Dallas Building Permits Scraper

Dallas Building Permits Scraper — Construction Permits and Contractor Records

Collect public building permit records from the City of Dallas, Texas, in a structured dataset. Retrieve permit numbers, permit types, contractors, project values, property addresses, and work descriptions for construction research, contractor analysis, and real estate projects.

Overview

This actor collects records from the City of Dallas Building Permits dataset. It supports retrieving permit records, filtering results, and inspecting available dataset fields.

The dataset contains historical permit information and may no longer receive new updates from the source.

Features

• Collect Dallas building permit records.
• Retrieve all available rows or limit the number of records.
• Filter records using custom conditions.
• Search records using supported text queries.
• Retrieve dataset column names, types, and descriptions.
• Export results in JSON, CSV, Excel, and other supported Apify dataset formats.
• Store collected records in an Apify dataset.

Collection Modes

Mode	Description
rows	Collects building permit records.
filtered	Collects records matching specified filter conditions or search terms.
metadata	Retrieves available dataset column names, types, and descriptions.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Description
mode	Selects the collection mode: rows, filtered, or metadata.
maxItems	Maximum number of records to collect.
orderBy	Field or expression used to order the results.
where	Optional filter condition for selecting specific records.
requestDelaySecs	Delay between collection requests.

Example Input

Collect building permit records

{
  "mode": "rows",
  "maxItems": 50,
  "orderBy": ":id",
  "requestDelaySecs": 1
}

Collect filtered records

{
  "mode": "filtered",
  "where": "value > '1000'",
  "maxItems": 25,
  "requestDelaySecs": 1
}

What Data Does This Actor Extract?

The actor collects available building permit fields, including:

Field	Description
permit_number	Building permit identification number.
permit_type	Permit category or type.
issued_date	Date the permit was issued.
mapsco	Mapsco location reference.
contractor	Contractor name and available contact or business details.
value	Reported project or permit value.
area	Recorded project area.
work_description	Description of the permitted work.
land_use	Land-use classification.
street_address	Property or project street address.
zip_code	Property ZIP code.
scraped_at	Date and time the record was collected.

Field availability and values depend on the records provided by the dataset.

Example Output

{
  "permit_number": "2003133024",
  "permit_type": "Electrical (EL) Commercial Alteration",
  "issued_date": "03/13/20",
  "mapsco": "39-N",
  "contractor": "B+T GROUP HOLDINGS INC 1025 S. Belt Line Road, Suite 400, Coppell, TX 75019 (469) 480-3578",
  "value": "1800",
  "area": "0",
  "work_description": "PERMANENT ELECTRICAL SERVICE",
  "land_use": "COMMUNICATIONS",
  "street_address": "2928 ANDREA LN",
  "zip_code": "75228",
  "scraped_at": "2026-10-26T00:00:00+00:00"
}

Working with Your Dataset

After the actor finishes running, open the Apify dataset to explore the collected permit records.

You can:

• Export records as JSON, CSV, or Excel.
• Filter and sort permits by issue date, type, or project value.
• Review contractor and project information.
• Group records by ZIP code or land-use category.
• Use the collected data in reporting and analysis workflows.

Use Cases

• Construction Lead Research: Identify historical permit records and related contractors.
• Contractor Research: Explore contractor names and associated permit activity.
• Real Estate Analysis: Study construction activity across Dallas locations.
• Market Research: Analyze permit types, project values, and work descriptions.
• Data Analysis: Build structured datasets for research and reporting.

FAQ

Who can use this actor?

Researchers, analysts, developers, contractors, and other users interested in Dallas building permit records.

What export formats are supported?

You can export the collected dataset in JSON, CSV, Excel, and other supported Apify dataset formats.

Can I run the actor on a schedule?

Yes. You can configure an Apify schedule to run the actor automatically at your preferred interval. Keep in mind that the source dataset may no longer receive new records.

How do I filter permits by project value or contractor?

Use filtered mode with an appropriate condition in the where parameter. You can also use supported text search to find matching records.

Is the dataset current?

The dataset is historical and may no longer receive updates. Check the original public records before relying on a permit as evidence of current construction activity.

Related tools

If you plan to map or join these rows, a geocoding pass or a quick CSV cleanup are the usual next steps. BigiByte also builds scrapers for other open-data portals when you need them as a separate job. Need another open dataset, a scheduled monitor, or a custom pipeline? BigiByte builds custom scrapers and APIs: https://bigibyte.com

Disclaimer

This Actor is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or otherwise officially associated with the City of Dallas. All data is collected from publicly available sources. Users are responsible for complying with applicable terms of use and laws when using the collected information.

Is Web Scraping Legal?

Collecting information that is already public is generally legal. There is no single law that bans all forms of web scraping. The limits are the usual ones: do not break into accounts, do not take private or confidential data, and be careful with personal data and copyrighted works. A site's terms can also restrict how you access it. Facts such as a public name, price, or rating are not the same thing as republishing someone's article or photo.

This actor collects information from public pages. It does not log in and it does not bypass access controls.

For a longer explanation, see Apify's article Is web scraping legal?.