This API is now out of date. We have a shiny, better-documented, brand new API, up-to-date for the 110th Congress. Here is the API.

However, if you wish to use the API below, it does still work, and is still applicable for location related method calls, e.g. zip to city.

The API for SunlightLabs DataKit

This is the API for SunlightLab's data kit:

getDistrictFromZip5
getStateFromZip5
getDistrictFromZip9
getStateFromZip9.php
getRepresentativeNameFromDistrict
getRepresentativePhoneNumberFromDistrict
getRepresentativeRoomNumberFromDistrict
getCityFromZip5
getCityStateFromZip5
getLatitudeFromCityState
getLongitudeFromCityState
getZipCodesFromCityState
getTimezoneFromCityState
getRepresentativeNameFromCityState
getRepresentativeNameFromState
getStateAbbreviationFromStateName
getStateNameFromStateAbbreviation

Location

For now, the base location for calling these functions is http://sunlightlabs.com/datakit/. That is, to getDistrictfromZip5 then call http://sunlightlabs.com/datakit/getDistrictFromZip5.php

Sources of data

Local copies of databases obtained from:

http://www.echoditto.com/zip2rep
http://civicspacelabs.org/home/zipcodedb
US post office: for state name <---> state abbreviation

Echoditto database

Source of data: http://www.echoditto.com/zip2rep

getDistrictFromZip5.php

Description	get the one or more district IDs from a 5 digit zip code
Arguments	zip=[String] (Required)
Example call	getDistrictFromZip5.php?zip=20001
Example response	DC:0 The response is a state abbreviation followed by a colon followed by a district id. Multiple outputs might be generated and are separated by a pipe. For example for 20740 we get: MD:5\|MD:4\|. Where no districts can be matched "NULL" is returned.

getStateFromZip5.php

Description	get the state abbreviation from a 5 digit zip code
Arguments	zip=[String] (Required)
Example call	getStateFromZip5.php?zip=20740
Example response	MD. Where no state can be matched "NULL" is returned.

getDistrictFromZip9.php

Description	get the one district ID from a 9 digit zip code
Arguments	zip=[String] (Required), plus4=[String] (Required)
Example call	getDistrictFromZip9.php?zip=20740&plus4=2000
Example response	MD:5 The response is a state abbreviation followed by a colon followed by a district id. "NULL" is returned if no result can be found.

getStateFromZip9.php

Description	get the state abbreviation from a 9 digit zip code
Arguments	zip=[String] (Required), plus4=[String] (Required)
Example call	getStateFromZip9.php?zip=20740&plus4=2000
Example response	MD. If no result can be found "NULL" is returned.

getRepresentativeNameFromDistrict.php

Description	get the representative's name from a district id
Arguments	state=[String] (Required),district=[String] (Required)
Example call	getRepresentativeNameFromDistrict.php?state=MD&district=5
Example response	Hoyer, Steny H. Where no representative can be matched "NULL" is returned.

getRepresentativePhoneNumberFromDistrict.php

Description	get the representative's Hart Senate Office phone number from a district id
Arguments	state=[String] (Required),district=[String] (Required)
Example call	getRepresentativePhoneNumberFromDistrict.php?state=MD&district=5
Example response	225-4131. Where no representative can be matched "NULL" is returned.

getRepresentativeRoomNumberFromDistrict.php

Description	get the representative's Hart Senate Office room number from a district id
Arguments	state=[String] (Required),district=[String] (Required)
Example call	getRepresentativeRoomNumberFromDistrict.php?state=MD&district=5
Example response	1705. Where no representative can be matched "NULL" is returned.

Civicspace database

Source of data: http://civicspacelabs.org/home/zipcodedb

getCityFromZip5.php

Description	get the city name from a 5 digit zip code
Arguments	zip=[String] (Required)
Example call	getCityFromZip5.php?zip=20740
Example response	College Park. Where no representative can be matched "NULL" is returned.

getCityStateFromZip5.php

Description	get the city name and state from a 5 digit zip code
Arguments	zip=[String] (Required)
Example call	getCityFromZip5.php?zip=20740
Example response	College Park, MD Where no representative can be matched "NULL" is returned.

getLatitudeFromCityState.php

Description	get the latitude(s) from a city name and state
Arguments	city=[String] (Required),state=[String] (Required)
Example call	getLatitudeFromCityState.php?city=College%20Park&state=MD
Example response	38.997560\|38.833563\| Mulitple answers, separated by a pipe, refer to different zip codes within the city. Where no city can be matched "NULL" is returned.

getLongitudeFromCityState.php

Description	get the longitude(s) from a city name and state
Arguments	city=[String] (Required),state=[String] (Required)
Example call	getLongitudeFromCityState.php?city=College%20Park&state=MD
Example response	-76.925770\|-76.877743\| Mulitple answers, separated by a pipe, refer to different zip codes within the city. Where no city can be matched "NULL" is returned.

getZipCodesFromCityState.php

Description	get the zipcode(s) from a city name and state
Arguments	city=[String] (Required),state=[String] (Required)
Example call	getZipCodesFromCityState.php?city=College%20Park&state=MD
Example response	20740\|20741\|20742\| Mulitple zips in the response are separated by a pipe. Where no city can be matched "NULL" is returned.

getTimezoneFromCityState.php

Description	get the timezone (from GMT) from a city name and state
Arguments	city=[String] (Required),state=[String] (Required)
Example call	getTimezoneFromCityState.php?city=College%20Park&state=MD
Example response	-5 Mulitple timezones in the response are separated by a pipe. Where no city can be matched "NULL" is returned.

getRepresentativeNameFromCityState.php

Description	get the representative's name(s) from a city name and state
Arguments	city=[String] (Required),state=[String] (Required)
Example call	getRepresentativeNameFromCityState.php?city=College%20Park&state=MD
Example response	Hoyer, Steny H.\|Wynn, Albert Russell\| Mulitple timezones in the response are separated by a pipe. Where no city or representative can be matched "NULL" is returned.

getRepresentativeNameFromState.php

Description	get the representative's name(s) for a state
Arguments	state=[String] (Required)
Example call	getRepresentativeNameFromState.php?state=MD
Example response	Hoyer, Steny H.\|Cardin, Benjamin L.\|Cummings, Elijah E.\|Wynn, Albert Russell\|Van Hollen, Chris\|Ruppersberger, C. A. Dutch\|Bartlett, Roscoe G.\|Gilchrest, Wayne T.\| Mulitple representatives in the response are separated by a pipe. Where no state can be matched "NULL" is returned.

USPS database

Source of data: US postal service website

getStateAbbreviationFromStateName.php

Description	get the state's abbreviation from the state's name
Arguments	name=[String] (Required)
Example call	getStateAbbreviationFromStateName.php?name=COLORADO
Example response	CO. Where no state can be matched "NULL" is returned.

getStateNameFromStateAbbreviation.php

Description	get the state's name from the state's abbreviation
Arguments	abbreviation=[String] (Required)
Example call	getStateNameFromStateAbbreviation.php?abbreviation=CO
Example response	COLORADO. Where no state can be matched "NULL" is returned.