IV postcode district map, Inverness
Supplier statuses last checked .
The IV postcode area covers 50 districts and 7,576 live postcodes, from IV1 to IV99. It is centred on Inverness and also covers Elgin, Dingwall, Forres, Nairn and Tain.
Its districts are sparse, averaging 152 postcodes each.
Where the IV districts sit
23 districts are plotted without a label where labels would overlap; every one is in the table below.
Where IV sits
It falls across Highland and Moray.
Every IV postcode is in Scotland. Water there is regulated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and Temporary Use Bans under the Water Industry Act 1991 do not apply in Scotland at all.
Water supply across IV
All 50 IV districts are supplied by Scottish Water, which is notable at this size: an area with this many districts usually crosses at least one supply boundary, and this one does not.
We are re-checking Scottish Water's status. It was last confirmed on 17 August 2026 as no restrictions, and until it is confirmed again this page does not assert a current position for it.
The shape of the IV area
The districts are wildly uneven: IV2 holds 1,267 postcodes around Inverness and IV48 holds 2, a ratio of about 634 to one. They divide into 72 sectors.
The numbering is not continuous. IV runs up to 99 but has only 50 districts, so 49 numbers are unused:.
Several districts share a settlement, which is a common source of confusion when a form rejects an address: IV1, IV2, IV3, IV5, IV8, IV13 and IV99 all point at Inverness, IV4, IV6, IV7, IV14 and IV15 all point at Dingwall and IV24, IV25 and IV28 all point at Dornoch.
What borders IV
IV sits next to PH (Perth) to the south, KW (Wick) to the north east, HS (Stornoway) to the west, AB (Aberdeen) to the east and FK (Falkirk) to the south.
Its neighbours run in 4 different directions, so IV is landlocked by other postcode areas on most sides.
IV districts, settlements and water supply
| District | Principal settlement | Water company | Hosepipe ban status |
|---|---|---|---|
| IV1 | Inverness | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV2 | Inverness | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV3 | Inverness | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV4 | Dingwall | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV5 | Inverness | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV6 | Dingwall | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV7 | Dingwall | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV8 | Inverness | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV9 | Fortrose | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV10 | Fortrose | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV11 | Cromarty | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV12 | Nairn | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV13 | Inverness | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV14 | Dingwall | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV15 | Dingwall | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV16 | Alness | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV17 | Alness | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV18 | Invergordon | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV19 | Tain | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV20 | Tain | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV21 | An Àrd | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV22 | Blair | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV23 | Blarnalearoch | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV24 | Dornoch | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV25 | Dornoch | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV26 | Braes of Ullapool | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV27 | Achnahuaigh | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV28 | Dornoch | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV30 | Elgin | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV31 | Lossiemouth | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV32 | Buckie | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV36 | Forres | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV40 | Lower Ardelve | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV41 | Kyleakin | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV42 | Breacais | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV43 | Camascross | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV44 | An Teanga | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV45 | Ardvasar | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV46 | — | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV47 | Carbostbeg | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV48 | Sgonnsair | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV49 | Blackpark | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV51 | An Garadh Fada | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV52 | Am Ploc | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV53 | Achmore | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV54 | Kirkton | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV55 | An Leth-Pheighinn | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV56 | An Gearraidh Mòr | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV63 | Kilmichael | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
| IV99 | Inverness | Scottish Water | Check with your supplier |
Principal settlement is the town or city each district sits in or nearest to, derived from OS Open Names. It is not the Royal Mail post town, which is licensed data and not published openly. Status is resolved live from each company’s own notice.
Water hardness in IV
No water company covering IV publishes hardness figures as open data. The gap is named per district below so you know who to ask.
| District | Hardness | As published | Supply zone | Published by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IV1 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV2 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV3 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV4 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV5 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV6 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV7 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV8 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV9 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV10 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV11 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV12 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV13 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV14 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV15 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV16 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV17 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV18 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV19 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV20 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV21 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV22 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV23 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV24 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV25 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV26 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV27 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV28 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV30 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV31 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV32 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV36 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV40 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV41 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV42 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV43 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV44 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV45 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV46 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV47 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV48 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV49 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV51 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV52 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV53 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV54 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV55 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV56 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV63 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
| IV99 | Not published by Scottish Water. Check with your supplier. | |||
Hardness is published per census area, not per postcode, so these figures characterise a district rather than measuring one address. They are a scale and taste matter, not a safety one. Hardness data version wessex-water@2022-2025+yorkshire-water@2026.
Download the IV data
No signup, no email wall. GeoJSON carries the district points, the supplier and the live status, so it can be dropped straight into a map.
District positions are averaged postcode centroids from OS Code-Point Open. They show roughly where a district sits, not where its boundary runs, and are not legal boundaries.
Frequently asked questions
How many postcode districts are in the IV area?
There are 50 IV postcode districts, running from IV1 to IV99, and they contain 7,576 live postcodes across 72 sectors.
What towns does the IV postcode area cover?
IV covers Inverness, Elgin, Dingwall, Forres, Nairn and Tain. The area takes its name from Inverness, and each district is listed with its settlement in the table on this page.
Which water company supplies IV postcodes?
Scottish Water supplies all 50 IV districts. Supply boundaries follow the pipe network rather than postcode geography, so confirm against your water bill if you are near the edge of the area.
Why do IV1 and IV2 both say Inverness?
IV1, IV2, IV3, IV5, IV8, IV13 and IV99 all serve Inverness, covering different parts of it. A single town routinely needs more than one postcode district once it passes a few thousand delivery points, so this is normal rather than an error in an address.
Can I download a free IV postcode map?
Yes. This page offers the IV districts as GeoJSON, CSV and SVG, free and with no signup or email address required. The GeoJSON carries each district's position, its water company and its current restriction status, so it can be dropped straight into a mapping tool.
Which councils cover the IV postcode area?
IV reaches into Highland and Moray. A postcode area is not a council area: they were drawn for different purposes and a single district can sit across a council boundary, so your postcode does not tell you which authority you pay.
Why is there no IV29 postcode district?
IV29 is not in use. Postcode districts are allocated as sorting requirements change rather than numbered straight through, and a code that is retired or never brought into service is not reissued, so gaps in the sequence are normal.