API Terms of Use

Last Updated: January 13, 2025. To review the previous terms, please click here.

This document governs the terms under which you may access and use the application programming interface that is made available on this website or the JSON content feed if made available by Yelp Inc., at Yelp’s sole discretion (both, collectively the “API”), the data transmitted through the API (the “Yelp Content”) and the payment to you for referrals from Your Site, as provided below. This document incorporates the terms of the following additional documents, including all future amendments or modifications thereto (collectively, and together with this document, the “API Agreement”):

By accessing or using the API or Yelp Content, you agree to be bound by this API Agreement. If you access or use the API or Yelp Content on behalf of a company, principal or other entity, you represent that you have authority to bind such entity and its affiliates to the API Agreement and that it is fully binding upon them. In such case, the term “you” will refer to such entity and its affiliates. If you do not have authority, or if you do not agree with the terms of the API Agreement, you may not access or use the API or Yelp Content. You should read and keep a copy of each component of the API Agreement for your records. In the event of a conflict among them, the terms of this document will control.

By sending us any ideas, suggestions, documents or proposals (“Feedback”), you agree that (i) your Feedback does not contain the confidential or proprietary information of any third parties (including yours), (ii) we are under no obligation of confidentiality or attribution, express or implied, with respect to the Feedback, (iii) we may have something similar to the Feedback already under consideration or in development, and (iv) you grant us, without charge in consideration for the use of the API, an irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide license to use, modify, commercialize, prepare derivative works, publish, distribute and sublicense the Feedback, and you irrevocably waive, and cause to be waived, against Yelp and its users any claims and assertions of any moral rights contained in such Feedback. You will not give feedback that is subject to a license that requires Yelp to license its software or documentation to third parties because Yelp includes your feedback in them. The rights in this section survive this agreement.

1. PURPOSE
The API is made available by Yelp Inc. (“Yelp”) to enable you to access and present Yelp Content to on your consumer-facing content distribution platform (i.e. non-commercial uses, as defined below), including but not limited to your website and mobile apps (“Your Site”) to visitors to Your Site (the “Users”). Yelp reserves the right to continually review and evaluate all uses of the API to ensure continuous compliance with these terms and Display Requirements.

2. CHANGES
Yelp reserves the right to modify the API Agreement at any time. If Yelp reasonably determines that a modification may materially and adversely impact You, Yelp will provide email notice to you using the email address you provided during registration no less than ten (10) days prior to the material adverse modification taking affect. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE BOUND TO ANY NEW OR MODIFIED TERMS, YOU MUST TERMINATE THE API AGREEMENT BY CEASING USE OF THE API WITHIN TEN (10) DAYS OF RECEIPT OF SUCH NOTICE.

3. REGISTRATION
In order to access or use the API, you must first register for and receive a valid suite of OAuth consumer keys (also referred to as API Keys). You are only allowed to register for and use one (1) set of login credentials, unless Yelp provides the functionality to create and use multiple API keys and otherwise permitted by Yelp in writing, including via email. All queries sent to the API requesting data must reference your valid login credentials. You agree to keep your login credentials confidential and not to share them with any third party.

4. LICENSE
Subject to compliance with the terms set forth in the Display Requirements and elsewhere in the API Agreement, Yelp grants you, during the Term, a non-exclusive, revocable, non-sublicensable, non-transferable license in the Territory to (i) access and use the API to receive the Yelp Content; (ii) display the Yelp Content on Your Site; and (iii) reproduce and display the Yelp name and logo (the “Yelp Brand Features”) solely in order to comply with the Display Requirements.

You may not use the API, Yelp Content, or Yelp Brand Features for any other purpose without Yelp’s prior written consent. These license rights are further limited by the restrictions set forth elsewhere in the API Agreement, and all rights not expressly granted to you hereunder are reserved by Yelp. You acknowledge and agree that Yelp may monitor Your Site in order to confirm compliance with the API Agreement.

You agree that you will remove from display and destroy any Yelp Content within twenty-four (24) hours upon email or other written request from Yelp.

