arrangement before quoting.

11 / Get Started

Test Representative Addresses First

Enable billing and the required API, accept the applicable terms, and restrict your credentials. Test complete, ambiguous, rural, and recently changed addresses. Review coverage, storage/display policies, and the launch stage of every feature before production use.

Read The v4 Quickstart Review Pricing Again

v4 Quickstart Policies and Attribution

Enable the API and generate a keya few clicks in Google Cloud Console; restrict the key to the Geocoding API before it leaves your desk

Run it against real addressesinclude complete, ambiguous, and low-granularity results in the evaluation

Verify the Production Requirementscheck quotas, billing, coverage, API restrictions, and launch-stage terms