Are building permits public records?

Yes. In nearly every U.S. jurisdiction, building permits are public records filed with a city or county building department. The address, work type, filing date, and often the contractor or owner of record are publicly accessible. PermitGrab aggregates this public data from official municipal feeds.

How fresh does permit data need to be to generate leads?

Freshness is the single most important factor. A permit filed months ago is usually a job someone else already won. The best permit-lead sources update at least weekly, and daily is ideal. PermitGrab refreshes most markets multiple times per day.

Do building permits include the contractor phone number?

The permit itself usually names the licensed contractor or property owner but rarely includes a phone number. PermitGrab enriches profiles with phone numbers where public bulk licensing data exists, which today covers four states: Florida, Minnesota, New York, and Washington. Across the fleet, 49,143 contractor profiles currently carry a phone.

How are permit leads different from shared lead networks?

Shared networks sell the same homeowner to four to six competing contractors and charge $40 to $150 per lead. Permit data is raw, exclusive to whoever acts first, and sold as a flat monthly feed rather than per-lead, so there is no bidding war and no per-lead fee.

Which trades benefit most from permit leads?

Any trade whose work requires a permit. The most active categories across PermitGrab are HVAC, general construction, electrical, plumbing, and roofing. Roofers, HVAC contractors, electricians, plumbers, solar installers, and remodelers all use permit timing to reach owners before a project is locked in.

How to Get Contractor Leads from Building Permits (2026 Method)

By Marcus Reeves • 2026-06-15

Quick Answer

A building permit is a public record that a real, funded project is about to start. Here is how contractors turn fresh permit filings into a steady lead pipeline.

Every construction project that needs a permit leaves a public paper trail. When a homeowner or contractor files for a permit, a city building department logs the address, the type of work, the date, and often the contractor or owner of record. That filing is one of the earliest, most reliable signals that real money is about to be spent on a project — usually 30 to 90 days before the work itself happens. This guide explains the permit-lead method: what permit data is, why fresh permits are the highest-intent leads a contractor can buy, and exactly how to act on them.

What is a building permit lead?

A building permit lead is a contact derived from a public building-permit record. The permit tells you four things that matter to a contractor: where the work is (the address), what the work is (re-roof, HVAC change-out, pool, addition, electrical service upgrade), when it was filed (the date), and frequently who is involved (the contractor of record or the property owner). Because permits are filed with government agencies and are public record in nearly every U.S. jurisdiction, this data is legally accessible — it is the same data title companies, appraisers, and journalists already use.

PermitGrab aggregates this data from official municipal feeds. As of this writing the platform tracks 791,281 permits across 1,681 U.S. cities, with 254,049 contractor profiles built from those filings. Those numbers come directly from the production database and update continuously as cities publish new records.

Why fresh permits are the best leads

Most lead products sell intent inferred from web behavior — someone clicked an ad, filled a form, or searched a keyword. A permit is different: it is proof of commitment. A property owner does not pull a permit unless a project is funded and moving. That makes permit leads structurally higher-intent than shared web leads. Three reasons contractors prefer them:

Timing. A re-roof permit filed today means the roof is coming off in weeks. A supplier, a competing roofer, or a solar installer can reach that owner before the project is locked in.
Specificity. Permit work-types map cleanly to trades. The most active trade categories across PermitGrab’s fleet are HVAC (48,240 contractor profiles), General Construction (39,048), Electrical (36,893), Plumbing (26,651), and Roofing (21,197). You filter to exactly the work you do.
No bidding war. Unlike shared lead networks that sell the same homeowner to four to six competitors, permit data is raw and exclusive to whoever acts on it first.

The permit-lead method, step by step

Pick your market and trade. Decide the cities or counties you serve and the permit work-types that match your trade. A roofer wants re-roof and roof-repair permits; an HVAC contractor wants mechanical and change-out permits.
Get a fresh feed. The single most important rule of permit leads is freshness. A permit filed six months ago is a job someone else already won. Look for a source that updates at least weekly — daily is better.
Filter to your zip codes and work-types. Cut the firehose down to the permits you can actually service profitably.
Reach out fast and locally. A short, specific message that references the actual project (“I saw a re-roof permit was filed on your street”) outperforms a generic blast. Speed matters — the first credible contractor to call usually wins.
Track and follow up. Not every permit converts immediately. The owner who files an addition permit this month may need an electrician next month. A standing feed lets you build a follow-up cadence.

Where the contractor name comes from

In many cities the permit itself names the licensed contractor (“Strada Services Inc”, “HDDS Inc”). In others, only the property owner is listed. PermitGrab handles both: it builds contractor profiles where the name exists, and for four states with public bulk licensing data (Florida DBPR, Minnesota DLI, New York DOL, Washington L&I) it enriches those profiles with phone numbers. Across the fleet, 49,143 contractor profiles currently carry a phone number, with coverage concentrated in those licensing-rich states.

Permit leads vs. shared lead networks

Shared networks like Angi, Modernize, and Thumbtack charge $40–$150 per lead and sell the same homeowner to multiple contractors, so close rates suffer. The permit-data model is different: a flat monthly subscription for an entire city’s feed, with no per-lead fee and no bidding. For a contractor closing even one extra job a month, the math favors owning the feed over renting individual leads.

Get started

You can browse every city PermitGrab tracks to see live permit counts, active contractors, and code violations, or use the free Permit Lead Estimator to see exactly how many recent permits, contractors, violations, and property owners are available in your market. When you’re ready, start a 14-day trial — $149/month flat, no per-lead fees.