5. RESTRICTIONS
You agree that you will not, and will not assist or enable others to:

a. cache, record, pre-fetch, or otherwise store any portion of the Yelp Content for a period longer than twenty-four (24) hours from receipt of the Yelp Content, or attempt or provide a means to execute any scraping or “bulk download” operations, with the exception of using the Yelp Content to perform non-commercial analysis (as further explained below) or storing Yelp business IDs which you may use solely for back-end matching purposes;

b. modify the Yelp Content, or use it to update or create your own database of business listing information, unless such modification is for non-commercial analysis, as further explained below;

c. display or use Yelp user review ratings (numerical, star or any other representation of the Yelp user review rating calculation) alongside or in conjunction with other user-generated content (i.e. don’t use Yelp user review ratings for the benefit of a Yelp competitor);

d. create or disclose metrics about, or perform any analysis of the API, or use Yelp Content for any commercial purpose without the express written consent of Yelp (i.e. don’t sell any Yelp data or content whatsoever); for sake of clarity, in the event that you do receive explicit written consent from Yelp to create any metrics or perform any analysis of the API or Yelp Content for any commercial purpose, you agree not to disclose to any third party any such metrics or analyses related to or connected with the API or Yelp Content for at least three (3) years following termination of this API Agreement;

e. modify or remove the hyperlink contained within any Yelp Content that is provided in the API;

f. use the API on behalf of any third party;

g. use any geocodes provided in the Yelp Content for use or display in Open Street Maps or other open source map implementations where any geocodes would in any way be contributed to open source code or subject to open source licenses;

h. display Yelp Brand Features or Yelp Content in a manner that could reasonably imply an endorsement, relationship or affiliation with or sponsorship between you or a third party and Yelp, other than your permitted use of the API under the terms of the API Agreement;

i. copy, rent, lease, sell, transfer, assign, sublicense, disassemble, reverse engineer or decompile (except to the limited extent expressly authorized under applicable statutory law), modify or alter any part of the API;

j. rate, rank, review, vote or comment on, or otherwise respond, or enable the response, to the Yelp Content;

k. use the API in a manner that impacts the stability of Yelp’s servers or impacts the behavior of other applications using the API;

l. remove applicable tracking parameters from any API calls, such as Google Analytics tracking tags;

m. display the Yelp Content on any site that disparages Yelp or its products or services, or infringes any Yelp intellectual property or other rights;

n. use the API or Yelp Content in any manner or for any purpose that may violate any law or regulation, or any right of any person including, but not limited to, intellectual property rights, rights of privacy and/or rights of personality, or which otherwise may be harmful (in Yelp’s sole discretion) to Yelp, its providers, its suppliers, end users of this website, or your end users, or use the API or Yelp Content with any commercial website or online service (including mobile apps) that is directed towards children under the age of 13 and collects, uses, or discloses information from such children;

o. use the API, Yelp Content or Yelp Brand Features in a manner that could reasonably be interpreted to suggest that Yelp is the author or entity that is responsible, in whole or in part, for the creation or development of any Yelp Content or that such Yelp Content represents the views of Yelp;

p. use the API or Yelp Content in connection with or to promote any products, services or materials that constitute, promote or are used primarily for the purpose of dealing in: spyware, adware and/or other malicious programs or code; counterfeit goods and/or items subject to U.S. embargo; unsolicited mass distributions of e-mail (“spam”), actions intended to mislead search engines into ranking some pages higher than they would otherwise deserve (“web spam”) multilevel marketing proposals, direct marketing and/or telemarketing activities; hate materials; libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, abusive or otherwise offensive content; prostitution, body parts and/or bodily fluids; stolen products and/or items used for theft; hacking/surveillance/interception/descrambling equipment; fireworks, explosives and/or other hazardous materials; gambling; professional services regulated by state licensing regimes; and/or non-transferable items such as airline tickets, event tickets, weapons and/or weapons accessories; and

q. utilize URL shorteners or similar services which hide the end-user display of a clear and direct link to Yelp (i.e. http://bit.ly/2EzTEBc instead of https://www.yelp.com/biz/XXXXX?adjust_creative=-kDpCHzDpUQHxqgvJF2T6g&utm_campaign=yelp_api_v3&utm_medium=api_v3_business_lookup&utm_source=-kDpCHzDpUQHxqgvJF2T6g);

Allowable non-commercial use of the Yelp Content. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may use the Yelp Content to perform certain analysis for non-commercial uses only, such as creating rich visualizations or exploring trends and correlations over time, so long as the underlying Yelp Content is only displayed in the aggregate as an analytical output, and not individually. For example, this is an acceptable non-commercial analytical use of the Yelp Content. “Non-commercial use” means any use of the Yelp Content which does not generate promotional or monetary value for the creator or the user, or such use does not gain economic value from the use of our content for the creator or user, i.e. you. If you are interested in commercial use of the Yelp Content, please visit knowledge.yelp.com.

