Ben's answer
How Do I Check if My Business Is in a HUBZone?
Type your business address into SBA's official HUBZone map at maps.certify.sba.gov/hubzone/map. It shows whether that exact spot is in a HUBZone and, if it's a Redesignated Area, when it expires. Check by full street address, not just ZIP code, because HUBZones follow census tract and county lines that can split a ZIP code.
- 10%Certified HUBZone businesses can compete for set-aside contracts and get a 10% price evaluation preference in full and open competitions.
- 3%The federal government's goal is to award 3% of federal prime contracting dollars to HUBZone small businesses each year.
- 35%To be certified, two locations matter: your principal office has to be in a HUBZone, and at least 35% of your employees have to live in one.
- 51%Be at least 51% owned and controlled by U.
HUBZone stands for Historically Underutilized Business Zone. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) runs the HUBZone program to steer federal contracts to small businesses in distressed areas. Certified HUBZone businesses can compete for set-aside contracts and get a 10% price evaluation preference in full and open competitions. The federal government's goal is to award 3% of federal prime contracting dollars to HUBZone small businesses each year.
To be certified, two locations matter: your principal office has to be in a HUBZone, and at least 35% of your employees have to live in one. That means you will usually check more than one address on the map: your office and each employee's home.
Last checked: November 11, 2026. This page explains the rules only. It is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice.
The short version
- Use the official map: maps.certify.sba.gov/hubzone/map. Search a full street address.
- ZIP codes don't line up with HUBZones. A HUBZone is a qualified census tract, a qualified non-metropolitan county, Indian reservation land, a Redesignated Area, a qualified base closure area, a qualified disaster area, or a Governor-designated covered area.
- If an address shows more than one designation, it counts as long as at least one is a qualified HUBZone.
- Redesignated Areas are temporary. SBA says areas that became Redesignated Areas in the July 2023 map update expired on July 1, 2026.
- Qualified census tracts and non-metropolitan counties are next updated in July 2028. Disaster areas and Governor-designated areas can be added or removed during the year.
- Being in a HUBZone is only step one. You still need SBA certification, and you recertify every three years.
Who qualifies
- Under SBA rules (13 CFR 126.200), a business has to:
- Be a small business under SBA size standards, counting its affiliates.
- Be at least 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, or by an Alaska Native corporation, Indian tribe, Native Hawaiian organization, Community Development Corporation, or small agricultural cooperative.
- Have its principal office in a HUBZone. SBA defines the principal office as the location where the greatest number of your employees work. Tribally owned businesses are an exception.
- Have at least 35% of its employees living in a HUBZone. SBA counts someone as living at an address if they have lived there full-time for at least 90 calendar days, and as an employee if they generally work at least 10 hours a week.
- Have no active exclusion in SAM.gov and no unresolved federal debts such as tax liens or defaulted federal loans.
How to get it
How to get started
- Open the HUBZone map at maps.certify.sba.gov/hubzone/map and search your principal office's full street address. Note the designation type and any expiration date.
- Check each employee's home address the same way, and count how many are in a HUBZone. You need at least 35%.
- If an address is in a Redesignated Area, Qualified Disaster Area, or Governor-designated covered area, note when that designation ends, because those areas can drop off the map.
- Confirm you are small under SBA size standards for the NAICS codes in your SAM.gov profile.
- Create an account and apply at SBA Certifications (certify.sba.gov). SBA aims to decide within 90 calendar days of a complete application, when practicable.
- Once certified, recertify in the 90 days before each three-year anniversary, and recheck the map before you do.
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Look beyond
FAQ
FAQ
Can I look up a HUBZone by ZIP code?
Not reliably. HUBZones are based on census tracts, counties and other boundaries that can cut through a ZIP code, so part of a ZIP code can be in a HUBZone and part not. Search the full street address on SBA's HUBZone map.
Is there a new HUBZone map for 2026?
The main map was last updated in July 2023. SBA says Redesignated Areas from that update expired on July 1, 2026, and qualified census tracts and non-metropolitan counties are next updated in July 2028. Disaster and Governor-designated areas can change at any time of year.
What is a Redesignated Area?
An area that lost its qualified census tract or non-metropolitan county status. SBA generally keeps it as a HUBZone for three years so businesses there have time to adjust. The map shows an expiration date next to it.
My office is in a HUBZone. Am I a HUBZone business?
Not yet. You also need at least 35% of your employees to live in a HUBZone, meet the size and ownership rules, and get certified through SBA Certifications.
What if my area drops off the map after I'm certified?
SBA says businesses that have been awarded HUBZone contracts are generally considered HUBZone businesses through the life of those contracts. At your next recertification you would need to meet the location rules again, for example by moving your principal office or hiring HUBZone residents. A principal office you bought or leased for at least 10 years in a HUBZone (other than a Redesignated or disaster area) can keep counting for up to 10 years.
Can I appeal if my address isn't a HUBZone?
No. SBA says HUBZone designations are set by law from census and economic data and can't be appealed or waived.
How often do I have to recertify?
Every three years, within the 90 calendar days before your certification anniversary.