Address Validation Overview

Why use Address Validation in Maps JavaScript API?

The Address Validation library takes an address as input to identify and validate address components. It also standardizes the address for mailing and finds the best known latitude/longitude coordinates for it. Optionally, for addresses in the United States and Puerto Rico, you can enable the Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS™).

With Address Validation API, you can improve delivery predictability and reduce delivery failures, thereby providing improved customer experience. You do this by catching bad addresses and obtaining better awareness of address characteristics.

What you can do with Address Validation in Maps JavaScript API

With Address Validation in Maps JavaScript API, you can determine if an address refers to a real place. If the address does not refer to a real place, the API can identify possibly wrong components that you can present to your customers to correct. Here is a sample workflow:

1. Customer enters an address — The following image shows a basic form that allows a customer to enter an address, possibly as part of a checkout flow.

   

2. App sends the address to the API — The application passes this address using the fetchAddressValidation method.

3. API validates and standardizes the address — In its response, the Address Validation API returns the complete address as determined by the API, or indicates where information is missing.

4. Customer confirms or corrects the address — Depending on what the API returns, you can provide the following prompts to the customer:

   1. Confirm the recommended address.
   2. Provide missing information.
   3. Fix the address.
   

How Address Validation in Maps JavaScript API works

When a call to fetchAddressValidation is made the API attempts the following:

• Corrects — Provides component-level vaidation checks, including sub-premises where available.
• Completes — Attempts to infer missing or incorrect address components.
• Formats — Cleans up and standardizes the format for address components.

About CASS™

The United States Postal Service® (USPS®)¹ maintains the Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS™) to support and certify address validation providers. A CASS Certified™ service, such as the Address Validation API, has been confirmed for its ability to fill in information missing from an address, standardize it, and update it to give you the most current and most accurate address.

CASS is not enabled by default and is only supported for the "US" and "PR" regions. To enable CASS, set `enableUspsCass` to `true` as part of a validation request. For more information, see Validate an address.

As part of our use of USPS services, USPS evaluates requests for artificially created addresses. If USPS identifies an input address as being artificially created, Google is required to stop validating addresses for the customer and must report the customer's contact information (name and address), the relevant input address, and aggregated usage data to USPS. By using the API you consent to these Service Specific Terms.

Next steps

• Get started with Address Validation in Maps JavaScript API

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