Building permits data

Building permits data records approved construction work: new builds, renovations, demolitions and installations, with project values and contractors. Building products manufacturers and distributors use it to find projects and contractors, contractors to find work, insurers and lenders to track property changes, and analysts to measure construction activity as a leading indicator.

Typical fields

• Permit ID, issuing authority and issue date
• Address, parcel ID and geocode
• Permit type and work description
• Estimated project value and floor area
• Status: applied, issued, finalized or expired
• Contractor name and licence number
• Property type and number of units

Sources and collection

Permits are issued by local authorities, and each publishes them differently: through open data portals, public search tools or on request. Providers collect from many jurisdictions, standardize permit types and descriptions, geocode addresses and match contractors to company records. Coverage depends on how many jurisdictions are collected and how often.

Delivery and pricing

Permits are delivered as weekly or monthly files, APIs, lead alerts or dashboards. Price is driven by the number of jurisdictions, history depth, refresh frequency and whether contractor details are included; lead-alert products are often priced per seat.

Before you buy

• Ask which jurisdictions are covered and which major ones are missing.
• Check update frequency and the lag after a permit is issued.
• Confirm how permit types are standardized across jurisdictions.
• Check how project values are reported, since methods vary by authority.
• Confirm contractor contacts are business information and that outreach use is permitted.