# Building Permits Search – US City Construction Leads (`gazidev/building-permits-search`) Actor

Search official building permits from NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle and 5 more city open-data portals in one schema: address, work description, valuation, contractor, owner, status, dates, coordinates. Filter by date, keyword, ZIP, cost. $1 per 1,000 permits.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/gazidev/building-permits-search.md
- **Developed by:** [Cemal Atakli](https://apify.com/gazidev) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 permits

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Building Permits Search – US City Construction Leads (Official Open Data)

Get **newly issued building permits** from the official open-data portals of **New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, Montgomery County (MD), New Orleans, Cambridge (MA), Cincinnati and Norfolk (VA)**, all in **one clean schema**. Every row has the permit number, type, work description, address, ZIP, **estimated job cost**, **contractor**, owner (where the city publishes it), status, issue and application dates, coordinates and a link to the city record.

No scraping of login-protected portals: the data comes from each city's public **Socrata open-data API**. **$1 per 1,000 permits.** Filtered permits are free.

### What it does

- **11 jurisdictions** (choose any or "All cities"). Each city's columns are mapped to the same fields, so you can combine cities in one spreadsheet or CRM.
- **Date filters:** issued in the last N days, or an exact date range. Newest first.
- **Keyword search** over the full permit record: `solar`, `roof`, `pool`, `hvac`, `adu`, `demolition`, `new construction`, `tenant improvement`...
- **Lead filters:** minimum estimated cost, ZIP codes, only permits that name a contractor.
- **Monitoring mode:** `onlyNew` on a daily or weekly schedule returns only permits you have not seen before.
- **Optional `raw` field** with every original column the city publishes (fees, parcel, zoning, plan-review days...).

| City | Dataset | Contractor | Owner | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | DOB NOW: Build – Approved Permits | ✓ (applicant business, license) | ✓ (name + address) | ✓ |
| Chicago, IL | Building Permits | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Los Angeles, CA | Building Permits Issued 2020–present | – | – | ✓ (+ sq ft, solar, EV, ADU flags) |
| San Francisco, CA | Building Permits | – | – | ✓ (+ units, stories) |
| Austin, TX | Issued Construction Permits | ✓ (company, name, phone, trade) | – | ✓ |
| Seattle, WA | Building Permits | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| Montgomery County, MD | Commercial Permits | – | – | ✓ |
| New Orleans, LA | Permits | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cambridge, MA | New Construction | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| Cincinnati, OH | Building Permits | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| Norfolk, VA | Permits | – | – | ✓ |

### Use cases

- **Contractor and home-services lead generation:** roofers, solar installers, HVAC, pool builders, landscapers, window and door companies, electricians.
- **Suppliers and distributors:** find active general contractors and big projects (filter by minimum cost).
- **Real-estate and investment research:** track new construction, ADUs and demolitions by ZIP code.
- **Insurance, lending and market analysis:** construction activity by city and permit type.

### Input example

```json
{
  "cities": ["austin-tx", "seattle-wa", "san-francisco-ca"],
  "issuedLastDays": 7,
  "keywords": ["solar", "roof"],
  "minEstimatedCost": 10000,
  "onlyNew": true
}
```

### Output example

```json
{
  "city": "Seattle, WA", "source": "seattle-wa", "permitNumber": "7109400-CN",
  "permitType": "Addition/Alteration", "workType": "Building", "permitClass": "Commercial",
  "description": "Construct alterations to existing minor telecommunication array (AT&T) on roof of multifamily building (ADRIATIC) per plan.",
  "status": "Issued", "address": "3200 NW 65TH ST", "zip": "98117", "estimatedCost": 30000,
  "contractor": null, "latitude": 47.676, "longitude": -122.398625,
  "link": "https://services.seattle.gov/portal/customize/LinkToRecord.aspx?altId=7109400-CN",
  "issuedDate": "2026-10-16", "appliedDate": "2026-09-01", "expiresDate": "2028-04-16",
  "dataset": "https://data.seattle.gov/d/76t5-zqzr"
}
```

### Pricing (pay per event)

| Event | Price |
|---|---|
| Permit | **$0.001** |
| Actor start | $0.00005 |

Permits removed by your filters (cost, ZIP, contractor) and `onlyNew` repeats are **free**. Set a *maximum cost per run* and the Actor stops cleanly at that limit.

| Actor | Price per permit |
|---|---|
| **This Actor** | **$0.001** |
| pink_comic/building-permits-construction-leads | $0.002 |

Competitor price from the Apify Store on 2026-10-18.

### FAQ

**Why not every US city?** Only cities that publish permits as open data with an API are included, and each dataset was checked to be current. More cities will be added; tell us which ones you need.

**Are phone numbers and emails included?** Only where the city publishes them (Austin publishes contractor and applicant phone numbers). The Actor does not look up or guess contact details.

**How fresh is the data?** Each city updates its dataset on its own schedule, most of them daily.

**Data licenses:** each row links to its source dataset; most are public domain or published under the city's open-data terms. Not affiliated with any city.

### Use with AI agents (Apify MCP)

Works as a tool in the [Apify MCP server](https://mcp.apify.com): "List roofing permits over $20,000 issued in Austin this week with the contractor name."

# Actor input Schema

## `cities` (type: `array`):

Official open-data permit datasets to search.

## `issuedLastDays` (type: `integer`):

Ignored when 'Issued from' is set.

## `issuedFrom` (type: `string`):

Optional start date.

## `issuedTo` (type: `string`):

Optional end date.

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Full-text search in the permit record, e.g. 'solar', 'roof', 'pool', 'hvac', 'new construction', 'adu'. Each keyword is a separate search.

## `minEstimatedCost` (type: `integer`):

Skip permits with a lower declared valuation (free). Permits without a valuation are skipped too when this is set.

## `zipCodes` (type: `array`):

Keep only permits in these ZIP codes (free filter).

## `onlyWithContractor` (type: `boolean`):

Useful for B2B lead lists (free filter).

## `maxResultsPerCity` (type: `integer`):

0 = no limit.

## `includeRawFields` (type: `boolean`):

Adds the city's original record under 'raw' (every column the city publishes).

## `onlyNew` (type: `boolean`):

For scheduled lead alerts: skip permits earlier runs with the same state key already returned (free).

## `stateKey` (type: `string`):

Separate alerts keep separate 'seen' lists.

## `socrataAppToken` (type: `string`):

Free token from any Socrata portal (dev.socrata.com). Only needed for very large runs.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "cities": [
    "austin-tx",
    "seattle-wa"
  ],
  "issuedLastDays": 7,
  "onlyWithContractor": false,
  "maxResultsPerCity": 20,
  "includeRawFields": false,
  "onlyNew": false,
  "stateKey": "default"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `permits` (type: `string`):

No description

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

## `summary` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "cities": [
        "austin-tx",
        "seattle-wa"
    ],
    "issuedLastDays": 7,
    "maxResultsPerCity": 20
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("gazidev/building-permits-search").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "cities": [
        "austin-tx",
        "seattle-wa",
    ],
    "issuedLastDays": 7,
    "maxResultsPerCity": 20,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("gazidev/building-permits-search").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "cities": [
    "austin-tx",
    "seattle-wa"
  ],
  "issuedLastDays": 7,
  "maxResultsPerCity": 20
}' |
apify call gazidev/building-permits-search --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,gazidev/building-permits-search"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/dTFCiAzBRb2S5cbRE/builds/TXAx4KhjaouMThaSg/openapi.json