# Permit Lookup API (`zentrafoundry/permit-lookup-api`) Actor Find contractor lead signals from Hamburg Transparency Portal, Berlin Open Data, Municipal planning/building portals with location, work type, stage, source URL, and confidence. - **URL**: https://apify.com/zentrafoundry/permit-lookup-api.md - **Developed by:** [Zentra](https://apify.com/zentrafoundry) (community) - **Categories:** Lead generation, Automation, News - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per event 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 ## Permit Lookup API Find contractor lead signals from Hamburg Transparency Portal, Berlin Open Data, Municipal planning/building portals with location, work type, stage, source URL, and confidence. ### Who this is for Contractors, suppliers, solar, roofing, HVAC, construction, and local sales teams use this actor when they need focused permit lookup output instead of a broad generic scraper or manual checking. ### Buyer outcomes - Find permit lookup project signals earlier than manual planning and permit searches. - Prioritize outreach with location, work type, permit stage, contractor opportunity, confidence, and source URL. - Route qualified leads into CRM, sales research, local territory, or partner workflows. ### Sources monitored - [Hamburg Transparency Portal](https://transparenz.hamburg.de/) - [Berlin Open Data](https://daten.berlin.de/) - Municipal planning/building portals - [Apify Standby mode](https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/standby) ### Inputs - `sourceMode`: use `sample` for a smoke run or `startUrls` for planning/permit source URLs. - `startUrls`: public planning authority, permit, renovation, construction, roofing, HVAC, solar, or building-source URLs. - `sourceIds`: approved planning or municipal source identifiers. - `maxItems`: bounded number of permit/planning lead signals to return. - `sinceLastRun`: emit only new or updated planning/permit signals when scheduled. - `watchlistTerms`: location, work type, building type, contractor trade, or project keywords. - `webhookUrl`: optional destination for CRM or contractor lead routing. ### How it transforms the input - Input: public planning authority, building permit, renovation, roofing, HVAC, solar, municipal, or construction source. - Transformation: identify project type, work type, planning/permit stage, location, and contractor relevance. - Output: contractor lead with planning authority, project location, work type, stage/status, source URL, opportunity type, and confidence. ### Outputs The actor returns planning and permit lead records with authority/source, location, project type, work type, permit stage, contractor opportunity type, source URL, and confidence. Family-specific fields to expect: - `permitId`: Permit, planning, or application identifier when available. - `planningStatus`: Planning, submitted, approved, consultation, or other source status. - `location`: Project location or municipality. - `workType`: Roofing, HVAC, solar, renovation, construction, or other work type. - `projectType`: Building or project category. - `contractorLeadReason`: Why the record is relevant to a contractor or supplier. - `sourceUrl`: Public source record URL. - `recordId`: Stable record ID for exports, dedupe, and downstream joins. - `title`: Human-readable record title for review and export. - `sourceName`: Source identifier used to trace where the record came from. - `sourceUrl`: Direct source URL for review and audit. - `dedupeKey`: Stable key used for delta mode and duplicate suppression. - `retrievedAt`: Timestamp showing when the actor retrieved or generated this record. - `score`: Normalized field for filtering, routing, or downstream review. - `scoreReasons`: Buyer-readable explanation for the score or match. - `confidence`: Normalized field for filtering, routing, or downstream review. - `errors`: Normalized field for filtering, routing, or downstream review. - `runSummary`: Run-level summary for counts, filters, charges, and next actions. ### Pricing This actor uses Apify pay-per-event pricing. Current public listing guidance: $29-$49 / 1,000 launch validation records until public data proof is complete. Charges are tied to buyer-visible value events such as `lookup-result`, `dataset-processed`, `record-saved`, `enriched-record`. Small validation runs are supported so you can inspect output before scaling a schedule. - `lookup-result`: Charge when Permit Lookup API produces Lookup Result. Typical price: $0.043. A run that produces 10 matching records charges only for the matched buyer-value events and remains capped by the run limit. - `dataset-processed`: Base charge when Permit Lookup API writes a non-empty default dataset. Typical price: $0.011. A run that produces 10 matching records charges only for the matched buyer-value events and remains capped by the run limit. - `record-saved`: Charge for each buyer-visible result saved by Permit Lookup API. Typical price: $0.003. A run that produces 10 matching records charges only for the matched buyer-value events and remains capped by the run limit. - `enriched-record`: Charge when Permit Lookup API adds match scoring, source evidence, or enrichment to a saved result. Typical price: $0.022. A run that produces 10 matching records charges only for the matched buyer-value events and remains capped by the run