{
  "name": "Service Objects DOTS Address Validation",
  "slug": "service-objects",
  "website_url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/products/address-validation/",
  "vendor_description": "\"Maximize Address Accuracy and Deliverability\"",
  "categories": [
    "address-validation"
  ],
  "summary": "Service Objects DOTS Address Validation is a USPS CASS-certified REST API for validating, correcting, and standardizing postal addresses across the US, Canada, and 250-plus countries, used for e-commerce checkout, CRM hygiene, and fraud detection. A one-time 500-transaction trial key is available without a sales call, but production pricing requires contacting sales. The service holds SOC 2 Type 1 and PCI DSS certifications, complies with GDPR, and publishes an SLA. SDKs are available for .NET, Python, and Node.js, and a multi-language MCP server is also offered.",
  "capabilities": {
    "supported_actions": [
      "validate_address",
      "validate_address_with_dpv",
      "validate_address_with_rdi",
      "validate_address_with_suite_link",
      "validate_address_with_fragments",
      "validate_address_with_extras",
      "validate_address_single_line",
      "validate_address_type",
      "validate_city_state_zip",
      "get_possible_matches",
      "get_best_matches",
      "get_best_matches_single_line",
      "get_secondary_numbers",
      "find_address_lines",
      "parse_address",
      "validate_canadian_address",
      "validate_canadian_municipality_province",
      "parse_canadian_address",
      "get_address_info_international",
      "geocode_append"
    ],
    "supported_regions": [
      "United States (USPS CASS-certified, DPV, ZIP+4, 167 million USPS-recognized addresses plus 15 million non-USPS addresses)",
      "Canada (Canada Post standards, 15 million+ addresses, all 10 provinces and 3 territories, bilingual English/French)",
      "International (250+ countries and territories worldwide, 88% of countries at street level or better)"
    ],
    "supported_languages": [
      "English",
      "French",
      "Japanese (transliteration)",
      "Chinese (transliteration)",
      "local scripts for multiple countries"
    ],
    "input_types": [
      "structured address components (street, city, state/province, postal code)",
      "free-form single-line address string",
      "business name (for SuiteLink operation)",
      "city/state/zip combination"
    ],
    "output_types": [
      "standardized/corrected address",
      "ZIP+4 code",
      "DPV (Delivery Point Validation) codes and notes",
      "Residential Delivery Indicator (RDI)",
      "parsed address fragments (directionals, suffix, PMB number)",
      "county name and code",
      "congressional district code",
      "carrier route",
      "barcode digits",
      "correction codes",
      "error codes and descriptions",
      "geocode (latitude/longitude, via Address Geocode product)",
      "JSON",
      "XML",
      "SOAP response"
    ],
    "webhooks_supported": false,
    "sandbox_available": true,
    "sdk_languages": [
      "C# / .NET",
      "C# / .NET (AV4 sample)",
      "Python (AV4 sample)",
      "JavaScript / Node.js (AV4 sample)",
      "Multi-language MCP server (Python)"
    ],
    "mcp_server_available": true
  },
  "integration": {
    "api_style": "rest",
    "base_url": "https://sws.serviceobjects.com/AV4/",
    "api_version": "4 (AV4; AV3 also active, AV1/AV-Plus legacy)",
    "versioning_scheme": "url",
    "stability": "ga",
    "deprecation_policy_url": null,
    "auth_methods": [
      "api_key"
    ],
    "auth_docs_url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-4/av4-operations/av4-validateaddress-recommended/",
    "idempotency_supported": null,
    "error_format": "vendor-specific JSON/XML: object with Type, TypeCode (1=Authorization, 2=UserInput, 3=Fatal, 4=DomainSpecific), Desc, DescCode fields",
    "webhook_signing": null,
    "webhook_events_url": null,
    "rate_limit_requests": null,
    "rate_limit_window": null,
    "sdk_packages": [
      {
        "package": "DOTSAddressValidation3US_Standard",
        "language": "C# / .NET",
        "official": true,
        "repo_url": "https://www.nuget.org/profiles/Service_Objects"
      },
      {
        "package": null,
        "language": "C# / .NET (AV4 sample)",
        "official": true,
        "repo_url": "https://github.com/ServiceObjects/address-validation-us-4"
      },
      {
        "package": null,
        "language": "Python (AV4 sample)",
        "official": true,
        "repo_url": "https://github.com/ServiceObjects/address-validation-us-4"
      },
      {
        "package": null,
        "language": "JavaScript / Node.js (AV4 sample)",
        "official": true,
        "repo_url": "https://github.com/ServiceObjects/address-validation-us-4"
      },
      {
        "package": null,
        "language": "Multi-language MCP server (Python)",
        "official": true,
        "repo_url": "https://github.com/ServiceObjects/MCP"
      }
    ],
    "mcp_url": "https://github.com/ServiceObjects/MCP",
    "quickstart_url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/blog/getting-started-with-your-service-objects-trial-key/"
