# Canada Building Permits Leads (`thetiredoctor/canada-building-permits-leads`) Actor

New building permit leads from 5 Canadian cities in one format. Filter by date, value and keywords, and get only new permits each run.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/thetiredoctor/canada-building-permits-leads.md
- **Developed by:** [Trevor Macinnis](https://apify.com/thetiredoctor) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$4.00 / 1,000 permit results

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

## Canada Building Permits Leads

Get fresh building permit leads from five Canadian cities in one clean, consistent format: Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton.

Use it to find new construction, additions, renovations, pools and demolitions for sales prospecting, supplier outreach, market research or local news.

### What you get

Each result has the same fields for every city:

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| city | Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver or Edmonton |
| permitNumber | Permit number as published |
| issuedDate | Date issued (YYYY-MM-DD) |
| address | Street address of the work |
| permitType | Permit or building type |
| workType | Type of work (new, addition, demolition and so on) |
| description | Project description |
| status | Permit status where published |
| estimatedValue | Estimated construction value in CAD, where published |
| applicantBusiness | Applicant, only when it is a business name |
| contractorBusiness | Contractor or builder, only when it is a business name |
| sourceUrl | Dataset page the record came from |
| licence, licenceUrl, attribution | Licence and attribution for that city |

Privacy: names of individual people are removed. Only business names are kept, and masked names are dropped. Phone numbers and contact names are stripped from descriptions.

Not every city publishes every field. For example, Edmonton and Ottawa do not publish contractor names, so those fields are empty for them.

### Input

- **cities**: which cities to include (default all five)
- **dateFrom**: only permits issued on or after this date (default last 30 days)
- **minValue**: minimum estimated value in CAD
- **keywords**: keep only permits whose type or description contains any of these words, such as pool, demolition or addition
- **maxItems**: maximum results per city
- **onlyNew**: return only permits not returned by an earlier run. Schedule the Actor daily or weekly with this on to get a steady feed of new leads.
- **stateKey**: keeps separate memory for different saved tasks in only new mode

### Example input

Weekly feed of larger Toronto and Calgary projects:

```json
{
  "cities": ["toronto", "calgary"],
  "minValue": 100000,
  "maxItems": 200,
  "onlyNew": true,
  "stateKey": "big-projects"
}
```

Pool and demolition leads in all five cities since October 1:

```json
{
  "dateFrom": "2026-10-01",
  "keywords": ["pool", "demolition"]
}
```

### Sample output

```json
{
  "city": "Toronto",
  "permitNumber": "26 260428 FSU",
  "issuedDate": "2026-10-27",
  "address": "60 ATLANTIC AVE, Toronto, ON M6K",
  "permitType": "Fire/Security Upgrade",
  "workType": "Electromagnetic Locks",
  "description": "Addition of a maglock door on the third floor",
  "status": "Permit Issued",
  "estimatedValue": 2500,
  "applicantBusiness": null,
  "contractorBusiness": null,
  "sourceUrl": "https://open.toronto.ca/dataset/building-permits-active-permits/",
  "licence": "Open Government Licence - Toronto"
}
```

### Who uses it

- Contractors, roofers, landscapers and pool builders looking for new jobs
- Building supply, window, HVAC and solar sales teams
- Real estate investors and market researchers tracking construction activity
- Local journalists following development in their city

### FAQ

**How fresh is the data?** As fresh as each city publishes it. Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton update often. Ottawa updates monthly.

**Does it include homeowner names or phone numbers?** No. Individual names and phone numbers are removed. Only business names are kept.

**Can I get only new permits each week?** Yes. Turn on onlyNew and schedule the Actor. Each run returns only permits it has not returned before for that stateKey.

**Why are some fields empty?** Not every city publishes every field. Empty means the city did not publish it.

**Can you add another city?** Open an issue on this Actor with the city name and a link to its open data permits dataset.

### Data sources and attribution

This Actor reads public open data files and APIs published by each city. It is an independent tool. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of these cities, and the data comes with no warranty from the city. Data freshness depends on each city's publishing schedule (Ottawa publishes monthly).

- Toronto: Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Toronto (https://open.toronto.ca/open-data-licence/). Source: Building Permits: Active Permits.
- Ottawa: Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - City of Ottawa (https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/open-transparent-and-accountable-government/open-data/open-data-licence-version-20). Source: Construction, demolition and pool enclosure permits.
- Calgary: Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - City of Calgary (https://data.calgary.ca/stories/s/Open-Calgary-Terms-of-Use/u45n-7awa). Source: Building Permits.
- Vancouver: Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Vancouver (https://opendata.vancouver.ca/pages/licence/). Source: Issued building permits.
- Edmonton: Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - City of Edmonton (https://data.edmonton.ca/stories/s/City-of-Edmonton-Open-Data-Terms-of-Use/msh8-if28). Source: General Building Permits.

Every output item also carries its own attribution line, so keep it with the data when you share or republish it.

### Pricing

Pay per result: $4 per 1,000 permits, with no start fee. You only pay for the permits returned.

# Actor input Schema

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

Cities to include.

## `dateFrom` (type: `string`):

Only permits issued on or after this date. Leave empty for the last 30 days.

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

Only permits with an estimated value at or above this amount. Permits with no published value are skipped when this is above 0.

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

Keep permits whose work type or description contains any of these words, for example pool, demolition, addition.

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

Maximum number of permits to return for each city.

## `onlyNew` (type: `boolean`):

Skip permits already returned by an earlier run that used the same state key.

## `stateKey` (type: `string`):

Separate runs (for example different saved tasks) can keep separate memory by using different keys.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "cities": [
    "toronto",
    "ottawa",
    "calgary",
    "vancouver",
    "edmonton"
  ],
  "minValue": 0,
  "maxItems": 200,
  "onlyNew": false,
  "stateKey": "default"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

## `full` (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("thetiredoctor/canada-building-permits-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 '<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("thetiredoctor/canada-building-permits-leads").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 thetiredoctor/canada-building-permits-leads --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/ovmQo1NGLihofaJJC/builds/YuzcE7DiOb0MOMIoY/openapi.json