limit. - `first-run-cap`: Recommended first run budget cap. Typical price: $3.820. Start with the default small run, inspect the dataset, then raise maxItems or schedule recurring runs. ### API example ```bash curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/zentrafoundry~permit-lookup-api/runs" \ + -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \ + -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ + -d '{"maxItems":10,"sourceIds":["HAMBURG-TRANS","BERLIN-OPEN","MUNICIPAL-PORTALS"],"includeSourceUrls":true,"includeMatchReasons":true,"outputMode":"buyer-ready-records"}' ```` ### Recommended first run ```json { "maxItems": 10, "sourceIds": [ "HAMBURG-TRANS", "BERLIN-OPEN", "MUNICIPAL-PORTALS" ], "includeSourceUrls": true, "includeMatchReasons": true, "outputMode": "buyer-ready-records" } ``` ### Sample output Sample status: `sample_unavailable` at https://zentra.nimblique.studio/external/actor-review/samples/permit-lookup-api.json. No fake sample is published; run a bounded real sample refresh before using examples in promotion. ### Recommended public tasks ```json [ { "name": "Review 10 permit lead signals", "description": "Low-cost validation run for checking planning authority, location, work type, and stage fields.", "input": { "maxItems": 10, "sourceIds": [ "HAMBURG-TRANS", "BERLIN-OPEN", "MUNICIPAL-PORTALS" ], "includeSourceUrls": true, "includeMatchReasons": true, "outputMode": "buyer-ready-records", "actorSlug": "permit-lookup-api" } }, { "name": "Daily permit lead review", "description": "Recurring batch for new planning, building, roofing, HVAC, solar, or renovation leads.", "schedule": "Daily during local business hours", "input": { "maxItems": 25, "sourceIds": [ "HAMBURG-TRANS", "BERLIN-OPEN", "MUNICIPAL-PORTALS" ], "includeSourceUrls": true, "includeMatchReasons": true, "outputMode": "buyer-ready-records", "actorSlug": "permit-lookup-api" } } ] ``` ### Use cases - Find permit lookup project signals before they become crowded sales opportunities. - Route qualified permit and planning records into CRM or contractor outreach queues. - Filter by work type, location, stage, confidence, and source evidence. - Schedule recurring monitoring for new renovation, HVAC, roofing, solar, or construction leads. ### Trust and compliance - Uses Hamburg Transparency Portal, Berlin Open Data, Municipal planning/building portals. - Keeps source URLs and source identifiers in output records for auditability. - Does not require private credentials unless a source is explicitly configured for approved authenticated access. ### Limitations - Results depend on public-source availability, source uptime, and source update cadence. - Public sources can revise records after publication; rerun scheduled tasks for fresh evidence. - Scores and match reasons are decision-support signals, not legal, financial, procurement, medical, safety, or regulatory advice. - Large production runs can cost more than the default smoke run; start small, inspect output, then scale schedules. ### FAQ **Can I run this without URLs?** Yes. The default `sample` mode is designed to succeed without user-supplied URLs, and URL-backed runs can use `startUrls` when needed. **Can I schedule it?** Yes. Use `sinceLastRun`, `watchlistTerms`, and optional `webhookUrl` to turn the actor into a recurring alert or report workflow. **How do I verify value before scaling?** Run the recommended first-run input, review the sample output fields, then increase `maxItems` or schedule recurring runs after the dataset matches your use case. # Actor input Schema ## `sourceMode` (type: `string`): Choose whether to run the built-in sample or crawl supplied start URLs. ## `startUrls` (type: `array`): Approved public source URLs for this Actor run. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Upper bound for emitted records and pay-per-event charges. ## `sourceIds` (type: `array`): Optional source identifiers to include in the run. ## `pricingEvents` (type: `array`): Buyer-value events expected from this actor. ## `sinceLastRun` (type: `boolean`): Use Actor state to skip records whose dedupe keys were saved by earlier runs. ## `watchlistTerms` (type: `array`): Optional buyer terms used to explain matches and recurring monitoring. ## `webhookUrl` (type: `string`): Optional endpoint that receives a compact completion alert for scheduled runs. ## `includeSourceUrls` (type: `boolean`): Include source URLs in output records. ## `includeMatchReasons` (type: `boolean`): Include plain-language match reasons in output records. ## `outputMode` (type: `string`): Shape of returned records. ## `actorSlug` (type: `string`): Zentra actor slug used for review and traceability. ## Actor input object example ```json { "sourceMode": "startUrls", "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://transparenz.hamburg.de/", "sourceId": "HAMBURG-TRANS", "userData": { "sourceId": "HAMBURG-TRANS" } }, { "url": "https://daten.berlin.de/", "sourceId": "BERLIN-OPEN", "userData": { "sourceId": "BERLIN-OPEN" } }, { "url": "https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/standby", "sourceId": "APIFY-STANDBY", "userData": { "sourceId": "APIFY-STANDBY" } } ], "maxItems": 1, "sourceIds": [], "pricingEvents": [], "sinceLastRun": false, "watchlistTerms": [], "includeSourceUrls": true, "includeMatchReasons": true, "outputMode": "sample-records" } ``` # 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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://transparenz.hamburg.de/", "sourceId": "HAMBURG-TRANS", "userData": { "sourceId": "HAMBURG-TRANS" } }, { "url": "https://daten.berlin.de/", "sourceId": "BERLIN-OPEN", "userData": { "sourceId": "BERLIN-OPEN" } }, { "url": "https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/standby", "sourceId": "APIFY-STANDBY", "userData": { "sourceId": "APIFY-STANDBY" } } ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("zentrafoundry/permit-lookup-api").