Lead Generation from Building Permits: The Complete FAQ
By Marcus Reeves, Head of Permit Research at PermitGrab · Updated daily from official city records · Last permit filed: today
Building permits are the most underrated public dataset in B2B lead generation. They're filed every time construction work starts, they include who, what, where, and how much, and they're free to access. The challenge has always been aggregating them across cities. PermitGrab does that across 1061 cities with 310,281 permits, 154,583 contractors, 271,357 violations, and 11,863,412 property owners.
What is building permit lead generation?
Building permits are public records filed when construction work begins. Contractor name, property address, project type, dollar value — all of it filed at the city. Smart businesses mine this data to find warm leads: people actively spending money right now.
Who uses building permit data for leads?
- Solar installers — target homeowners doing roof work
- Insurance agents — find coverage gaps from renovations
- Real estate investors — find motivated sellers via code violations
- Home service companies — find subcontracting opportunities
- Building material suppliers — find active contractors and projects
What data is included?
- Permits — 310,281 records (last 180 days). Contractor name, address, type, date, value.
- Contractor profiles — 154,583 businesses, 20,856 phones, trade categorized.
- Property owners — 11,863,412 owners across 200 cities.
- Code violations — 271,357 across 48 cities.
How is this different from buying leads?
- Public-record data, not shared leads sold to 5 other companies
- Real-time updates every 30 minutes (vs. aged lists)
- Full project context: permit type, value, contractor, date, status
- Unlimited access — no per-lead pricing
Is building permit data legal to use?
Yes — building permits are public records under freedom-of-information laws, freely available through city open data portals. PermitGrab aggregates what's already publicly available into one searchable platform.
How many cities do you cover?
1061 cities collecting permits today. Property owner data in 200 cities. Violations in 48 cities. Growing every week. Browse all cities →
How much does PermitGrab cost?
$149/month for unlimited access. Free trial available. No long-term contracts. Start free trial →
How do I get started?
- Sign up at /pricing
- Browse any city page for free (e.g. Chicago, Miami-Dade)
- Upgrade to Pro to see phone numbers and full contact details
Get the Full Lead Generation FAQ Database
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