6. PROPRIETARY RIGHTS
As between you and Yelp, the API, Yelp Content, Yelp Brand Features, and all intellectual property rights contained in the foregoing, are and will at all times remain the sole and exclusive property of Yelp and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws and treaties (whether those rights happen to be registered or not, and wherever in the world those rights may exist.). You agree that at no time during or after the termination of the API Agreement will you attempt to register any trademarks (including domain names) that are confusingly similar in any way to those of Yelp Brand Features or Yelp Content.

7. TRIAL AND SUBSCRIPTION TERMS
7.1 Free Trial Enrollment. You may enroll in a thirty (30) day free trial, during which the terms of this API Agreement apply. You will be notified by email prior to the end of the trial period that your API key access will be terminated on the 30th day of the trial unless you opt into a paid subscription program by providing credit card and other necessary information to enroll in the subscription. This enrollment will transition you from the trial to a month-to-month subscription payment. Upon opting into a paid subscription, you will be billed on a month-to-month basis. You may also opt to enroll into the paid subscription plan at any time during the trial period.

7.2 Cancellation Process. You can easily terminate your subscription at any time by accessing your Yelp Fusion API account (found at https://www.yelp.com/developers/v3/manage_app) and selecting the cancel option. The subscription will remain active until the end of the current billing period.

7.3 Launch Restrictions. During the free trial period, you may not publicly launch or release your product that uses the API. The trial period is solely for non-public evaluation of the API. 

7.4 No Publicity Rights. You must obtain Yelp’s prior written consent before conducting any public relations activities related to your product’s API integration at any time during the term of the API Agreement (the trial and subscription periods).

7.5 Yelp Termination Rights. During a trial period, Yelp may immediately terminate the API Agreement, including the API key for any reason or no reason. During the subscription period,  Yelp may terminate this API Agreement upon thirty (30) days’ written notice to you for any reason or no reason. Upon such termination, Yelp will refund any prepaid, unused fees on a pro-rata basis. Yelp may also terminate this API Agreement upon your material breach of this API Agreement, upon twenty-one (21) days from email notice of such material breach if it is not cured to Yelp’s satisfaction within such period of time. Any termination of the API Agreement will also immediately terminate the licenses granted to you hereunder. Such termination of the API may cause your existing services using the API to stop functioning properly. Upon any termination of the API Agreement, you will immediately cease use of the API, promptly delete and remove all calls to the API from all web pages, scripts, widgets, applications, and other software in your possession or under your control, promptly destroy and remove from all computers, hard drives, networks, and other storage media all copies of the API, Yelp Brand Features, and/or any Yelp Content, and upon Yelp’s request, promptly certify in writing to Yelp that such actions have been taken.

8. PRICING AND FEES
8.1 Tiered Pricing Model. The paid subscription program offers a tiered pricing model with various features and call limits (“Fees”). You can select the plan that best suits your needs during the enrollment process. Upon enrollment, you will be billed on a monthly basis in arrears at the end of the current billing period using the credit card on file. Any additional API calls in excess of the monthly quota provided for each subscription option, up to but not exceeding one-hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) overall monthly API calls, will also be billed to your credit card on file at the end of such monthly period according to the Fees displayed on the Yelp Fusion website. By providing your payment information, you authorize Yelp to charge your credit card for the applicable Fees each month. It is your responsibility to ensure that your payment information is accurate and up-to-date. Failure to process payment may result in suspension or termination of your access to the API. If you require a higher number of API calls per monthly period in excess of one-hundred and fifty thousand (150,000), you will need to contact the Yelp Fusion Enterprise Team at fusion@yelp.com or fill out the Enterprise Form to arrange higher API call volumes, related volume discounts, payment structures, etc.

8.2 Sales Tax. All Fees are net of any excise, sales, use, value added or other taxes, assessments, tariffs, fines, penalties or duties on the purchase of subscription programs (collectively, “Taxes”). You are responsible for paying all applicable Taxes. You will indemnify, defend, and hold Yelp harmless from and against any claim arising out of your failure to pay Taxes. If at any time Yelp is obligated to collect or pay such Taxes, Yelp will invoice you and you will pay the amount of Taxes invoiced, unless you provide Yelp with a timely and valid tax exemption certificate authorized by the appropriate taxing authority.

