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Postal Codes Solution
Every worldwide postal-code dataset in one bundle — the ultimate global reference for precise postal codes.
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Access dataset files directly from scripts, code, or AI agents.
Each file has a stable URL (r-link) that you can use directly in scripts, apps, or AI agents. These URLs are permanent and safe to hardcode.
Start with these files — they give you everything you need to understand and access the dataset.
- 1. Fetch datapackage.yaml to inspect schema and resources
- 2. Download data resources listed in datapackage.yaml
- 3. Read README.md for full context
Data Files
postal-codes-ca-sample
| Field | Type | Description | Constraints | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| country_code | string | ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code — always CA | { "pattern": "^CA$", "required": true } | Country Code |
| postal_code | string | Six-character postal code, formatted 'A1A 1A1' — primary key | { "pattern": "^[A-Z]\\d[A-Z] \\d[A-Z]\\d$", "required": true } | Postal Code |
| place_name | string | Place / locality name for the postal code | Place Name | |
| admin_name1 | string | Province or territory name | Administrative Name 1 | |
| admin_code1 | string | Province or territory two-letter code | Administrative Code 1 | |
| admin_name2 | string | Census Division name (SGC 2021), derived by spatial join | Administrative Name 2 | |
| admin_code2 | string | Four-digit Census Division UID (SGC 2021) | Administrative Code 2 | |
| admin_name3 | string | Census Subdivision name (SGC 2021) — municipality, city, town, township or reserve | Administrative Name 3 | |
| admin_code3 | string | Seven-digit Census Subdivision UID (SGC 2021). Its first four digits are the Census Division UID in admin_code2 | Administrative Code 3 | |
| latitude | number | Latitude, decimal degrees (WGS84) | Latitude | |
| longitude | number | Longitude, decimal degrees (WGS84) | Longitude | |
| accuracy | string | Coordinate accuracy indicator as supplied by the source | Accuracy | |
| alternative_city_name | string | Pipe-separated alternate place names, where known | Alternative City Name |
Download
Download sample CSVAbout
- Last updated
- 12 October 2026
- Total rows
- 100
- Format
- CSV
- File size
- 12 kB
- Sources
- GeoNames postal code export for Canada, CA_full (CC BY 4.0) - postal codes, place names and coordinates
- Statistics Canada, 2021 Census cartographic boundary files (Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions), Open Government Licence - Canada and Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement - census geography, assigned to each postal code by spatial join. Not endorsed by or affiliated with Statistics Canada or GeoNames.
About this dataset
Canada (CA) — internal licensing notes
2026-10-12: StatCan boundary licence, read for the ArcGIS source switch
Internal. Not shipped. The pipeline never reads, joins to or compares against the StatCan Postal Code Conversion File.
Sources and what they state
- ArcGIS service (
https://geo.statcan.gc.ca/geo_wa/rest/services/2021/Cartographic_boundary_files/MapServer?f=json,serviceDescription, read 2026-10-12): "Resource constraints; Use Limitation: Open Government Licence - Canada (http://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada); Access Constraints: License; Use Constraints: License".copyrightText: "Government of Canada; Statistics Canada; Statistical Geomatics Centre". Layers 4 and 9 have an emptycopyrightText. - The shapefile zips' embedded metadata (
lcd_000b21a_e.xml, from the 2026-10-05 download) carries the identical string: "Open Government Licence - Canada (http://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada)". - OGL-Canada (https://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada): "a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive licence to use the Information, including for commercial purposes"; required notice "Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada."
- Reference guide 92-160-G, 2021 Census Boundary Files (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/92-160-g/92-160-g2021002-eng.htm): "Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement"; it does not mention OGL-Canada, and says the same metadata applies to the Esri REST and WMS services.
- Statistics Canada Open Licence (https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/reference/licence, page dated 2025-07-10, no version number). Terms as read:
- Grant: "a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to: use, reproduce, publish, freely distribute, or sell the Information; use, reproduce, publish, freely distribute, or sell Value-added Products; and, sublicence any or all such rights, under terms consistent with this licence."
- Value-added Products: "any products you have produced by adapting or incorporating the Information, in whole or in part"; intellectual property rights in them "shall vest in you, in such person as you shall decide or as determined by law."
- Conditions: "reproduce the Information accurately"; "not use the Information in a way that suggests that Statistics Canada endorses you or your use of the Information"; "not misrepresent the Information or its source"; "not merge or link the Information with any other databases for the purpose of attempting to identify an individual person, business or organization".
- Notice on Information: "Source: Statistics Canada, name of product, reference date. Reproduced and distributed on an "as is" basis with the permission of Statistics Canada."
- Notice on Value-added Products: "Adapted from Statistics Canada, name of product, reference date. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product."
- Name, crest, logos or domain names of Statistics Canada may not be used "without written authorization from the Treasury Board Secretariat"; no annotation that may be read as an endorsement of the Value-added Product.
- Terminates automatically on breach.
Reading
The service and the zips state OGL-Canada; the reference guide says the Statistics Canada Open Licence. Both allow commercial use and sale of adapted products. The dataset is a Value-added Product (boundary names and SGC codes joined to postal-code points), so the "Adapted from" notice is the applicable form. Nothing found in either licence forbids what this pipeline does; the linking clause concerns identifying persons or businesses, and the dataset holds postal codes and census geography only.
Decision (owner, 2026-10-12)
Carry both attributions. README.md and ATTRIBUTION.txt keep the GeoNames CC BY 4.0 credit and the OGL-Canada line, and add: "Adapted from Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Boundary Files (cartographic boundary files, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions), reference date 2021. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product." plus a sentence that the boundary data is used under the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement and the Open Government Licence – Canada as stated by the service. The descriptor's licenses now lists CC-BY-4.0, OGL-Canada-2.0 and StatCan-Open-Licence.
Still open
- No open.canada.ca catalogue record for the 2021 boundary files was found (the 2006, 2011 and 2016 records exist and say OGL-Canada); the www12 download page returns 403 to this network, so its licence line was not read. If the owner wants a single licence name, ask Statistics Canada (infostats@statcan.gc.ca, the contact in the service metadata).
- The structured
licence_statusrecord (CLAUDE.md gate) is not part of this repo's descriptor and was not changed.