# US Building Permits Leads (11 cities, official open data) (`larkmoor/us-building-permits`) Actor

Fresh building permits from the official open-data portals of Chicago, Austin, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Baton Rouge, Cincinnati, Mesa (AZ), Cambridge (MA) and Marin County (CA) in one clean format: address, type, description, value, dates, contractor and owner where publis

- **URL**: https://apify.com/larkmoor/us-building-permits.md
- **Developed by:** [Larkmoor Data](https://apify.com/larkmoor) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Real estate
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.28 / 1,000 permit returneds

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

## US Building Permits Leads (11 cities, official data)

Fresh building permits from the official open-data portals of Chicago, Austin, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Baton Rouge, Cincinnati, Mesa (AZ), Cambridge (MA) and Marin County (CA) in one clean format. Filter by keyword (solar, roof, pool, HVAC, ADU), value and date. Leads for contractors, suppliers, solar and roofing sales.

### What you can use it for

- Solar and roofing installers: homeowners who just pulled a re-roof or solar permit.
- Building-material suppliers: new jobs over $100k near your yard.
- Contractors: see who your competitors are and what they are winning.
- Real estate investors: renovation activity by street.

### Why this one

- Official government open data only: no logins, no scraping of private sites, nothing that breaks.
- One clean, flat format you can drop into a spreadsheet, CRM or Zapier/Make.
- Pay only for results: **$1.50 per 1,000 permits**. No monthly fee.

### Input

- **Cities** (`cities`): Leave empty for all 12 sources (11 cities).
- **Issued in the last N days** (`sinceDays`)
- **Keywords (any)** (`keywords`): Match in the permit description or type, e.g. solar, roof, pool, HVAC, ADU, demolition.
- **Minimum job value ($)** (`minValuation`)
- **Max permits** (`maxResults`)

### Sample output

```json
[
 {
  "permitId": "101085786",
  "issueDate": "2026-10-14",
  "address": "65 E WACKER PL",
  "zip": null,
  "type": "PERMIT - RENOVATION/ALTERATION",
  "description": "DDS 2019 CBRC: REVISION TO PERMIT 101067603 TO UPDATE OCCUPIABLE ROOFTOP DESIGN TO INCLUDE NEW PERGOLA AS PER PLANS.(OCCUPANCY GROUP: R-2 / A-2; TYPE 1A CONSTRUCTION)",
  "valuation": 100000.0,
  "contractor": "65 E WACKER HOLDINGS II LLC",
  "contactRole": "OWNER OCCUPIED",
  "contractorPhone": null,
  "owner": null,
  "lat": 41.886704230249315,
  "lon": -87.62549637410729,
  "sourceUrl": "https://data.cityofchicago.org/d/ydr8-5enu",
  "city": "chicago"
 },
 {
  "permitId": "B200515853",
  "issueDate": "2026-10-14",
  "address": "5228 S PARKSIDE AVE",
  "zip": null,
  "type": "PERMIT \u2013 EXPRESS PERMIT PROGRAM",
  "description": "SCOPE: ROOF REPLACEMENT. AREA: 1 SQ. FT. ROOF COVERING: ASPHALT SHINGLES. LOCATION: AT TOP OF THE ROOF. IL ROOFING CONTRACTOR LICENSE: 104.02017.",
  "valuation": 14204.55,
  "contractor": "CORTES LIZETTE SOLIS",
  "contactRole": "OWNER",
  "contractorPhone": null,
  "owner": null,
  "lat": 41.79733743158597,
  "lon": -87.76381206991506,
  "sourceUrl": "https://data.cityofchicago.org/d/ydr8-5enu",
  "city": "chicago"
 }
]
```

### Schedule it

Run it daily or weekly with an Apify schedule and send new rows to Google Sheets, Slack or your CRM through Apify integrations.

### How much it costs

You pay per result (pay-per-event), nothing per month and nothing when a run returns nothing. The price is **$1.50 per 1,000 permits** on the Free plan, with automatic discounts on paid plans (Bronze −5%, Silver −10%, Gold −15%, Platinum −20%).