  },
  "pricing": {
    "pricing_model": "contact_sales",
    "has_published_pricing": false,
    "starting_price_usd": null,
    "price_basis": null,
    "free_tier_available": false,
    "free_tier_limit": "500 transactions (trial key)",
    "free_tier_details": null,
    "minimum_commitment": null,
    "self_serve_signup": true,
    "requires_sales_call": false,
    "requires_verification": false,
    "enterprise_plan_available": true,
    "price_points": []
  },
  "compliance": {
    "soc2": "type_1",
    "hipaa": false,
    "gdpr": true,
    "iso_27001": false,
    "pci_dss": true,
    "sla_published": true,
    "sla_url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/support/service-level-agreement/",
    "data_retention_policy_url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/privacy-policy/",
    "documented_rate_limits": null,
    "known_restrictions": [
      "Trial API key limited to 500 complimentary transactions (one-time, not a recurring free tier)",
      "RDI (Residential Delivery Indicator) operation requires special Service Objects agreement",
      "US product validates US addresses only; Canada product covers Canada only; International product covers 250+ countries",
      "No copies of real-time customer data or responses are stored by Service Objects",
      "Pricing not published; requires contact with sales for quotes"
    ]
  },
  "developer": {
    "docs_url": "https://docs.serviceobjects.com",
    "api_reference_url": null,
    "openapi_spec_url": null,
    "postman_collection_url": null,
    "changelog_url": null,
    "status_page_url": "https://status.serviceobjects.com",
    "llms_txt_url": null,
    "markdown_docs_url": null,
    "rendering": "static"
  },
  "adoption": {
    "launched_at": "2001-01-01",
    "ga_date": "2013-01-01",
    "github_stars": null,
    "github_stars_at": null,
    "notable_customers": [
      "Amazon",
      "Microsoft",
      "Mastercard",
      "American Express",
      "Sony",
      "Verizon",
      "Visa",
      "Xerox"
    ]
  },
  "scores": {
    "agent_friendliness": 60,
    "pricing_transparency": 15,
    "setup_speed": 75,
    "docs_quality": 15,
    "procurement_friction": 55,
    "trust_readiness": 63,
    "best_for": [
      "Regulated or enterprise workloads - compliance attestations and an enterprise plan",
      "AI agents and automation - an agent-ready surface (MCP / llms.txt)",
      "Teams needing broad API coverage out of the box"
    ],
    "avoid_if": [
      "You need transparent pricing up front",
      "You want to try it free before paying"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "field": "vendor_description",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/address-validation-us/",
      "excerpt": "Maximize Address Accuracy and Deliverability",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "sandbox_available",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-4/",
      "excerpt": "Test the service for free with 500 complimentary transactions. The trial endpoint is located at: https://strial.serviceobjects.com/AV4/",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "free_tier_available",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/address-validation-us/",
      "excerpt": "Test the service for free with 500 complimentary transactions",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "pricing_model",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/about-us/why-service-objects/flexible-pricing/",
      "excerpt": "Please call us at 1-800-694-6269 or create an account for immediate access to all 22 data validation APIs",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "has_published_pricing",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/about-us/why-service-objects/flexible-pricing/",
      "excerpt": "Transparent, predictable pricing models designed to meet your current and future data quality requirements without surprises",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "soc2",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/support/security/",
      "excerpt": "SOC 2 compliant with comprehensive audit covering data handling",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "gdpr",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/support/security/",
      "excerpt": "GDPR: Certified compliant",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "iso_27001",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/support/security/",
      "excerpt": "Certifications listed: SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, PCI DSS, CASS, SSL/TLS — ISO 27001 is not mentioned on this security page",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "pci_dss",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/address-validation-canada/",
      "excerpt": "SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and PCI compliance",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "supported_regions",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/address-validation-us/",
      "excerpt": "Validates 167 million USPS-recognized addresses plus 15 million non-USPS addresses",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "supported_regions",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/address-validation-international/",
