Cambridge MA Building Permits Scraper

Overview

Scrapes building permits from the Cambridge MA Open Data Portal using the Socrata SODA API. Supports filters (Permit Type, Status).

Features

• Filter results by category or type
• Export data in JSON, CSV, or Excel formats
• Control output volume with configurable result limits

Use Cases

• Track - Track state and local government data and permits
• Monitor - Monitor regulatory filings and public records
• Build - Build databases for civic tech and transparency projects
• Aggregate - Aggregate local government data for community research

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Default
maxItems	integer	Maximum number of permits to scrape	1000
permitType	string	Filter by permit type (e.g., 'Building: New Construction')
status	string	Filter by status (e.g., 'Active', 'Complete')
issuedAfter	string	Filter permits issued after this date (YYYY-MM-DD format)
applicant	string	Filter by applicant/licensed name (partial match)

Output Example

Each result contains structured data like this:

{
  "title": "Sample Government - State/Local Result",
  "agency": "Department of Commerce",
  "date": "2025-01-15",
  "description": "Detailed description of the item...",
  "location": "San Francisco, CA",
  "documentUrl": "https://example.com/item/12345",
  "url": "https://example.com/item/12345"
}

Pricing

This actor uses pay-per-result pricing:

• $0.001 per result
• $1.00 per 1,000 results

No monthly fees. You only pay for what you scrape. Apify Free plan includes $5/month in platform credits.

How to Run

Apify Console

1. Go to the Cambridge MA Building Permits Scraper actor page
2. Configure your input parameters
3. Click Start and wait for the results
4. Download data in JSON, CSV, or Excel format

API

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fortuitous_pirate~cambridge-building-permits/runs?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"maxItems": 10}'

Python SDK

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_API_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("fortuitous_pirate/cambridge-building-permits").call(
    run_input={"maxItems": 10}
)

for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

Integration

Connect Cambridge MA Building Permits Scraper with your existing tools and workflows:

• API access - Programmatic access via Apify API
• Webhooks - Get notified when scraping completes
• Scheduling - Set up recurring runs on any schedule
• Zapier / Make - Connect with 5,000+ apps via Apify integrations
• Python / Node.js SDKs - Native client libraries for easy integration