# Building Permits Canada - Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton (`truenorthdata/canada-building-permits`) Actor Fresh building permits from Canada's largest cities via official open data. Contractor leads: who just got a permit, for what work, at what project value. Incremental monitoring mode. - **URL**: https://apify.com/truenorthdata/canada-building-permits.md - **Developed by:** [Vadim Zabin](https://apify.com/truenorthdata) (community) - **Categories:** Agents, Lead generation, Real estate - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $5.00 / 1,000 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/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## 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 ## Canada Building Permits Scraper — Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton Fresh **building permits from four of Canada's largest construction markets** in one normalized feed — who just got a permit, for what work, at which address, and at what project value. Built exclusively on official municipal open data: City of Toronto (refreshed daily), City of Vancouver, City of Calgary and City of Edmonton. No proxies, no blocks, no login. ### Who uses this data - **Contractors & trades** (roofing, HVAC, solar, electrical, landscaping): a new permit at an address = a homeowner or GC actively spending on that property. Filter by keyword ("roof", "solar", "pool") and get a lead list with addresses. - **Building-material suppliers & equipment rental**: target active job sites by neighbourhood and project value. - **Market researchers & PropTech**: construction activity by city, community and month; project values; housing units. - **Real estate investors**: renovation and development signals street by street. ### What you get One clean schema across all cities: permit number, city, status, permit type/class, work class, description, address, community, applicant, **contractor name** (Calgary/Vancouver), **estimated project value in CAD**, housing units, applied/issued/completed dates, coordinates (where provided), source. ### Built for monitoring Enable *Incremental mode* and schedule the Actor daily or weekly — each run returns only permits you haven't seen before. Your sales team gets a fresh lead list every Monday; you only pay for new records. ### Input example — roofing leads in Calgary, $20k+ projects ```json { "cities": ["calgary"], "issuedWithinDays": 14, "keywords": ["roof"], "minProjectValue": 20000, "onlyNewSinceLastRun": true, "maxResults": 500 } ```` ### Output example ```json { "permitId": "BP2026-11223", "city": "Calgary", "province": "AB", "status": "Issued", "permitType": "Single Construction Permit", "workClass": "Alteration", "description": "REROOF, SOLAR PV INSTALLATION", "address": "248 SADDLELAKE DR NE", "community": "SADDLE RIDGE", "contractor": "ACME ROOFING LTD", "projectValue": 46089.8, "issuedDate": "2026-06-28", "latitude": 51.1273, "longitude": -113.9341, "source": "calgary-open-data", "country": "CA" } ``` ### FAQ **How fresh is the data?** Toronto refreshes daily and Vancouver frequently. Calgary's open dataset can lag by a few weeks - the Actor returns whatever the city has published (use a 60+ day window for Calgary). **Is this legal?** Yes — all three sources are official municipal open-data programs published for reuse. **More cities?** Ottawa and Montréal are on the roadmap — open an issue to vote for the next one. **How do I get permit leads without coding?** Press *Run* — the default input returns the last 30 days of permits across all three cities as a table you can export to Excel or CSV. # Actor input Schema ## `cities` (type: `array`): Which cities to fetch. All use official municipal open data. ## `issuedWithinDays` (type: `integer`): Only permits issued in the last N days. 0 = no date limit (large!). Note: Calgary's open dataset can lag by a few weeks - use 60+ days to be safe. ## `keywords` (type: `array`): Match in description/type/work class (e.g. "roof", "solar", "HVAC", "demolition"). Case-insensitive. Empty = all. ## `workTypes` (type: `array`): Filter by work class, e.g. "New", "Addition", "Alteration", "Demolition". Empty = all. ## `minProjectValue` (type: `integer`): Only permits with estimated project cost at or above this value. 0 = no minimum. Note: records without a value are excluded when this is set. ## `onlyNewSinceLastRun` (type: `boolean`): Skip permits already returned by previous runs - ideal for scheduled lead monitoring. ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): Hard cap on returned records (cost guard). ## `includeRawRow` (type: `boolean`): Attach the original city record under 'raw'. ## Actor input object example ```json { "cities": [ "toronto", "vancouver", "calgary", "edmonton" ], "issuedWithinDays": 60, "keywords": [], "workTypes": [], "minProjectValue": 0, "onlyNewSinceLastRun": false, "maxResults": 500, "includeRawRow": 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 = {}; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("truenorthdata/canada-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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = {} # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("truenorthdata/canada-building-permits").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 '{}' | apify call truenorthdata/canada-building-permits --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=truenorthdata/canada-building-permits", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Building Permits Canada - Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton", "description": "Fresh building permits from Canada's largest cities via official open data. Contractor leads: who just got a permit, for what work, at what project value. Incremental monitoring mode.", "version": "0.2", "x-build-id": "bUbdjQ8FPjpmSVLha" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/truenorthdata~canada-building-permits/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-truenorthdata-canada-building-permits", "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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/truenorthdata~canada-building-permits/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-truenorthdata-canada-building-permits", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/truenorthdata~canada-building-permits/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-truenorthdata-canada-building-permits", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": "Which cities to fetch. All use official municipal open data.", "items": { "type": "string", "enum": [ "toronto", "vancouver", "calgary", "edmonton" ], "enumTitles": [ "Toronto, ON", "Vancouver, BC", "Calgary, AB", "Edmonton, AB" ] }, "default": [ "toronto", "vancouver", "calgary", "edmonton" ] }, "issuedWithinDays": { "title": "Issued within N days", "minimum": 0, "maximum": 3650, "type": "integer", "description": "Only permits issued in the last N days. 0 = no date limit (large!). Note: Calgary's open dataset can lag by a few weeks - use 60+ days to be safe.", "default": 60 }, "keywords": { "title": "Keywords", "type": "array", "description": "Match in description/type/work class (e.g. \"roof\", \"solar\", \"HVAC\", \"demolition\"). Case-insensitive. Empty = all.", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "workTypes": { "title": "Work types", "type": "array", "description": "Filter by work class, e.g. \"New\", \"Addition\", \"Alteration\", \"Demolition\". Empty = all.", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "minProjectValue": { "title": "Min project value (CAD)", "minimum": 0, "type": "integer", "description": "Only permits with estimated project cost at or above this value. 0 = no minimum. Note: records without a value are excluded when this is set.", "default": 0 }, "onlyNewSinceLastRun": { "title": "Incremental mode (only new since last run)", "type": "boolean", "description": "Skip permits already returned by previous runs - ideal for scheduled lead monitoring.", "default": false }, "maxResults": { "title": "Max results", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 100000, "type": "integer", "description": "Hard cap on returned records (cost guard).", "default": 500 }, "includeRawRow": { "title": "Include raw source record", "type": "boolean", "description": "Attach the original city record under 'raw'.", "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```