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 = { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://transparenz.hamburg.de/", "sourceId": "HAMBURG-TRANS", "userData": { "sourceId": "HAMBURG-TRANS" }, }, { "url": "https://daten.berlin.de/", "sourceId": "BERLIN-OPEN", "userData": { "sourceId": "BERLIN-OPEN" }, }, { "url": "https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/standby", "sourceId": "APIFY-STANDBY", "userData": { "sourceId": "APIFY-STANDBY" }, }, ] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("zentrafoundry/permit-lookup-api").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 '{ "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://transparenz.hamburg.de/", "sourceId": "HAMBURG-TRANS", "userData": { "sourceId": "HAMBURG-TRANS" } }, { "url": "https://daten.berlin.de/", "sourceId": "BERLIN-OPEN", "userData": { "sourceId": "BERLIN-OPEN" } }, { "url": "https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/standby", "sourceId": "APIFY-STANDBY", "userData": { "sourceId": "APIFY-STANDBY" } } ] }' | apify call zentrafoundry/permit-lookup-api --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=zentrafoundry/permit-lookup-api", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Permit Lookup API", "description": "Find contractor lead signals from Hamburg Transparency Portal, Berlin Open Data, Municipal planning/building portals with location, work type, stage, source URL, and confidence.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "wSszGK7bjSyUQ4q6u" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/zentrafoundry~permit-lookup-api/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-zentrafoundry-permit-lookup-api", "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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/zentrafoundry~permit-lookup-api/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-zentrafoundry-permit-lookup-api", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/zentrafoundry~permit-lookup-api/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-zentrafoundry-permit-lookup-api", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "sourceMode": { "title": "Source mode", "enum": [ "startUrls", "sample" ], "type": "string", "description": "Choose whether to run the built-in sample or crawl supplied start URLs.", "default": "startUrls" }, "startUrls": { "title": "Start URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Approved public source URLs for this Actor run.", "default": [ { "url": "https://transparenz.hamburg.de/", "sourceId": "HAMBURG-TRANS", "userData": { "sourceId": "HAMBURG-TRANS" } }, { "url": "https://daten.berlin.de/", "sourceId": "BERLIN-OPEN", "userData": { "sourceId": "BERLIN-OPEN" } }, { "url": "https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/standby", "sourceId": "APIFY-STANDBY", "userData": { "sourceId": "APIFY-STANDBY" } } ], "items": { "type": "object", "required": [ "url" ], "properties": { "url": { "type": "string", "title": "URL of a web page", "format": "uri" } } } }, "maxItems": { "title": "Maximum items", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 1000, "type": "integer", "description": "Upper bound for emitted records and pay-per-event charges.", "default": 1 }, "sourceIds": { "title": "Source IDs", "type": "array", "description": "Optional source identifiers to include in the run.", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "pricingEvents": { "title": "Pricing events", "type": "array", "description": "Buyer-value events expected from this actor.", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "sinceLastRun": { "title": "Only new records", "type": "boolean", "description": "Use Actor state to skip records whose dedupe keys were saved by earlier runs.", "default": false }, "watchlistTerms": { "title": "Watchlist terms", "type": "array", "description": "Optional buyer terms used to explain matches and recurring monitoring.", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "webhookUrl": { "title": "Webhook URL", "type": "string", "description": "Optional endpoint that receives a compact completion alert for scheduled runs." }, "includeSourceUrls": { "title": "Include source URLs", "type": "boolean", "description": "Include source URLs in output records.", "default": true }, "includeMatchReasons": { "title": "Include match reasons", "type": "boolean", "description": "Include plain-language match reasons in output records.", "default": true }, "outputMode": { "title": "Output mode", "enum": [ "sample-records", "buyer-ready-records" ], "type": "string", "description": "Shape of returned records.", "default": "sample-records" }, "actorSlug": { "title": "Actor slug", "type": "string", "description": "Zentra actor slug used for review and traceability." } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```