# Building Permits Feed - 13 US & Canadian Cities, One Format (`plotpointtech/building-permits-feed`) Actor

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

## Pricing

from $4.00 / 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 Feed

Get new building permits from 13 major US and Canadian jurisdictions in one consistent format, straight from each city's official open-data portal.

**Cities:** New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Cincinnati, Baton Rouge, Mesa, Corona, Marin County, Calgary and Edmonton.

### Who uses it

- **Contractors and trades** (roofing, solar, HVAC, pools, electrical, plumbing) looking for homeowners and builders with active projects.
- **Building-material suppliers and equipment rental** firms finding job sites early.
- **Real-estate investors, lenders and insurers** tracking development and renovation activity.
- **Market researchers** measuring construction activity by city and project type.

### Why this feed

Every city publishes permits differently: different column names, date formats, cost fields and contractor layouts. This Actor maps all of them into one schema, so a single run gives you a table you can sort, filter and load into a CRM.

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| city | Jurisdiction |
| permitNumber, permitType, workType, status | The permit and what kind of work it covers |
| description | The city's description of the work |
| appliedDate, issuedDate | Key dates (YYYY-MM-DD) |
| address, zip, lat, lon | Where the work is |
| valuation | Declared project value in dollars, where published |
| squareFeet, units | Size and housing units, where published |
| contractor, owner | Contractor(s) and owner/applicant, where published |
| link, source | Link to the city's permit record (where available) and the source dataset |

### Filters

- **Days back:** permits from the last N days.
- **Minimum project value:** for example 50,000 to focus on larger jobs.
- **Keywords:** roof, solar, pool, ADU, demolition, new construction, HVAC and so on.
- **Only permits naming a contractor:** for B2B prospecting.
- **Maximum per city:** keeps one large city from crowding out the rest.

### Notes

Fields are filled only where a city publishes them; for example, not every city publishes contractor names or project values. Data freshness follows each city's own update schedule, usually daily. Some cities list owners who are private individuals; use this data in line with applicable privacy and marketing laws. Plot Point Technologies is not affiliated with any city government.

# Actor input Schema

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

Which jurisdictions to include. Leave empty for all.

## `daysBack` (type: `integer`):

Permits dated within this many recent days (issued, or applied where a city publishes applications).

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

Only permits with at least this declared job value. Permits without a value are dropped when set.

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

Match permit type, work type or description, e.g. roof, solar, pool, new construction, HVAC.

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

Skip permits that list no contractor.

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

Total cap across all cities.

## `maxPerCity` (type: `integer`):

Cap per city so one large city does not crowd out others.

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

For very large pulls. Free from any Socrata open-data portal.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "cities": [],
  "daysBack": 7,
  "keywords": [],
  "onlyWithContractor": false,
  "maxResults": 500,
  "maxPerCity": 500
}
```

# 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 = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("plotpointtech/building-permits-feed").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("plotpointtech/building-permits-feed").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 plotpointtech/building-permits-feed --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/NAafav6p0ajd9O6vS/builds/cvvBv6hHXmMRlO8iz/openapi.json