9. USE RESTRICTIONS ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this API Agreement, during or after the Term, you shall not:

9.1. Use, copy, process, modify, reverse engineer, or create derivative works based on the Yelp Content for the purpose of training, developing, enhancing, or fine-tuning any Generative AI Models without Yelp’s prior written approval, which may be granted or withheld in Yelp’s sole discretion.

9.2. Share, sell, sublicense, or distribute the Yelp Content, in whole or in part, to any third party for use (express or implied) with Generative AI Model training, development, or enhancement, without Yelp’s express written consent.

9.3. Modify, reverse engineer, or create derivative works based on the Yelp Content for the purpose of training, developing, enhancing, or fine-tuning Generative AI Models or any other databases, models, or systems designed for processing, understanding, or generating output based on natural language or other structured and unstructured data sets.

9.4. Submit or ingest any Yelp Content into any Generative AI Model (e.g., prompts that contain any Yelp Content into ChatGPT or other such models).

For the purposes of this Agreement:

“Generative AI Models” refers to artificial intelligence systems designed to produce new content in various forms such as text, images, audio, or other media. These models learn patterns and structures from a given dataset and generate human-like output based on this training. This category includes, but is not limited to, large language models (LLMs), generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), variational autoencoders (VAEs), and generative adversarial networks (GANs).

“Large Language Models”: “LLMs” or “Large Language Models” are a subset of Generative AI Models that specifically focus on processing, understanding, and generating human language and use deep learning techniques to train on extensive datasets comprising vast amounts of text.

10. INDEMNITY
You agree that your use of the API is at your own risk and you agree to hold harmless, defend (subject to Yelp’s right to participate with counsel it selects) and indemnify Yelp and its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers and employees from and against any and all claims, damages, liabilities, costs and fees (including reasonable attorneys’ fee) arising from, or in any way related to (i) your or your Users’ use or implementation of the API or any Yelp Content obtained from the API, (ii) any content on Your Site, including any statements, representations or warranties related to Yelp or and (iii) any misuse of the API or Yelp Content by you or your Users, including but not limited to unauthorized access, use, or distribution of Yelp Content. You will not agree to any settlement that imposes any obligation on Yelp without Yelp’s prior consent.

11. NO WARRANTIES; NO SUPPORT
THE API, YELP BRAND FEATURES AND YELP CONTENT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS”, “WITH ALL FAULTS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTY, OF ANY KIND AND AT YOUR SOLE RISK. EXCEPT TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YELP DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS, CONDITIONS, AND DUTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, REGARDING THE API, YELP BRAND FEATURES AND ANY YELP CONTENT, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY AND ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, ACCURACY, RESULTS OF USE, RELIABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, INTERFERENCE WITH QUIET ENJOYMENT AND NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD-PARTY RIGHTS. FURTHER, YELP DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY THAT YOUR USE OF THE API WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, TIMELY OR ERROR FREE. FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THE API AGREEMENT DOES NOT ENTITLE YOU TO ANY SUPPORT FOR THE API. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR IN WRITING, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM YELP WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THE API AGREEMENT.

12. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
THE API IS BEING PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE. ACCORDINGLY, YOU AGREE THAT YELP SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY ARISING FROM, RELATING TO OR BASED ON YOUR USE OF THE API. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER ANY REMEDY SET FORTH HEREIN FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OR OTHERWISE, AND EXCEPT FOR BODILY INJURY, IN NO EVENT SHALL YELP OR ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, AGENTS, EMPLOYEES AND SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY THIRD PARTY UNDER ANY TORT, CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE (ACTIVE OR PASSIVE), STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHER LEGAL OR EQUITABLE THEORY FOR ANY LOST PROFITS OR REVENUE, LOST OR CORRUPTED DATA, COMPUTER FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF GOODWILL OR OTHER SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE API, EVEN IF YELP HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH LOSS OR DAMAGES AND WHETHER OR NOT SUCH LOSS OR DAMAGES ARE FORESEEABLE. ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE API AGREEMENT MUST BE BROUGHT WITHIN (1) YEAR AFTER THE OCCURRENCE OF THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO SUCH CLAIM. IF SUCH CLAIM IS NOT FILED, THEN THAT CLAIM IS PERMANENTLY BARRED. THIS APPLIES TO YOU AND YOUR SUCCESSORS, AND TO YELP AND ITS SUCCESSORS. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, YELP’S MAXIMUM LIABILITY UNDER THIS API AGREEMENT SHALL NOT, IN ANY EVENT, EXCEED THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT OF US$100.00. THE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITIES CONTAINED HEREIN WERE FACTORED INTO THE FEE STRUCTURE AND RISK ALLOCATION BETWEEN THE PARTIES AND FORM A MATERIAL PART OF THE BARGAIN.