      "excerpt": "250+ countries and territories worldwide. Street-level or better accuracy: 88% of world's countries",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "supported_actions",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-3/",
      "excerpt": "GetBestMatches, GetSecondaryNumbers, FindAddressLines, ValidateAddressWithDPV, ValidateAddressWithRDI, ValidateAddressWithSLK, ParseAddress, ValidateCityStateZip, GetBestMatchesSingleLine",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "enterprise_plan_available",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/support/service-level-agreement/",
      "excerpt": "eligibility requires recurring month-to-month or pre-paid annual subscriptions",
      "confidence": "medium"
    },
    {
      "field": "known_restrictions",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-4/",
      "excerpt": "Test the service for free with 500 complimentary transactions",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "api_style",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-3/",
      "excerpt": "AV3 is a public XML web service that supports SOAP, POST and GET operations, using RESTful paradigms or simple HTTP transport calls.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "base_url",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/blog/integrating-address-validation-us-4/",
      "excerpt": "AuthID is the license key distributed to you. It can either be a production key or a trial key but they have to be used in the correct environments. Production environment: https://sws.serviceobjects.com/AV4",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "auth_methods",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-4/av4-operations/av4-validateaddress-recommended/",
      "excerpt": "AuthID: Required. Authentication ID provided by Service Objects. License key to use the service.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "api_version",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-4/",
      "excerpt": "DOTS Address Validation – US 4 (AV4) is a new version of the Address Validation and Address Validation 3 Web services.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "versioning_scheme",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-4/av4-code-snippets-and-sample-code/av4-rest/",
      "excerpt": "Endpoint: https://sws.serviceobjects.com/AV4/ValidateAddress — version encoded directly in the URL path.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "error_format",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-4/av4-operations/av4-validateaddress-recommended/",
      "excerpt": "ProblemDetails: error object (type, title, status, detail) if validation fails.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "sdk_packages",
      "url": "https://github.com/ServiceObjects/address-validation-us-4",
      "excerpt": "This project shows you how to get started with Address Validation - US 4 using Python, C#, or NodeJS.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "mcp_url",
      "url": "https://github.com/ServiceObjects/MCP",
      "excerpt": "This Model Context Protocol (MCP) python code sets up an MCP server and client with various APIs and operations from Service Objects.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "free_tier_limit",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/address-validation-us/",
      "excerpt": "500 complimentary transactions available with a free trial key.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "sla_url",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/support/service-level-agreement/",
      "excerpt": "Service Objects commits to 99.999% availability of its API service. Credits vary by outage: 30 seconds to 1 hour = 1 day credit; 1–2 hours = 1 week credit; 2+ hours = 1 month credit. Industry's only financially backed Service Level Agreement.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "starting_price_usd",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/about-us/why-service-objects/flexible-pricing/",
      "excerpt": "All our web service APIs are available for free testing. Transparent, predictable pricing models designed to meet your current and future data quality requirements without surprises.",
      "confidence": "low"
    },
    {
      "field": "launched_at",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_Objects",
      "excerpt": "Service Objects is a private data validation firm founded in 2001 by Geoffrey Grow.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "mcp_server_available",
      "url": "https://github.com/ServiceObjects/MCP",
      "excerpt": "This Model Context Protocol (MCP) python code sets up an MCP server and client with various APIs and operations from Service Objects.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "sandbox_available",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-3/",
      "excerpt": "Trial: https://trial.serviceobjects.com/AV3/api.svc/ — separate from Live: https://sws.serviceobjects.com/AV3/api.svc/",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "free_tier_available",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/about-us/why-service-objects/flexible-pricing/",
