# Waterloo Building Permits – Open Data API (`loudtzu/waterloo-permits`) Actor

Waterloo, ON building permits from official open data (~33,500 source rows): type, work type, status, issue date, value (CAD) and more. One clean row per permit, JSON/CSV. Waterloo Open Data User Licence. No addresses. $0.003 per permit, no start fee.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/loudtzu/waterloo-permits.md
- **Developed by:** [Travis M](https://apify.com/loudtzu) (community)
- **Categories:** Business, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$3.00 / 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

## Waterloo Building Permits – Open Data API

**Building Permits for Waterloo only**, from the city's official open dataset (~33,500 source rows), via the ArcGIS REST API — no website scraping.

- **Key fields:** `permitNumber`, `permitType`, `workType`, `status`, `issuedDate`, `estimatedValueCad`, `unitsCreated`, `bedrooms`.
- **Licence:** Waterloo Open Data User Licence; credit is optional under the licence (every record still carries the City's suggested credit line and licence link).
- **Output:** structured JSON, or CSV / Excel from the Apify dataset. Filters run at the source (type, status, issued dates and more), up to 50,000 permits per run.
- **Privacy:** street addresses and free-text descriptions removed; postal codes cut to FSA and coordinates rounded to ~1 km where present.

**Why not build it yourself?** No ArcGIS/Socrata paging, field mapping, date normalising or de-duplication to write and maintain. You get one tidy row per permit with consistent field names and ISO dates.

**Price:** $0.003 per result (three-tenths of a cent; 1,000 results = $3.00), no start fee. You pay only for permits returned.

### What it does

This Actor reads **building permits** from the City of Waterloo's official open dataset ([Waterloo open data](https://data.waterloo.ca/), about 33,500 source rows) through the ArcGIS REST query API. It does **not** scrape any website.

Rows are deduplicated so you get one record per permit number.

#### Free open data vs. this Actor

The dataset is free on the Waterloo open-data portal. Use that for a one-off download. This Actor is for:

- **Filters at the source:** permit type, status, issued dates, minimum value, keyword
- **Clean JSON:** ISO dates, consistent field names, one row per permit
- **Privacy trimming:** no street addresses, no free-text descriptions, no names
- **Scheduled runs** and Apify API / Sheets / Make / Zapier exports

### Who it's for

- Contractors and suppliers (windows, HVAC, roofing, landscaping) watching new work in Waterloo
- Developers and real-estate analysts tracking construction activity
- Housing researchers counting permits and new units

### What data you get

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `permitNumber` | City permit number |
| `permitType` | Permit type / class |
| `workType` | Kind of work |
| `subType` | Sub-type of work |
| `status` | Permit status |
| `issuedDate` | YYYY-MM-DD |
| `estimatedValueCad` | Estimated construction value (CAD) |
| `unitsCreated` | Dwelling units created |
| `bedrooms` | Bedrooms |
| `latitude` | Latitude |
| `longitude` | Longitude |
| `source` | Source portal |
| `licence` | Optional credit line in the City's suggested wording, plus the licence link |
| `futureDate` | True if the issue date is after today |

### Input

| Field | Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Permit type contains | `permitType` | e.g. New - Residential Building Permit (case-insensitive). |
| Work type contains | `workType` | e.g. New, InteriorWork, AdditionalDwellingUnits. |
| Status contains | `status` | e.g. Issued, Closed. |
| Issued on/after (YYYY-MM-DD) | `issuedFrom` | Optional start date. |
| Issued on/before (YYYY-MM-DD) | `issuedTo` | Optional end date. |
| Minimum construction value (CAD) | `minValue` | Optional. |
| Keyword | `keyword` | Server-side filter on description, type and permit number (descriptions are not returned). |
| Max permits | `maxItems` | Stop after this many permits. |

Bad dates or an inverted date range fail before any API call, with a clear error.

Example input:

```json
{"permitType": "New - Residential Building Permit", "issuedFrom": "2025-01-01", "maxItems": 200, "minValue": 1000000}
```

### Pricing

Pay per result: you are charged only for permits returned (one result = one permit). $0.003 per result (three-tenths of a cent), no start fee.

### Licence and privacy

- **Licence:** [Waterloo Open Data User Licence](https://data.waterloo.ca/pages/open-data-licence). The licence lets you copy, publish, distribute and adapt the data and "use the Information commercially". Credit is not required; if you give credit, the City asks for the text "Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence", which every record carries. You must not misrepresent the data or its source, and your use must follow applicable law. The licence does not cover personal information.
- **No endorsement:** this Actor is independent. It does not suggest any official status or City of Waterloo endorsement, and does not use City logos, trademarks, slogans or crests.
- **Privacy:** Street addresses (civic number, street name and unit) and free-text work descriptions are removed. Postal codes, where present, are cut to the first 3 characters (FSA) and coordinates are rounded to 2 decimals (about 1 km). Owner, applicant and contractor names are not exported. Records still include permit number, permit type and category, status, dates, construction value and unit counts, and (where the source has them) ward, neighbourhood or building-use category. Also not exported: address IDs and legal descriptions (LOCATION: plan, lot and condo unit).

### Limits

- Coverage is the City of Waterloo only.
- Data freshness and completeness match the Waterloo open-data feed. This Actor does not add or correct permits.
- Max 50,000 permits per run. Pages of 1,000 with a 1 s pause between pages.
- Fields can be null when the source left them blank.

### FAQ

**Is this scraping?** No. It queries the city's public ArcGIS REST API.

**Does it include owner or applicant names or addresses?** No. Street addresses, names and descriptions are removed, but the data is reduced, not anonymous: a permit number can be looked up in City records and may relate to a specific property.

**Can I use it commercially?** Yes. The Waterloo Open Data User Licence allows commercial use. Credit is optional (suggested wording is in each record). Don't imply City endorsement or misrepresent the data.

# Actor input Schema

## `permitType` (type: `string`):

e.g. New - Residential Building Permit (case-insensitive).

## `workType` (type: `string`):

e.g. New, InteriorWork, AdditionalDwellingUnits.

## `status` (type: `string`):

e.g. Issued, Closed.

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

Optional start date.

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

Optional end date.

## `minValue` (type: `integer`):

Optional.

## `keyword` (type: `string`):

Server-side filter on description, type and permit number (descriptions are not returned).

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

Stop after this many permits.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

All permits returned by the run, shown in the 'overview' table view of the default 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 = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("loudtzu/waterloo-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 = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("loudtzu/waterloo-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 '{}' |
apify call loudtzu/waterloo-permits --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,loudtzu/waterloo-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/Okbm2gfbfh3gCgfrS/builds/wqcay6smHoE4bvKp3/openapi.json