> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.usenash.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Zones

> A zone is a geographic delivery area defined by a polygon boundary or a list of cities, zip codes, states, or countries. Learn how zones model coverage, how to look up which zones cover a location, and how zones relate to store locations.

A **zone** is a geographic area defined by a coverage area — a polygon boundary or a list of cities, zip codes, states, or countries. Zones model where delivery is available and let you apply zone-based rules and associate areas with the [store locations](/reference/store-locations) that serve them.

## What a zone is

A zone is created from a coverage area and can be associated with one or more store locations. Each zone can carry:

* A **name** and an optional **external ID** for mapping to your own systems
* One or more **store location associations**, optionally with start and end dates
* A **coverage area** that defines the zone's extent — a polygon boundary or a list of cities, zip codes, states, or countries
* Free-form **tags** and **metadata** for your own classification

Create a zone with [Create a zone](/api-reference/zones/create-a-zone) (`POST /v1/zones`) and retrieve one — including its coverage area and associated store locations — with [Get zone](/api-reference/zones/get-zone) (`GET /v1/zones/{id}`). You can also list zones with pagination (`GET /v1/zones`) or look one up by your own identifier with [Get zone by external identifier](/api-reference/zones/get-zone-by-external-identifier).

<Note>
  **Zone restrictions** are a separate concept layered on top of zones. A zone restriction defines a rule that controls delivery behavior within a specific zone — for example, provider restrictions or time-based rules. List them with `GET /v1/zone-restrictions`.
</Note>

## Coverage lookups

Coverage lookups answer the question *"which zones contain this location?"* by testing a location against your zones' coverage areas. Use [Get zones that cover a specified location](/api-reference/zones/get-zones-that-cover-specified-location-latitude-and-longitude-city_zipcode) (`GET /v1/zones/coverage`). You can query by:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Latitude & longitude">
    Provide both `latitude` and `longitude` to find zones whose coverage contains that exact point.

    ```
    GET /v1/zones/coverage?latitude=37.76&longitude=-122.43
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="City & zip code">
    Provide a `cityZipcode` pair (for example `sanfrancisco_94114`). The location must have coverage set up using the **City & Zip Code** unique field, not the separate City or Zip Code fields. You can also query by `zipcode` alone.

    ```
    GET /v1/zones/coverage?cityZipcode=sanfrancisco_94114
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

The endpoint returns the list of zones that cover the requested location.

<Info>
  If you query by `latitude`, you must also provide `longitude` (and vice versa) — coordinate lookups require both values.
</Info>

## Zones vs. store locations

Zones and store locations are distinct but related:

* A **store location** is a physical origin — a restaurant, warehouse, or store — that deliveries depart from.
* A **zone** is a geographic area, defined by its coverage area, where delivery is available. A zone can be associated with one or more store locations.

Together they let you describe *which store serves which area*: associate a zone with a store location, and a coverage lookup tells you whether a given dropoff point falls inside that store's delivery area.

Store locations have their own coverage lookup, [Get store locations that cover a specified latitude and longitude](/api-reference/store-locations/get-store-locations-that-cover-specified-latitude-and-longitude), which returns the store locations serving a point rather than the zones containing it.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Create a zone" icon="draw-polygon" href="/api-reference/zones/create-a-zone">
    Define where delivery is available with a coverage area.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Coverage lookup" icon="location-crosshairs" href="/api-reference/zones/get-zones-that-cover-specified-location-latitude-and-longitude-city_zipcode">
    Find zones covering a latitude/longitude or city/zip.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Get zone" icon="map-location-dot" href="/api-reference/zones/get-zone">
    Retrieve a zone's boundary and store locations.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Store locations" icon="store" href="/reference/store-locations">
    Manage the origins that zones serve.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>