      "excerpt": "All our web service APIs are available for free testing. create an account for immediate access to all 22 data validation APIs",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "pricing_model",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/blog/why-is-pricing-so-hard/",
      "excerpt": "it is even more important to start from your specific business problems, as opposed to a price list",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "soc2",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/news-and-press/press-releases/service-objects-announces-completion-of-soc-2-certification-for-data-security/",
      "excerpt": "Service Organization Control (SOC 2) Type 1 Certification for Data Security",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "hipaa",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/support/security/",
      "excerpt": "Certifications listed: SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, PCI DSS, CASS, SSL/TLS — HIPAA is not mentioned on this security page",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "gdpr",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/address-validation-us/",
      "excerpt": "GDPR Certified",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "pci_dss",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/support/security/",
      "excerpt": "PCI DSS: Certified compliant",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "sla_published",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/support/service-level-agreement/",
      "excerpt": "Service Objects guarantees 99.999% API availability with a financially backed Service Level Agreement. Credits vary by outage: 30 seconds to 1 hour = 1 day credit; 1-2 hours = 1 week credit; 2+ hours = 1 month credit.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "supported_regions",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/address-validation-canada/",
      "excerpt": "over 15 million locations spanning all 10 provinces and 3 territories",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "supported_actions",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation/",
      "excerpt": "ValidateAddress, ValidateAddressWithExtras, ValidateAddressWithFragments, ValidateAddressWithDPV, ValidateAddressWithRDI, ValidateAddressWithSuiteLink, GetPossibleMatches, ValidateAddressSingleLine, ValidateCityStateZip, ValidateAddressType, ParseAddress",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "enterprise_plan_available",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/about-us/why-service-objects/flexible-pricing/",
      "excerpt": "Transparent, predictable pricing models designed to meet your current and future data quality requirements without surprises",
      "confidence": "medium"
    },
    {
      "field": "self_serve_signup",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/about-us/why-service-objects/flexible-pricing/",
      "excerpt": "create an account for immediate access to all 22 data validation APIs",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "known_restrictions",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/support/security/",
      "excerpt": "No copies of your real-time data nor your responses are stored",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "api_style",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-4/av4-code-snippets-and-sample-code/av4-rest/",
      "excerpt": "AV4 REST documentation: GET requests with query-string parameters; JSON response format.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "base_url",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-3/av3-rest/",
      "excerpt": "Live: https://sws.serviceobjects.com/AV3/api.svc/ | Backup: https://swsbackup.serviceobjects.com/AV3/api.svc/ | Trial: https://trial.serviceobjects.com/AV3/api.svc/",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "auth_methods",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-3/av3-rest/",
      "excerpt": "The license key is passed as a query string parameter alongside address data. Key Name: LicenseKey.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "api_version",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/legacy/dots-address-validation-us/",
      "excerpt": "DOTS Address Validation – US appears under the Legacy section of documentation, superseded by AV3 and AV4.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "error_format",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-3/av3-errors/",
      "excerpt": "TypeCode 1 = Authorization, TypeCode 2 = User Input, TypeCode 3 = Service Objects Fatal, TypeCode 4 = Domain Specific. Error object: Type, TypeCode, Desc, DescCode.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "sdk_packages",
      "url": "https://www.nuget.org/profiles/Service_Objects",
      "excerpt": "Service Objects has published 23 packages; DOTSAddressValidation3US_Standard v1.1.1 — targets .NET Standard 2.0.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "sdk_packages",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/developers/nuget/",
