# Berkeley CA Business Licenses Scraper — Local B2B Leads (`groundplanes/berkeley-ca-business-licenses`) Actor

Scrape active City of Berkeley, CA business licenses via the official open-data API: DBA, description, license type, NAICS, employees, ownership type, business and mailing address. Filter by name, NAICS, license type and ZIP for Bay Area B2B and rental-property leads. Export CSV, Excel, JSON.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/groundplanes/berkeley-ca-business-licenses.md
- **Developed by:** [John](https://apify.com/groundplanes) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Business, Marketing
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.10 / 1,000 business licenses

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

The **Berkeley business licenses scraper** gives you one row per active Berkeley business license for **Berkeley, California**, straight from the **City of Berkeley Finance Department** via the official open-data API. No login or coding needed: run it in your browser, on a schedule, or through the Apify API, and export results as **JSON, CSV or Excel**.

Get every active **City of Berkeley, California** business license as a clean lead list. The data comes from the **City of Berkeley Finance Department** through the official open-data API ([data.cityofberkeley.info dataset rwnf-bu3w](https://data.cityofberkeley.info/d/rwnf-bu3w)). The city refreshes the dataset regularly (last refreshed 2026-10-12 at build time).

### What you get

Each row is **one active business license and parcel pair**. Most licenses have one row; about 95 licenses tied to several parcels (different `apn`) appear once per parcel. Turn on `dedupeLicenses` for one row per license. Rows include DBA and business name, business description, city license type, NAICS code and description, reported employee count, ownership type, business location, mailing address and parcel number. Sorted by **license ID, highest (newest) first** with a stable `:id` tiebreak.

#### Sample output (real run)

```json
{
  "licenseId": "BL-054225",
  "dba": "FEELING BETTER: CERTIFIED MASS",
  "businessName": "FEELING BETTER: CERTIFIED MASS",
  "description": "MASSAGE THERAPY",
  "licenseType": "Massage",
  "naicsCode": "812199",
  "naicsDescription": "Other Personal Care Services",
  "taxCode": "BM",
  "employees": 1,
  "ownershipType": "Sole Ownership",
  "businessAddress": "1611 SAN PABLO AVE",
  "businessCity": "BERKELEY",
  "businessState": "CA",
  "businessZip": "94702",
  "mailingAddress": "461 METRO WALK WAY",
  "mailingCity": "RICHMOND",
  "mailingState": "CA",
  "mailingZip": "94801",
  "contactType": "Business Owner",
  "apn": "059 228702901",
  "source": "City of Berkeley Finance Department via data.cityofberkeley.info"
}
```

### Use cases

- **Property services:** ~3,400 rental-property licenses (`subtypeContains: ["Rental of Real Property"]`) for property management, insurance, maintenance and landscaping leads.
- **Contractor and trade lists:** ~3,400 construction / contractor licenses.
- **B2B sales:** professional services, retail and restaurants by NAICS (`naicsContains: ["7225"]`).

### How to scrape Berkeley business licenses

1. Click **Try for free** (or **Start**) on this page. A free Apify account is enough.
2. Leave the prefilled input to get a quick sample, or set the filters described below.
3. Set **maxItems** to cap how many rows (and how much) a run returns.
4. Click **Start** and wait a few seconds to a minute.
5. Download the results as JSON, CSV or Excel, or connect them to Google Sheets, Zapier, Make or a webhook.

### Input

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| nameContains | Matches DBA or business name |
| naicsContains | NAICS code prefix or text |
| subtypeContains | City license type, e.g. `Rental`, `Contractor`, `Retail` |
| zipCodes | Berkeley business ZIPs (94702–94710, 94720) |
| dedupeLicenses | One row per license ID (drops ~95 extra parcel rows) |
| maxItems | Default 200 |

### Pricing (pay per event)

$3 per 1,000 rows ($0.003 each) plus Apify's minimal $0.00005 start fee. **Example:** 200 leads = 200 × $0.003 + $0.00005 ≈ **$0.60**. The full list (~13,770 rows) costs about $41.

### Data caveats

Data is provided **as published by the City of Berkeley**. The source has no license-opened date, so "newest" means highest license ID. Employee counts are self-reported. Mailing addresses are where the city sends notices and may be outside Berkeley. Some contractor licenses use placeholder values such as address `0 VARIOUS` or APN `ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ`; these are passed through unchanged. About **48% of rows have ZIP 94704** (6,635 of 13,770 at build time). Of those, 4,762 have the placeholder business address `VARIOUS` (mostly Construction or Contractor licenses, 3,265 of the 4,763 VARIOUS rows), as checked in the source data on 2026-10-12, so a 94704 filter is not a reliable location filter. Name matching ignores apostrophes on both sides (`Peet's` matches `PEETS`). The source contains no phone numbers or emails, and none are added. `naicsCode` / `naicsDescription` are split from one published text field.

