# Building Permit Leads Scraper: New Permits by City & Trade (`scrapemint/building-permit-leads`) Actor Fresh building permits from official city open data, normalized across Chicago, NYC, Austin, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, and Boston: one row per permit with work description, address, valuation, and contractor. Filter by trade keyword and value. Keyless, no browser. Pay per permit. - **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapemint/building-permit-leads.md - **Developed by:** [Ken M](https://apify.com/scrapemint) (community) - **Categories:** Lead generation, Business - **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/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-usage ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. 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. Actors are written with capital "A". ## 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. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Building Permit Leads Scraper: New Permits by City & Trade Every issued building permit is a homeowner or business that just committed money to a project. This actor pulls recently issued permits straight from official city open-data APIs and normalizes seven different city schemas into one row shape: permit id, issue date, permit type, work description, address, declared or estimated valuation, and the contractor where the city publishes it. Filter by trade keyword and minimum project value, and run it on a schedule with dedupe for a daily feed of new permits in your trade. Keyless public JSON, no browser, no per-seat construction data subscription. Built for roofers, solar installers, HVAC, plumbing and electrical contractors chasing active projects, building material and equipment suppliers, restoration and remodeling companies, and anyone selling to contractors named on permits. ### Covered cities Chicago, New York City, Austin, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, Boston — the largest US cities with official keyless permit APIs. Contractor names are published by Chicago, NYC, Austin (with phone), Seattle, Philadelphia, and Boston; valuation by all except Philadelphia. ### What you get One row per permit, with: - `city`, `permitId`, `issueDate`, `status` - `permitType`, `workClass`, `description`, `matchedKeyword` - `address`, `zip`, `latitude`, `longitude` - `valuation` (declared/estimated project cost) - `contractorName`, `contractorPhone` (where the city publishes them) ### Input - `cities` (empty = all seven) - `keywords` (matched against work description and permit type, e.g. roof, solar, hvac, pool, remodel, demolition) - `minValuation` (e.g. 50000 for projects worth pitching) - `sinceDays` (issued in the last N days, default 7) - `maxPermits` (default 50, up to 2000, split across selected cities) - `dedupe` (skip previously returned permits; built for a scheduled daily feed) ### Example input ```json { "cities": ["chicago", "austin", "seattle"], "keywords": ["roof", "solar"], "minValuation": 10000, "sinceDays": 14, "maxPermits": 200 } ```` ### Example output ```json { "city": "Austin, TX", "permitId": "2026-084203 EP", "issueDate": "2026-07-08", "permitType": "Electrical Permit", "workClass": "Repair", "description": "EV Charger Circuit installation. 30 Amp NEMA 10-30R installation", "address": "15717 JEFFS LN", "zip": "78717", "valuation": 550, "contractorName": "Revive Electric LLC", "contractorPhone": "5122695447", "status": "Active" } ``` ### Uses - Trade contractors: every new permit in your keyword and value band, the week it is issued - Suppliers and equipment vendors: permits name the contractor doing the work, which is your buyer - Restoration, solar, and remodel sales teams: high-valuation permits are funded projects, not tire kickers - Market research: permit volume by trade, city, and week - Chain contractor names into the Website Contact Scraper for emails ### Pricing Pay per permit row. Searches that match nothing cost nothing, and the first 2 rows of every run are free so you can validate output before you scale up. ### Notes - Data comes from each city's official open-data portal (Socrata, Carto, and CKAN APIs) and reflects what the city publishes; field coverage varies by city and is normalized to null where absent. - Cities typically publish issued permits with a lag of one to a few days. - `minValuation` skips permits where the city publishes no value (all Philadelphia rows, and some rows elsewhere). # Actor input Schema ## `cities` (type: `array`): Cities to scan. Empty = all supported cities. ## `keywords` (type: `array`): Matched against work description and permit type, e.g. roof, solar, hvac, pool, remodel, demolition, electrical. Empty = all permits. ## `minValuation` (type: `integer`): Only permits with declared/estimated value of at least this (USD). Skips permits where the city publishes no value. ## `sinceDays` (type: `integer`): How far back to scan for issued permits. ## `maxPermits` (type: `integer`): Cap on permit rows returned, split across the selected cities. Controls total cost. ## `dedupe` (type: `boolean`): Remember returned permits across runs and skip them. Turn on for a scheduled daily lead feed. ## Actor input object example ```json { "cities": [ "chicago", "austin", "seattle" ], "keywords": [ "roof" ], "sinceDays": 7, "maxPermits": 50, "dedupe": false } ``` # 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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "cities": [ "chicago", "austin", "seattle" ], "keywords": [ "roof" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("scrapemint/building-permit-leads").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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "cities": [ "chicago", "austin", "seattle", ], "keywords": ["roof"], } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("scrapemint/building-permit-leads").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "cities": [ "chicago", "austin", "seattle" ], "keywords": [ "roof" ] }' | apify call scrapemint/building-permit-leads --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=scrapemint/building-permit-leads", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Building Permit Leads Scraper: New Permits by City & Trade", "description": "Fresh building permits from official city open data, normalized across Chicago, NYC, Austin, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, and Boston: one row per permit with work description, address, valuation, and contractor. Filter by trade keyword and value. Keyless, no browser. Pay per permit.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "VUSszJuR1dIXwsSQc" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/scrapemint~building-permit-leads/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-scrapemint-building-permit-leads", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/scrapemint~building-permit-leads/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-scrapemint-building-permit-leads", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/scrapemint~building-permit-leads/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-scrapemint-building-permit-leads", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "cities": { "title": "Cities", "type": "array", "description": "Cities to scan. Empty = all supported cities.", "items": { "type": "string", "enum": [ "chicago", "nyc", "austin", "sanfrancisco", "seattle", "philadelphia", "boston" ], "enumTitles": [ "Chicago, IL", "New York City, NY", "Austin, TX", "San Francisco, CA", "Seattle, WA", "Philadelphia, PA", "Boston, MA" ] }, "default": [] }, "keywords": { "title": "Trade keywords (optional)", "type": "array", "description": "Matched against work description and permit type, e.g. roof, solar, hvac, pool, remodel, demolition, electrical. Empty = all permits.", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "minValuation": { "title": "Min project value (optional)", "minimum": 0, "type": "integer", "description": "Only permits with declared/estimated value of at least this (USD). Skips permits where the city publishes no value." }, "sinceDays": { "title": "Issued in the last N days", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 90, "type": "integer", "description": "How far back to scan for issued permits.", "default": 7 }, "maxPermits": { "title": "Max permits per run", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 2000, "type": "integer", "description": "Cap on permit rows returned, split across the selected cities. Controls total cost.", "default": 50 }, "dedupe": { "title": "Skip permits seen in previous runs", "type": "boolean", "description": "Remember returned permits across runs and skip them. Turn on for a scheduled daily lead feed.", "default": false } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```