All topographic maps produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are in the public domain and are not copyrighted except for the following three cases that apply only to US Topo maps (produced 2009-present):
- Most maps in the period 2010-2016 contain commercially licensed road data (see note below).
- Orthoimages in Alaska are commercially licensed.
- Orthoimages in Hawaii were commercially licensed until 2016. Hawaii US Topo maps produced in 2017 use public domain NAIP imagery. Future US Topo maps of Hawaii might use either NAIP imagery or copyrighted commercial imagery (whichever is better).
The commercial providers for those three sources retain copyright as noted in the map credit legend (in the lower left corner of the map collar) and in the metadata file that’s attached to GeoPDF and GeoTIFF format maps.
All other data used in USGS topographic maps are in the public domain. US Topo maps--even those that include commercial data--can be reproduced freely and used for any purpose, provided copyright notices for the three cases listed above are retained and indicated. Images derived from the maps can be used in reports and publications if these three sources are appropriately credited; normal fair-use principles apply. We do ask that you acknowledge the USGS as the source of the map.
Roads on US Topo maps: From 2010 through 2015, all US Topo maps in the 48 conterminous states, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico used commercially licensed road data, except in National Forests, where public domain data from the U.S. Forest Service was used in all cases. In November 2016, we stopped using commercial data and now use public domain data from the U.S. Census Bureau. A small number of the earliest Alaska US Topo maps used commercial road data, but Alaska US Topos produced beginning 2014 use public domain data from Alaska DOT, supplemented in some areas with public domain data from other government agencies. Check the credit legend in the lower-left corner of the map collar to determine if a particular map includes copyrighted data, or see the attached XML metadata file by opening the GeoPDF file in Acrobat Reader and clicking on the paperclip icon. As noted above, maps with copyrighted data can be freely used and distributed provided the copyright notice is retained.
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Related Content
Are USGS reports/publications copyrighted?
USGS-authored or produced data and information are considered to be in the U.S. public domain and can be freely used without permission. All we ask is that you acknowledge the USGS as the source. While the content of most USGS webpages is in the U.S. public domain, not all information, illustrations, or photographs on our site are. Some non-USGS photographs, images, and/or graphics that appear on...
How do I find, download, or order topographic maps?
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been the primary civilian mapping agency of the United States since 1879. USGS topographic maps have been published at many scales, but 1:24,000 (also referred to as a 7.5-minute quadrangle) has been the standard topographic map scale since 1947. For Alaska the standard scale is 1:25,000. All dates and all scales of our topographic maps can be freely...
How do I get a full-scale plot of a 1:24,000-scale (7.5-minute) topographic map?
There are three ways to get full-scale plots of USGS topographic quadrangle maps, including Historical Topographic maps (produced 1884-2006), US Topo maps (produced 2009-present) or customized OnDemand Topos. Order a paper map from the USGS Store. Use the Store’s Map Locator to find the desired map.* Download a free map file and send it to a local printing business. USGS topographic maps are not...
Can I still get the older topographic maps?
Yes. Topographic maps originally published as paper documents between 1884-2006 have been scanned and published as the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection. Download our historical topographic maps and our more current US Topo maps (published 2009-present) free of charge using TopoView (GeoPDF, GeoTIFF, JPEG, and KMZ formats) or using the USGS Store’s Map Locator (GeoPDF format). Order paper...
Where can I find indexes of USGS topographic maps?
View map indexes on these interactive maps (you must zoom in to see the index lines and map names): Map Locator on the USGS Store - Click the icon on the left that looks like two pieces of paper and select “1:24,000” for our standard map series. TopoView - Click on any of the round map scale indicators on the right side of the map. The National Map Viewer - Click on the Layer List icon at the top...
How can I find the source and vintage of each US Topo data layer?
US Topo maps have a credit legend in the lower left-hand corner of the map collar. This includes a short summary of data sources and data currency. More detailed source information is in an XML metadata file attached to each GeoPDF file. This file contains series-level, quad-level, and layer-level metadata, but US Topo does not preserve or track feature-level metadata. Open the GeoPDF map file in...
Are there metadata files for USGS topographic maps?
GeoPDF files for both Historical Topographic maps (produced 1884-2006), US Topo maps (produced 2009-present), and OnDemand Topo maps come with an XML metadata file attached to each GeoPDF file. To access the metadata file, download the GeoPDF file, open it in Acrobat Reader, click on the paperclip icon, then select a file from the list that appears (US Topo maps also come with a Map Symbols sheet)...
How current are US Topo maps?
US Topo maps are updated on a three-year production cycle (maps covering one third of the country are updated each year). The US Topo production schedule follows the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) collection schedule. This does not include US Topos for Alaska, which are on a different schedule. The linework features shown on the maps are generated...
How accurate are US Topo maps, and why don't they have an accuracy statement?
