> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://guides.fieldedgeapp.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://guides.fieldedgeapp.com/product-tour-or-mobile-app/canvass/adding-people-and-households.md).

# Adding People & Households

While canvassing you can add new households and new residents on the fly — useful when you encounter a property or person that isn't yet in your NationBuilder database, or when you're running a [Cold Walk](/product-tour-or-mobile-app/canvass/cold-walk.md) and building your list from scratch.

Two distinct flows live on this page:

* [Adding a person to an existing household](#adding-a-person-to-an-existing-household) — add a resident to a household that's already in your walk
* [Adding a household](#adding-a-household) — create a brand new household at a new address

## Adding a person to an existing household

When the door is answered by someone who isn't yet in your NationBuilder database for that address, add them to the household.

### How to start

From the [Household View](/product-tour-or-mobile-app/canvass/household-view.md), tap the **user icon** in the top-right of the app bar.

### Filling in the details

* **First Name** (required)
* **Last Name** (required)
* Everything else is optional: phone, email, demographics (gender, age, language, ethnicity, religion), date of birth, support level, point person, recruited by
* Call-status flags: Do Not Call, Do Not Contact, Deceased

The **Home Address field is not shown** — the new person inherits the household's address (and apartment unit number, if it's an apartment).

Tap **Save** to create the person. They appear in the household view immediately and are added to NationBuilder right away.

## Adding a household

There are two ways to start.

### From the button

Tap the house icon in the **top-right** of the app bar. This works in both [Map View](/product-tour-or-mobile-app/canvass/map-view.md) and [List View](/product-tour-or-mobile-app/canvass/list-view.md).

### By tapping the map

In Map View, tap an empty spot on the map where you want to add a household. The app:

1. Reverse-geocodes the tapped location to find the street address
2. Drops a temporary marker at that spot
3. Opens a sheet at the bottom of the screen with a **Create New Household** button

Tap **Create New Household** to continue.

### Filling in the details

Both entry points open the Add Contact screen. Fill in:

* **First Name** (required)
* **Last Name** (required)
* **Home Address** (required if you started from the button — for the tap-on-map flow, the address is filled in from the map tap)
* Phone, email, demographics, support level — optional

Tap **Save** to create the household. The new household appears on the map immediately and is created in NationBuilder right away.

### Address entry

Tap the **Home Address** field to open the address screen. As you type, FieldEdge uses Google Places autocomplete to suggest addresses. Pick a match and the street number, name, unit, zip, city, state, and lat/lng all fill in automatically.

### No street address? Use coordinates.

When the address you're standing in front of isn't recognized — rural areas, new developments, informal addresses — you can save the household using GPS coordinates instead.

In the Home Address search box, tap the **pin icon**. A map picker opens:

1. Your current GPS location is shown as a marker
2. Tap anywhere on the map to drop a marker at that spot — or just confirm your current location
3. Tap **Save**

The latitude and longitude fields fill in. The street, city, zip, and state fields are cleared. A toast confirms "Coordinates Saved".

You can manually fill in street and city afterwards if you want — or save the household as coordinates-only.

{% hint style="info" %}
The pin / coordinates feature is for the new-household flow only. It's not available when [adding a person](#adding-a-person-to-an-existing-household) to an existing household — that person inherits the household's address automatically.
{% endhint %}

## Internet connection required

{% hint style="warning" %}
Both flows require an active internet connection. If you're offline, the app will show an offline dialog when you try to save. See [Offline Capabilities](/product-tour-or-mobile-app/offline-capabilities.md) for what works without a connection.
{% endhint %}