Choosing input mode

The lookup() call accepts four mutually exclusive input modes. The right one depends on what data you have and how precise you need to be.

Mode	Precision	When to use
address=	Highest (SPD-aware)	You have the full street address
lat=/lng=	Rooftop where polygon data exists (CA, WA, NM)	You have coordinates already
zip=	ZIP-centroid (medium confidence)	You only have the ZIP
location=	DoR-published place name	You have a normalised city name

For most US states, address mode is the right default — it resolves to the actual jurisdiction at the address (including Special Purpose Districts that don’t surface from ZIP alone).

If you only have the ZIP, expect multi-row responses on ZIPs that straddle jurisdiction boundaries (see the Python SDK multi-row pattern).

Full content coming soon — for now, see State-specific notes for per-state precision details.