13. LIMITED RELATIONSHIP
Yelp and you are, and will remain, independent contractors, and nothing in the API Agreement will be construed as creating an employer-employee relationship, partnership or joint venture. You do not have any authority of any kind to bind Yelp in any respect whatsoever.

You agree not to make any public statements about Yelp, information provided by Yelp’s API, or your relationship with Yelp under this agreement, without the prior written consent of Yelp, which Yelp may grant or withhold in its sole discretion. You further agree to not imply a different kind of relationship between you and Yelp, including any implied endorsement of your content, products, or services by Yelp.

14. CHOICE OF LAW AND ARBITRATION
(a) Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this API Agreement, or the breach thereof, (whether in contract, tort or statute) (“Claim”), shall be settled  through final and binding arbitration by a single arbitrator to be administered by National Arbitration and Mediation (“NAM”) and governed by NAM’s Comprehensive Dispute Resolution Rules and Procedures in effect at the time such claim is filed. You agree that any Claim arises from a business transaction and shall not be governed by the NAM rules, forms, or fees applicable to consumer transactions. If you have a question about the arbitration process or to obtain a current copy of the Comprehensive Dispute Resolution Rules and Procedures and/or fee schedule, NAM’s Commercial Dept. can be contacted at (800) 358-2550 or by NAM’s website at www.namadr.com. The arbitrator will issue a ruling in writing, and will detail all findings of fact and law upon which the ruling was made. The arbitrator will not have the power to commit errors of law, and the award may be vacated or corrected through judicial review by a court of competent jurisdiction under the California Arbitration Act for any such error.

(b) Arbitrations will be held in San Francisco, California, but the parties may choose for themselves whether to appear in person, by phone, or through the submission of documents. The arbitration shall be governed by the substantive and procedural laws of the State of California. The prevailing party shall be entitled to an award of reasonable attorney fees for any action under these Terms.

(c) NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, FOR ANY CLAIM THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO ARBITRATION, YOU AGREE TO SUBMIT AND CONSENT TO THE PERSONAL AND EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION IN, AND THE EXCLUSIVE VENUE OF, THE STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS LOCATED WITHIN SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, WHICH IS THE PLACE OF PERFORMANCE OF THIS ADVERTISING AGREEMENT.

(d) YOU AND YELP AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING OR PARTICIPATE IN CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN THEIR RESPECTIVE INDIVIDUAL CAPACITIES, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. UNLESS BOTH YOU AND YELP AGREE OTHERWISE, THE ARBITRATOR MAY NOT CONSOLIDATE OR JOIN THE CLAIMS OF OTHER PERSONS OR PARTIES WHO MAY BE SIMILARLY SITUATED, AND MAY NOT OTHERWISE PRESIDE OVER ANY FORM OF A REPRESENTATIVE OR CLASS PROCEEDING. IF A CLAIM IMPLICATES THIS SUBSECTION, AND THIS SUBSECTION IS FOUND TO BE INVALID, UNENFORCEABLE OR ILLEGAL BY A COURT, SUCH CLAIM MUST BE ADJUDICATED BY A COURT AND NOT BY AN ARBITRATOR.

15. MISCELLANEOUS
The API Agreement encompasses the entire agreement between you and Yelp regarding the subject matter discussed therein. The failure of Yelp to exercise or enforce any right or provision of the API Agreement will not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. The failure of either party to exercise in any respect any right provided for herein will not be deemed a waiver of any further rights hereunder. If any provision of the API Agreement is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be replaced with terms that most closely match the intent of the provision that is not enforceable to the minimum extent necessary so that the remaining API Agreement will otherwise remain in full force and effect and enforceable. The API Agreement is not assignable, transferable or sublicensable, in whole or in part, by you except with Yelp’s prior written consent. Yelp may assign the API Agreement, in whole or in part, at any time with or without notice to you. Any attempt to do so is void. The section titles in the API Agreement are for convenience only and have no legal or contractual effect.

16. SURVIVAL
Sections 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16 will survive any expiration or termination of this API Agreement for any reason.

17. CONTACT AND VIOLATIONS
Please contact Yelp with any questions regarding the API Agreement. Please report any violations of the API Agreement here.