      "excerpt": "Developers can save time by loading a Service Objects' NuGet package directly into their .Net code. The packages automatically implement best practices like fail-over configuration.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "quickstart_url",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/blog/getting-started-with-your-service-objects-trial-key/",
      "excerpt": "Now that you have your free trial key, what should you do with it? Visit the Trial Service Path — Access the endpoint specifications page to see all available products and versions.",
      "confidence": "medium"
    },
    {
      "field": "free_tier_limit",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/docs/dots-address-validation-us-3/",
      "excerpt": "Free trial includes 500 complimentary transactions via /get-key/?wsid=72",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "data_retention_policy_url",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/privacy-policy/",
      "excerpt": "We do not cache copies of any Data you send us as a part of your use of the service, except for batch files that are permanently deleted after 5 days. We do keep daily usage log for billing purposes, saving only the date that the transaction occurred.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "launched_at",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/address-validation-us/",
      "excerpt": "Contacts Validated Since September 2001",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "ga_date",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_Objects",
      "excerpt": "In 2013, the company introduced the DOTS Address Validation-US3 API, which automatically verifies, corrects, and appends address information to contact data records in real time.",
      "confidence": "medium"
    },
    {
      "field": "notable_customers",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/address-validation-us/",
      "excerpt": "Our Trusted Partners [logos shown]: Amazon, Microsoft, Mastercard, AMEX, Sony, Verizon, Visa, and Xerox.",
      "confidence": "high"
    },
    {
      "field": "requires_verification",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/about-us/why-service-objects/flexible-pricing/",
      "excerpt": "All our web service APIs are available for free testing — create an account for immediate access to all 22 data validation APIs.",
      "confidence": "medium"
    },
    {
      "field": "requires_verification",
      "url": "https://www.serviceobjects.com/blog/getting-started-with-your-service-objects-trial-key/",
      "excerpt": "You require unique trial keys for DOTS Address Validation – US 3 and DOTS Address Validation – US 2 when testing different service versions. Each product that you are working with needs its own separate trial key.",
      "confidence": "medium"
    }
  ],
  "fields_not_found": [
    "documented_rate_limits",
    "minimum_commitment",
    "Canada Post SERP/AMAS certification",
    "Royal Mail PAF certification",
    "Australia Post AMAS certification",
    "webhooks",
    "starting_price_usd",
    "price_basis",
    "rate_limit_requests",
    "rate_limit_window",
    "deprecation_policy_url",
    "ga_date_av4",
    "idempotency_supported",
    "webhook_signing",
    "webhook_events_url"
  ],
  "source_confidence": "high",
  "last_verified_at": "2026-06-14T00:00:00.000Z",
  "contribute": {
    "note": "This data is crowd-editable. Suggest corrections or leave a review via these endpoints - no auth required, requests are rate-limited, and every submission is reviewed before it goes live. For a field edit, {field} is any key in this response and a citation is required.",
    "endpoints": [
      {
        "action": "review",
        "label": "Leave a review or comment",
        "method": "POST",
        "url": "https://apio.sh/api/feedback/service-objects",
        "example_body": {
          "kind": "review",
          "rating": 5,
          "body": "Your experience with this API…"
        }
      },
      {
        "action": "field_edit",
        "label": "Suggest a correction to a field (cite a source)",
        "method": "POST",
        "url": "https://apio.sh/api/suggest/service-objects/{field}",
        "example_body": {
          "value": "corrected value",
          "citations": [
            {
              "url": "https://source.example/page",
              "excerpt": "supporting quote"
            }
          ],
          "note": "what changed and why"
        }
      },
      {
        "action": "new_api",
        "label": "Suggest a new API to add",
        "method": "POST",
        "url": "https://apio.sh/api/suggest/api",
        "example_body": {
          "value": {
            "name": "Acme API",
            "website_url": "https://acme.example"
          },
          "citations": [
            {
              "url": "https://acme.example"
            }
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "action": "token",
        "label": "Optional - raise your rate limit",
        "method": "GET",
        "url": "https://apio.sh/api/feedback/token"
      }
    ]
  }
}