US Topo maps are as accurate as the data sources used to make them, but because these sources are many and varied, it is not possible to make a single simple statement that the map as a whole meets a particular level of accuracy. US Topo maps, therefore, do not have a traditional accuracy statement in the map collar. Accuracy information for individual data sources is included in the metadata file...
US Topo Product Standard
Scanning and georeferencing historical USGS quadrangles
US Topo—Topographic maps for the Nation
Related Content
- FAQ
Are USGS reports/publications copyrighted?
USGS-authored or produced data and information are considered to be in the U.S. public domain and can be freely used without permission. All we ask is that you acknowledge the USGS as the source. While the content of most USGS webpages is in the U.S. public domain, not all information, illustrations, or photographs on our site are. Some non-USGS photographs, images, and/or graphics that appear on...
How do I find, download, or order topographic maps?
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been the primary civilian mapping agency of the United States since 1879. USGS topographic maps have been published at many scales, but 1:24,000 (also referred to as a 7.5-minute quadrangle) has been the standard topographic map scale since 1947. For Alaska the standard scale is 1:25,000. All dates and all scales of our topographic maps can be freely...
How do I get a full-scale plot of a 1:24,000-scale (7.5-minute) topographic map?
There are three ways to get full-scale plots of USGS topographic quadrangle maps, including Historical Topographic maps (produced 1884-2006), US Topo maps (produced 2009-present) or customized OnDemand Topos. Order a paper map from the USGS Store. Use the Store’s Map Locator to find the desired map.* Download a free map file and send it to a local printing business. USGS topographic maps are not...
Can I still get the older topographic maps?
Yes. Topographic maps originally published as paper documents between 1884-2006 have been scanned and published as the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection. Download our historical topographic maps and our more current US Topo maps (published 2009-present) free of charge using TopoView (GeoPDF, GeoTIFF, JPEG, and KMZ formats) or using the USGS Store’s Map Locator (GeoPDF format). Order paper...
Where can I find indexes of USGS topographic maps?
View map indexes on these interactive maps (you must zoom in to see the index lines and map names): Map Locator on the USGS Store - Click the icon on the left that looks like two pieces of paper and select “1:24,000” for our standard map series. TopoView - Click on any of the round map scale indicators on the right side of the map. The National Map Viewer - Click on the Layer List icon at the top...
How can I find the source and vintage of each US Topo data layer?
US Topo maps have a credit legend in the lower left-hand corner of the map collar. This includes a short summary of data sources and data currency. More detailed source information is in an XML metadata file attached to each GeoPDF file. This file contains series-level, quad-level, and layer-level metadata, but US Topo does not preserve or track feature-level metadata. Open the GeoPDF map file in...
Are there metadata files for USGS topographic maps?
GeoPDF files for both Historical Topographic maps (produced 1884-2006), US Topo maps (produced 2009-present), and OnDemand Topo maps come with an XML metadata file attached to each GeoPDF file. To access the metadata file, download the GeoPDF file, open it in Acrobat Reader, click on the paperclip icon, then select a file from the list that appears (US Topo maps also come with a Map Symbols sheet)...
How current are US Topo maps?
US Topo maps are updated on a three-year production cycle (maps covering one third of the country are updated each year). The US Topo production schedule follows the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) collection schedule. This does not include US Topos for Alaska, which are on a different schedule. The linework features shown on the maps are generated...
How accurate are US Topo maps, and why don't they have an accuracy statement?
US Topo maps are as accurate as the data sources used to make them, but because these sources are many and varied, it is not possible to make a single simple statement that the map as a whole meets a particular level of accuracy. US Topo maps, therefore, do not have a traditional accuracy statement in the map collar. Accuracy information for individual data sources is included in the metadata file...
- Multimedia
- Publications
US Topo Product Standard
This document defines a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) digital topographic map. This map product series, named “US Topo,” is modeled on the now historical USGS 7.5-minute (1:24,000 scale) topographic map series produced and printed by the USGS from 1947 to 2006. US Topo maps have the same extent, scale, and general layout as the historical topographic maps. US Topo maps incorporate an orthorectifieAuthorsLarry R. Davis, Kristin A. Fishburn, Helmut Lestinsky, Laurence R. Moore, Jennifer L. WalterScanning and georeferencing historical USGS quadrangles
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Program is scanning published USGS 1:250,000-scale and larger topographic maps printed between 1884, the inception of the topographic mapping program, and 2006. The goal of this project, which began publishing the Historical Topographic Map Collection in 2011, is to provide access to a digital repository of USGS topographic maps that is availabAuthorsKristin A. Fishburn, Larry R. Davis, Gregory J. AllordUS Topo—Topographic maps for the Nation
Building on the success of 125 years of mapping, the U.S. Geological Survey created US Topo, a georeferenced digital map produced from The National Map data. US Topo maps are designed to be used like the traditional 7.5-minute quadrangle paper topographic maps for which the U.S. Geological Survey is so well known. However, in contrast to paper-based maps, US Topo maps provide modern technologicalAuthorsKristin A. Fishburn, William J. Carswell - News