diff --git a/app/components/listing/MapOfLocations.tsx b/app/components/listing/MapOfLocations.tsx
index 9c999e96e..b686e6080 100644
--- a/app/components/listing/MapOfLocations.tsx
+++ b/app/components/listing/MapOfLocations.tsx
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
   UserLocationMarker,
 } from "../ui/MapElements";
 import { useAppContext } from "../../utils";
+import { useInView } from "../../hooks/useInView";
 
 export const MapOfLocations = ({
   locationRenderer,
@@ -19,6 +20,16 @@ export const MapOfLocations = ({
   locationRenderer: (loc: LocationDetails) => ReactElement;
 }) => {
   const { userLocation } = useAppContext();
+  // Location/organization detail pages render this component well below the
+  // fold (after About, Details, Contact Info, etc). Since every mount of
+  // <GoogleMap> is a billable Maps JavaScript API "map load", we defer
+  // mounting it until the map container is about to scroll into view. This
+  // avoids paying for a map load on every page view, including the many
+  // visitors who never scroll down that far.
+  const [mapContainerRef, isMapInView] = useInView<HTMLDivElement>({
+    rootMargin: "300px",
+  });
+
   if (userLocation === null) {
     return <Loader />;
   }
@@ -26,25 +37,29 @@ export const MapOfLocations = ({
 
   return (
     <div>
-      <div className="map">
-        <GoogleMap
-          bootstrapURLKeys={{
-            key: config.GOOGLE_API_KEY,
-          }}
-          defaultCenter={{ lat, lng }}
-          defaultZoom={15}
-          options={createMapOptions}
-        >
-          <UserLocationMarker lat={lat} lng={lng} />
-          {locations.map(({ address, id }, i) => (
-            <CustomMarker
-              key={id}
-              lat={address?.latitude || 0}
-              lng={address?.longitude || 0}
-              text={`${i + 1}`}
-            />
-          ))}
-        </GoogleMap>
+      <div className="map" ref={mapContainerRef}>
+        {isMapInView ? (
+          <GoogleMap
+            bootstrapURLKeys={{
+              key: config.GOOGLE_API_KEY,
+            }}
+            defaultCenter={{ lat, lng }}
+            defaultZoom={15}
+            options={createMapOptions}
+          >
+            <UserLocationMarker lat={lat} lng={lng} />
+            {locations.map(({ address, id }, i) => (
+              <CustomMarker
+                key={id}
+                lat={address?.latitude || 0}
+                lng={address?.longitude || 0}
+                text={`${i + 1}`}
+              />
+            ))}
+          </GoogleMap>
+        ) : (
+          <Loader />
+        )}
       </div>
       {locationRenderer && (
         <Accordion>
diff --git a/app/components/search/SearchMap/SearchMap.tsx b/app/components/search/SearchMap/SearchMap.tsx
index 8ca82f577..b06d8891b 100644
--- a/app/components/search/SearchMap/SearchMap.tsx
+++ b/app/components/search/SearchMap/SearchMap.tsx
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import "./SearchMap.scss";
 import { icon } from "assets";
 import { SearchHit } from "../../../models";
 import config from "../../../config";
+import { useInView } from "../../../hooks/useInView";
 
 export const SearchMap = ({
   hits,
@@ -34,10 +35,22 @@ export const SearchMap = ({
   overlayMapWithSearchResults: boolean;
 }) => {
   const { userLocation } = useAppContext();
-  if (userLocation === null) {
+  // Note: this map sits directly alongside the results list (desktop) or
+  // above it (mobile), so it is typically within the initial viewport and
+  // this will load almost immediately for most visitors. It's included here
+  // mainly for consistency/defense-in-depth with MapOfLocations, and so this
+  // page doesn't pay for a map load on layouts/viewports where the map
+  // isn't immediately visible (e.g. a short viewport with a sticky header).
+  const [mapContainerRef, isMapInView] = useInView<HTMLDivElement>({
+    rootMargin: "300px",
+  });
+
+  if (userLocation === null || !isMapInView) {
     return (
-      <div className="mapLoaderContainer">
-        <Loader />
+      <div className="results-map" ref={mapContainerRef}>
+        <div className="mapLoaderContainer">
+          <Loader />
+        </div>
       </div>
     );
   }
@@ -45,7 +58,7 @@ export const SearchMap = ({
   const { lat, lng } = userLocation;
 
   return (
-    <div className="results-map">
+    <div className="results-map" ref={mapContainerRef}>
       <div className="map-wrapper">
         {/* If map is being overlaid, hide the search area button. It is is neither clickable
             nor relevant in this mode.
diff --git a/app/hooks/useInView.ts b/app/hooks/useInView.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..32c8c3bff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/hooks/useInView.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
+
+/**
+ * React hook that reports whether a DOM element has scrolled into (or near)
+ * the viewport, using the native IntersectionObserver API.
+ *
+ * This is intended for lazy-loading expensive, one-time third-party
+ * embeds (e.g. Google Maps), so once the element has been observed as
+ * visible, observation stops permanently -- the returned boolean will
+ * never flip back to `false`. This is not meant for continuously tracking
+ * visibility (e.g. for animations that should replay every time an
+ * element scrolls into view).
+ *
+ * In environments without IntersectionObserver support, the hook
+ * immediately reports `true` so consumers never get stuck waiting on
+ * unsupported platforms.
+ */
+export function useInView<T extends Element>(
+  options: IntersectionObserverInit = {}
+): [React.RefObject<T>, boolean] {
+  const ref = useRef<T>(null);
+  const [isInView, setIsInView] = useState(false);
+  const { root, rootMargin, threshold } = options;
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (isInView) {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+
+    const node = ref.current;
+    if (!node) {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+
+    if (typeof IntersectionObserver === "undefined") {
+      setIsInView(true);
+      return undefined;
+    }
+
+    const observer = new IntersectionObserver(
+      ([entry]) => {
+        if (entry.isIntersecting) {
+          setIsInView(true);
+        }
+      },
+      { root, rootMargin, threshold }
+    );
+
+    observer.observe(node);
+    return () => observer.disconnect();
+    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, [isInView, root, rootMargin, threshold]);
+
+  return [ref, isInView];
+}