Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

About the Collection

The Sanborn Map Company, the best known of the U.S. fire-insurance map producers, has made maps since 1867. The fire insurance maps produced by Sanborn show building footprints, building material, height or number of stories, building use, lot lines, road widths and water facilities. The maps also show street names and property boundaries of the time. This collection of maps is historically significant as it is sometimes the best detailed map of a town or city dating from the mid 1800s.

The University Libraries' Center for Maps and Geospatial Information has a near complete collection of Sanborn Fire Insurance maps for the state of Pennsylvania. The print collection can currently be accessed by contacting the Center staff. The digital collection will continue to grow as we determine copyright status and as 1923 maps come out of copyright starting in 2019. The Library of Congress has an increasing collection of scanned Sanborn Fire Insurance maps. Filter on "Pennsylvania" and search your town.

For more information, see the Sanborn Maps Guide.

New Sanborn Maps available — see the story in the Penn State News.

Browse by City or Town

Don't see your town? Please check the list for additional towns or dates then contact the Maps Library Staff for assistance. List of all Sanborn maps. (Scholarsphere)

Maps added in 2020 and 2021 are listed in bold