### License and disclaimer

Source: City of Berkeley Open Data. **No open-data license published; public records.** This actor uses only the official public open-data API and is **not affiliated with or endorsed by** the City of Berkeley.

### FAQ

#### How much does it cost to scrape Berkeley business licenses?

You pay $0.003 per result ($3 per 1,000) plus a $0.00005 start fee, and nothing else. Apify's free plan includes $5 of monthly credit, which covers about 1,600 results. See **Pricing** above for a worked example.

#### Is it legal to scrape Berkeley business licenses?

This Actor reads public records from the **City of Berkeley Finance Department** via the official open-data API, using only public endpoints (no login, no CAPTCHA bypass, no private accounts). See the source/license section above for the dataset's terms. You are responsible for how you use the data; this is not legal advice.

#### How fresh is the data?

Each run reads the source live, so you get whatever the agency has published at that moment. How often the agency updates, and any known lag, is described in the data caveats/notes section above.

#### Can I use it via API, on a schedule, or with Google Sheets?

Yes. Every Apify Actor has a REST API and client libraries for Python and JavaScript. You can schedule daily or weekly runs, and send results to Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Make, n8n, webhooks, or an AI agent via the Apify MCP server.

#### I need another city, county or field. Can you add it?

Open an issue on the **Issues** tab with the city or data source you need. We build new public-records scrapers regularly.

### More public-records scrapers by Groundplanes

Same clean output, pay-per-result pricing and official public data sources:

#### Restaurant & food inspections

- [Maricopa County (Phoenix) Restaurant Inspections Scraper](https://apify.com/groundplanes/maricopa-restaurant-inspections)
- [Las Vegas Restaurant Inspections & Grades Scraper (SNHD)](https://apify.com/groundplanes/las-vegas-restaurant-inspections)
- [Pittsburgh Restaurant Inspections Scraper (Allegheny County)](https://apify.com/groundplanes/allegheny-restaurant-inspections)
- [Delaware Restaurant Inspections Scraper — Statewide Violations](https://apify.com/groundplanes/delaware-restaurant-inspections)
- [Boulder CO Restaurant Inspections Scraper — 2013–2026 Snapshot](https://apify.com/groundplanes/boulder-county-restaurant-inspections)
- [Montgomery County MD Restaurant & Food Inspections Scraper](https://apify.com/groundplanes/montgomery-md-food-inspections)
- [NY State Restaurant Inspections Scraper — NYSDOH, Non-NYC](https://apify.com/groundplanes/ny-state-food-service-inspections)

#### Code violations & distressed property leads

- [Pittsburgh Code Violations Scraper — Distressed Property Leads](https://apify.com/groundplanes/pittsburgh-code-violations)
- [Orlando FL Code Enforcement Scraper — Code Violation Leads](https://apify.com/groundplanes/orlando-code-enforcement-cases)
- [New Orleans Code Violations Scraper — Code Enforcement Leads](https://apify.com/groundplanes/nola-code-enforcement-violations)

#### Business licenses & new business leads

- [Delaware Business Licenses Scraper — New Business Leads](https://apify.com/groundplanes/delaware-business-licenses)
- [Norfolk VA Business Licenses Scraper — New Business Leads](https://apify.com/groundplanes/norfolk-va-business-licenses)
- [New Orleans Business Licenses Scraper — New Business Leads](https://apify.com/groundplanes/nola-occupational-business-licenses)

# Actor input Schema

## `nameContains` (type: `string`):

Case-insensitive text matched against the DBA and the business name.

## `naicsContains` (type: `array`):

NAICS code prefix or text, e.g. 5311, 238, Restaurant, Software. Partial, case-insensitive. Empty = all.

## `subtypeContains` (type: `array`):

City license sub-type, e.g. Rental of Real Property (~3,400), Construction or Contractor (~3,400), Professional (~2,900), Retail Trade (~1,400). Partial, case-insensitive. Empty = all.

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

5-digit ZIP of the Berkeley business location (situs), e.g. 94702, 94704, 94710. Empty = all.

## `dedupeLicenses` (type: `boolean`):

By default a license tied to several parcels appears once per parcel (about 95 extra rows). Turn on to keep only the first row per license ID.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum rows to return (highest license ID first).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "dedupeLicenses": false,
  "maxItems": 200
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (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 = {
    "maxItems": 200
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("groundplanes/berkeley-ca-business-licenses").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 = { "maxItems": 200 }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("groundplanes/berkeley-ca-business-licenses").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 '{
  "maxItems": 200
}' |
apify call groundplanes/berkeley-ca-business-licenses --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,groundplanes/berkeley-ca-business-licenses"
        }
    }
}
```

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/UASpJHvyah8hZ8Op0/builds/LVcPNfead9NyxhU6P/openapi.json