Worked examples:

- 100 permits → **$0.15**
- 1,000 permits → **$1.50**
- 10,000 permits → **$15.00**
- Plus $0.001 per run start.

Platform usage (compute, storage) is included in the price: the actor runs at a small memory setting by default, so a typical run of 1,000 permits finishes in well under a minute.

### FAQ

**Which cities are covered?**

Cities that publish permits as open data (Socrata/ArcGIS portals). The input lists the exact cities; more are added as portals are verified. Data freshness depends on each city (daily to weekly).

**Why are some fields empty?**

A field is `null` when the source does not publish it for that row. The output keeps every column so your spreadsheet or integration always sees the same shape.

**Can I run it on a schedule?**

Yes. Use Apify Schedules (daily, hourly, cron) and connect the run to Make, Zapier, n8n, Google Sheets, a webhook or the API. Each run writes a dataset you can download as JSON, CSV or Excel.

**Is there a free trial?**

The Apify Free plan includes $5 of monthly platform credit, enough to try this actor on a few hundred results at no cost. There is no subscription for the actor itself.

**Can an AI agent use this?**

Yes. The actor is available through Apify's MCP server and the API, so LLM agents (Claude, ChatGPT, LangChain, CrewAI) can call it as a tool with the same input.

**What happens if something fails?**

Runs log every skipped item with a reason. If the source is down, the actor stops cleanly and you are only charged for the results it returned.

### Integrations

- **API**: start a run with `POST /v2/acts/larkmoor~us-building-permits/runs` and read the dataset with `GET /v2/datasets/{datasetId}/items?format=csv`. Client libraries exist for JavaScript and Python (`apify-client`).
- **No-code**: Make, Zapier, n8n and Google Sheets connectors are built into the Apify Console (Integrations tab of the actor).
- **Webhooks**: fire a URL when a run finishes.
- **AI agents**: available as a tool through the Apify MCP server.

### Changelog

- **2026-10-23** — Five new official sources: Baton Rouge (with owner and contractor names), Cincinnati (with contractor and project cost), Mesa AZ, Cambridge MA (alterations and new construction, with project cost) and Marin County CA. Now 11 cities / 12 datasets.
- **2026-10-18** — Lower price with Bronze/Silver/Gold discounts; smaller default memory (cheaper runs); clean table view of results; FAQ and cost examples; input defaults reviewed.

### Support

Open an Issue on this Actor's page. Replies within 12 hours. Fixes for source changes ship the same day.

### Notes

Data comes straight from the public source shown in each row. You are responsible for how you contact anyone in it (CAN-SPAM, TCPA and state rules).

# Actor input Schema

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

Leave empty for all 12 sources.

## `sinceDays` (type: `integer`):

Issued in the last N days. Default: 7. (min 1, max 365)

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

Match in the permit description or type, e.g. solar, roof, pool, HVAC, ADU, demolition.

## `minValuation` (type: `integer`):

Minimum job value ($). Default: 0. (min 0)

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Max permits. Default: 500. (min 1, max 50000)

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "cities": [
    "chicago",
    "austin",
    "los-angeles",
    "new-york-city",
    "san-francisco",
    "seattle",
    "baton-rouge",
    "cincinnati",
    "mesa",
    "cambridge-ma",
    "cambridge-ma-new-construction",
    "marin-county"
  ],
  "sinceDays": 7,
  "keywords": [
    "solar",
    "roof"
  ],
  "minValuation": 0,
  "maxResults": 500
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

All results as JSON items in the run's default dataset (also downloadable as CSV/Excel from the dataset).

# 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 = {
    "keywords": [
        "solar",
        "roof"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("larkmoor/us-building-permits").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 = { "keywords": [
        "solar",
        "roof",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("larkmoor/us-building-permits").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 '{
  "keywords": [
    "solar",
    "roof"
  ]
}' |
apify call larkmoor/us-building-permits --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/WYS2zQNJi42zP9o7i/builds/gfj5qOZfEjkgj7tiH/openapi.json