# Seller's Permit & Resale Number Verifier (TX, CA, OH) (`groundtip/seller-permit-verifier`) Actor

Check resale certificate / seller's permit numbers against official state records in Texas, California and Ohio. Flags every other state with its official manual lookup link, at no charge.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/groundtip/seller-permit-verifier.md
- **Developed by:** [Groundtip](https://apify.com/groundtip) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per usage

This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## 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

## Seller's Permit & Resale Number Verifier (TX, CA, OH)

Check the resale certificates your customers hand you against official state records, in bulk, and keep a dated record of every check.

Paste in a list of permit numbers (up to 500 per run). For each one you get back whether the state lists it, the registered business name, the trade name and address where the state shows them, a 0-100 score for how well that name matches the name on the certificate, and the time of the check.

### Supported states

| State | Official source | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| **Texas** | Comptroller's *Active Sales Tax Permit Holders* open dataset (data.texas.gov, refreshed weekly) | Taxpayer name, mailing address, earliest permit issue date, number of permitted locations |
| **California** | CDTFA *Verify a Permit, License or Account* (Sellers Permit) | Owner name, city, ZIP, permit start date |
| **Ohio** | Ohio Department of Taxation active county vendor license list | Vendor name, address, county |

### Every other state is flagged, not guessed

A number from any other state comes back as `unsupported_state` with a note telling you where to verify it by hand, for example *"verify manually at https://www7b.tax.ny.gov/TIVL/tivlStart"* for New York. Flagged rows are free. States with no sales tax (AK, DE, MT, NH, OR) are flagged as such. Nothing is ever marked valid unless the state's own record says so.

### Input

```json
{
  "items": [
    { "state": "TX", "permit_number": "1-41-0215170-2", "business_name": "Target Corporation" },
    { "state": "CA", "permit_number": "236086592", "business_name": "Gumroad" },
    { "state": "NY", "permit_number": "123456789" }
  ]
}
```

- `state`: two-letter code (full names of the supported states also work).
- `permit_number`: dashes and spaces are ignored. Texas numbers are 11 digits, Ohio up to 8, California the permit number (a "- 00001" location suffix is dropped).
- `business_name` (optional): the name on the certificate, used for `name_match`.
- To check one permit, you can give `state`, `permit_number` and `business_name` at the top level instead of `items`.

### Output

One row per input item, in input order:

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `status` | `valid` (on the state's record), `not_found` (well-formed but not on the record), `invalid` (not a possible number for that state), `unsupported_state`, or `error` (the state site failed after 3 tries) |
| `permit_number_input`, `permit_number` | What you sent, and the normalized number we looked up |
| `registered_name`, `dba`, `address` | As shown by the state, when shown |
| `permit_status`, `permit_issue_date` / `permit_start_date`, `outlet_count`, `list_date` | State-specific details |
| `name_match` | 0-100 similarity between your `business_name` and the state's name (legal or trade name); blank if you gave no name |
| `checked_at` | UTC time of the check, for your audit file |
| `source_url` | The official page the result came from |
| `note` | Why a row is unsupported, invalid or an error |

Export as CSV or Excel from the dataset tab and file it with the certificate.

### Speed

Texas takes about 1 second per number, Ohio is instant after the state list is downloaded (once a week, cached), and California takes 3 to 5 seconds per number because the actor deliberately paces requests to the state's site. States run side by side.

### Pricing

Pay per event: **$0.02 per permit lookup ($20 per 1,000)**. You're only charged for lookups in supported states. Numbers that are not a possible format for their state are charged as a lookup. Rows flagged `unsupported_state`, and rows where the state site failed (`error`), are free. Set a maximum charge for the run and the actor stops checking (and charging) when it is reached.

### Good to know

- Ohio's list covers active county vendor licenses. Transient vendors and direct-pay permits may not appear, so a `not_found` in Ohio is a reason to look closer, not proof of fraud.
- Texas lists permits that are currently active; a permit that has been closed drops off the list.
- A valid permit shows the buyer is registered with the state. It does not by itself make a given sale exempt; you still need a properly completed certificate.

### Disclaimer

This actor is an information aid, not tax or legal advice. Results reflect what each state's website or dataset showed at the time of the check. States update their records on their own schedules, and a state site may be down or change without notice. Confirm anything important with the state.

### Contact

Built by Groundtip. Questions, missing states or bugs: **hello@groundtip.com**.

# Actor input Schema

## `items` (type: `array`):

Up to 500 per run. Each item: {"state": "TX", "permit_number": "14102151702", "business_name": "Target Corp"}. business_name is optional and is used for the name_match score.

## `state` (type: `string`):

Two-letter state code. Use with permit_number instead of items to check one permit.

## `permit_number` (type: `string`):

Dashes and spaces are ignored.

## `business_name` (type: `string`):

Name on the resale certificate, compared with the state's record.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "items": [
    {
      "state": "TX",
      "permit_number": "14102151702",
      "business_name": "Target Corporation"
    },
    {
      "state": "CA",
      "permit_number": "236086592",
      "business_name": "Gumroad"
    },
    {
      "state": "NY",
      "permit_number": "123456789"
    }
  ]
}
```

# 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 = {
    "items": [
        {
            "state": "TX",
            "permit_number": "14102151702",
            "business_name": "Target Corporation"
        },
        {
            "state": "CA",
            "permit_number": "236086592",
            "business_name": "Gumroad"
        },
        {
            "state": "NY",
            "permit_number": "123456789"
        }
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("groundtip/seller-permit-verifier").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 = { "items": [
        {
            "state": "TX",
            "permit_number": "14102151702",
            "business_name": "Target Corporation",
        },
        {
            "state": "CA",
            "permit_number": "236086592",
            "business_name": "Gumroad",
        },
        {
            "state": "NY",
            "permit_number": "123456789",
        },
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("groundtip/seller-permit-verifier").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 '{
  "items": [
    {
      "state": "TX",
      "permit_number": "14102151702",
      "business_name": "Target Corporation"
    },
    {
      "state": "CA",
      "permit_number": "236086592",
      "business_name": "Gumroad"
    },
    {
      "state": "NY",
      "permit_number": "123456789"
    }
  ]
}' |
apify call groundtip/seller-permit-verifier --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,groundtip/seller-permit-verifier"
        }
    }
}
```

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/D2Yop4uV8njppsPgQ/builds/AbesB6ukGCD9dJuHy/openapi.json