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Guides and answers for using PerilScore

Property Data Guide

What property data PerilScore collects and what it means for risk assessment.

COPE data

Each score report includes COPE data -- a set of property attributes used in commercial insurance underwriting. COPE stands for Construction, Occupancy, Protection, and Exposure. This data is sourced from public property records and is included automatically when available for the address.

Construction

The type of materials used in the structure's walls, floors, and roof. Directly affects fire resistance and damage potential in wind, wildfire, and earthquake events.

Occupancy

How the building is used -- single-family residential, multi-family, commercial, or other occupancy types. Occupancy affects both hazard susceptibility and potential loss severity.

Protection

Fire protection resources available to the property, including the nearest fire station's distance and response time, and whether it is a career or volunteer department.

Exposure

External hazards in the surrounding area -- nearby water bodies for flood, vegetation density for wildfire, geographic zone for wind and seismic risk.

Construction types

Construction type is classified on a scale from 1 to 6, where 1 represents the least fire-resistant construction and 6 represents the most fire-resistant. These are standard classifications used across the property insurance industry.

1

Frame

Wood-framed exterior walls and roof. Both walls and roof are combustible materials. Most common in single-family residential homes.

2

Joisted Masonry

Masonry exterior walls (brick, concrete block, or stone) with wood-joisted floors and roof. Noncombustible walls, combustible interior structure.

3

Noncombustible

Noncombustible exterior walls and roof such as metal panels on metal framing, with no fire resistance rating. Common in metal warehouses and retail buildings.

4

Masonry Noncombustible

Masonry exterior walls with noncombustible floors and roof using metal deck and open-web steel joists. More fire-resistant than Class 3 due to masonry walls.

5

Modified Fire Resistive

All structural components including columns, beams, floors, and roof carry at least a 1-hour fire resistance rating. Typically protected steel or reinforced concrete.

6

Fire Resistive

All structural components carry at least a 2-hour fire resistance rating. Reinforced concrete or fully encased structural steel. The highest fire-resistance construction type.

Fire station proximity

Every score report includes the nearest fire station's name, driving distance, and estimated response time. The station type -- career (full-time paid) or volunteer -- is also shown where available.

Fire station proximity is an important factor in insurance underwriting because faster response times correlate with reduced fire damage. Properties more than 5 miles from a station, or served only by volunteer departments, may face higher wildfire or structure fire risk adjustments.

Address requirements

PerilScore works with any US residential or commercial street address. For best results:

  • Include the full street number, street name, city, and state
  • Include the ZIP code if you have it -- this improves geocoding accuracy
  • Verify the spelling of the street name and city
  • PO Boxes and rural route addresses may not return property data
  • International addresses outside the US are not supported