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Sanborn Maps at the Washington State Library

The Washington State Library has Sanborn maps available on microfilm. They must be viewed at the library. Copyright restrictions prevent our librarians from making copies of entire maps.

Dating from 1884 through the 1950s, the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps offer comprehensive information about commercial, industrial, and residential sections of cities and towns throughout Washington. The Washington State Library has 21 microfilm reels containing more than 1,000 maps of 283 cities. Included on these maps are locations of buildings, streets, and roads along with details on building construction and city infrastructure.

To find out if there is a Sanborn map available for a particular area and/or time period, search here by either city, county, or year.

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For additional information about the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps email the Washington State Library at askalibrarian@sos.wa.gov.

The following book provides further information about the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps:

Fire insurance maps in the Library of Congress : plans of North American cities and towns produced by the Sanborn Map Company : a checklist. Compiled by the Reference and Bibliography Section, Geography and Map Division ; introduction by Walter W. Ristow. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress : Supt. of Docs, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1981.