Washington Master Addressing Services (WAMAS)

Locating people and places in Washington

The population of the State of Washington is growing, corresponding with increased addresses. Compounding address-related errors can have significant and costly effects on government operations.

Accuracy can improve communications with voters, determine appropriate sales tax boundaries, place sex offenders, improve jury pool accuracy, streamline state employee address searches, and save money.

Available to local government agencies, the WAMAS API toolbox serves to

• Correct an address to USPS standard format
• Add coordinates to an address so it can be displayed and viewed on a map
• Locate an address in a precise boundary area, such as voting or taxing districts

First-time access - In order to access the WAMAS application programming interface, first-time users must complete three access request forms

• Training Guide
• Access Forms

Use Cases

WAMAS is used by well over a dozen state, local, and tribal entities.

• Both the Department of Ecology and the Department of Fish and Wildlife have integrated WAMAS into their permitting system, which handles 2,400-2,800 applications per year. The WAMAS API is also used to trach the X, Y coordinates of facility locations, environmental monitoring locations, hatcheries, and water access sites.
• The Office of Finance Management is using WAMAS to facilitate the 2020 Census.
• The Department of Revenue has implemented WAMAS into tax calculation systems, ensuring accurate liabilities within appropriate boundaries.
• The Thurston Regional Planning Council uses WAMAS to format and remove duplicate addresses for large mailings
• Washington Legislative Services and Washington State Courts use WAMAS to connect constituents with their representatives and determine jury pools.
• The Washington Department of Health uses WAMAS to ensure accurate addresses for medical license renewal, birth and death records, WIC resources, and epidemiological research.