# French Commune Lookup: Population, Area, Department & Postcodes (`smilemask/french-commune-lookup`) Actor

Search France's official commune (city/town) directory by name or postal code. Returns INSEE code, postcodes covered, population, surface area, coordinates, department and region. Free French government API (geo.api.gouv.fr), no key. For French market sizing and address enrichment.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/smilemask/french-commune-lookup.md
- **Developed by:** [돈벼락](https://apify.com/smilemask) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.80 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## French Commune Lookup: Population, Area, Department & Postcodes

Search France's official commune (city/town) directory by name or postal code. Returns INSEE code, postcodes covered, population, surface area, coordinates, department and region. Free French government API (geo.api.gouv.fr), no key. For French market sizing and address enrichment.

### What does French Commune Lookup do?

Search French communes by name or postcode: INSEE code, population, area, coordinates, department and region.

### What can you use it for?

- Enrich a French city or postcode with population and area.
- Look up the INSEE code and department for a French commune.
- Build a reference table of French towns for market sizing.
- Find every postcode covered by a given commune.

### Why use this Actor?

- **Fast and cheap:** lightweight HTTP-based Actor with no browser, so runs finish in seconds and cost very little.
- **No API keys or accounts needed** for the data source (see notes below).
- **Clean, structured JSON** that you can export as CSV, Excel, JSON or XML, or pull through the Apify API and integrations.
- **Scheduling, webhooks and integrations:** run it daily and send results to Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Make, n8n or your own API.

### Input

Configure the run in the **Input** tab (all fields have sensible defaults).

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `nom` | string | no | - | French commune (city/town) name, e.g. Lyon. |
| `codePostal` | string | no | - | 5-digit French postal code, e.g. 69001. |
| `maxResults` | integer | no | `20` | Maximum number of communes. |

#### Example input

```json
{
  "nom": "Lyon",
  "maxResults": 20
}
```

### Output

Results are stored in the default dataset. Download them from the **Output** tab or via the API.

#### Example result

```json
{
  "name": "Lyon",
  "inseeCode": "69123",
  "postalCodes": "69001, 69002, 69003, 69004, 69005, 69006, 69007, 69008, 69009",
  "population": 519127,
  "surfaceHectares": 4797.43,
  "latitude": 45.758,
  "longitude": 4.8351,
  "department": "Rhône",
  "departmentCode": "69",
  "region": "Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes",
  "epciCode": "200046977",
  "source": "geo.api.gouv.fr (France, Etalab Open Licence)",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-24T20:41:15.658Z"
}
```

#### Output fields

| Field | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| `name` | string | "Lyon" |
| `inseeCode` | string | "69123" |
| `postalCodes` | string | "69001, 69002, 69003, 69004, 69005, 69006, 69007, 69008, ... |
| `population` | number | 519127 |
| `surfaceHectares` | number | 4797.43 |
| `latitude` | number | 45.758 |
| `longitude` | number | 4.8351 |
| `department` | string | "Rhône" |
| `departmentCode` | string | "69" |
| `region` | string | "Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes" |
| `epciCode` | string | "200046977" |
| `source` | string | "geo.api.gouv.fr (France, Etalab Open Licence)" |
| `scrapedAt` | string | "2026-10-24T20:41:15.658Z" |

### How much does it cost?

The Actor is billed by Apify according to the pricing shown on the **Pricing** tab of this page. Runs are small and fast, and the Apify Free plan includes monthly platform credits so you can try it at no cost. You can set a maximum cost per run, and the Actor stops cleanly when that limit is reached.

### Notes and limitations

- Data is from the French government's official commune directory (Etalab Open Licence, commercial reuse allowed with attribution).
- Fill either the commune name or the postal code; results are ranked by population, largest first.

### Tips

- Start with a small test run, then scale up the input.
- Use **Schedules** to automate recurring runs and **Webhooks** or **Integrations** to deliver the data where you need it.
- Call the Actor from your code with the Apify API or the official JavaScript and Python clients.

### FAQ

**Can I search by postal code instead of name?**

Yes, fill 'Postal code' instead of 'Commune name'. A postal code can cover more than one commune.

**What is codeEpci?**

The code of the inter-communal body (EPCI) the commune belongs to, when it has one.

### Feedback

Found a bug or need an extra field? Open an issue from the **Issues** tab of this Actor and it will be looked at quickly.

### More tools from the same author

- [French Address Geocoding: Search & Validate Addresses in France](https://apify.com/SmileMask/french-address-geocoding) - Search any French address or place and get the official normalised address, postcode, city and coordinates.
- [Country Reference Data: Region, Income, Capital & Coordinates](https://apify.com/SmileMask/world-bank-country-reference) - Country reference table from the World Bank: ISO codes, region, income group, capital and coordinates.
- [Postal Code Lookup: ZIP to City, State & Coordinates (Bulk)](https://apify.com/SmileMask/postal-code-lookup-zippopotam) - Bulk postal/ZIP code lookup for 60+ countries: place names, states and coordinates.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/smilemask/french-commune-lookup/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `nom` (type: `string`):

French commune (city/town) name, e.g. Lyon.

## `codePostal` (type: `string`):

5-digit French postal code, e.g. 69001.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of communes.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "nom": "Lyon",
  "maxResults": 20
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "nom": "Lyon",
    "maxResults": 20
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("smilemask/french-commune-lookup").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "nom": "Lyon",
    "maxResults": 20,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("smilemask/french-commune-lookup").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "nom": "Lyon",
  "maxResults": 20
}' |
apify call smilemask/french-commune-lookup --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,smilemask/french-commune-lookup"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/EnE0UQJuRS6GBOPN4/builds/sHvfafwqMWukWjkHc/openapi.json