What is an NHD Report? [Video Explainer]
A Natural Hazard Disclosure (NHD) report is the document California law requires sellers to give buyers before a residential property transfer. In the video below, we walk through the entire report in 53 seconds — what it checks, why it exists, and how it keeps both parties protected.
What an NHD report covers
Every standard NHD report checks more than a dozen hazard and environmental categories. The statutory portion covers six primary natural hazard zones — flood, fire, earthquake fault, seismic hazard, dam inundation, and wildfire — plus five additional environmental databases that disclose hazardous waste, contaminated land, and underground storage tanks.
- 11 statutory hazard checks drawn from official FEMA, CAL FIRE, USGS, and California state agency maps.
- 5 environmental database checks including DTSC EnviroStor, SWRCB GeoTracker, EPA Superfund, and CalGEM records.
- Property tax disclosures such as Mello-Roos, 1915 Bond Act assessments, and supplemental tax notices.
Together these checks give buyers a clear picture of the risks and obligations tied to the property before they remove contingencies.
Who needs one
Civil Code §1103 requires sellers of one-to-four unit residential property to provide a Natural Hazard Disclosure statement to the buyer. In practice, the seller's agent or escrow officer orders the report, and the seller signs it to acknowledge the disclosures. Buyers rely on it to understand flood insurance needs, fire construction requirements, and seismic retrofit obligations.
How it protects buyers and sellers
For buyers, the NHD report is a due-diligence shortcut: instead of searching five agency websites, they receive a single standardized statement. For sellers, a properly delivered NHD report creates a record that statutory disclosures were made, which can limit future liability if a hazard later becomes an issue.
Verity NHD delivers these reports in minutes with built-in eSignature, property tax data included, and a Verity AI℠ summary that translates the technical findings into plain English. Read more about what's included on our NHD report guide or view current tiers on the pricing page.