PermitGrab is a public-record research product, not an exclusive lead seller. Use recent roofing permits for territory and project research, then verify the source date and available fields for each market.
Each market page identifies its public source, newest published record, and available fields before you subscribe.
Every lead vendor markets a per-lead price. Almost none market the two numbers that decide whether you make money: how many other roofers got the same lead, and what share of those leads you close. Cost per booked job is the only comparable figure — cost per lead ÷ close rate.
| Source | Typical CPL | Exclusive? | Realistic close | Cost per booked job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Referrals / past customers | $0–$150 | Yes | 40–50% | $0–$300 |
| Google Local Service Ads | $75–$100 | Effectively | 15–25% | ~$300–$650 |
| Exclusive purchased leads | $100–$200 | Yes | 30–35% | ~$300–$650 |
| CraftJack | $20–$60 | Shared (fewer) | 10–15% | ~$150–$600 |
| Modernize / Networx | $35–$100 | Shared | 10–15% | ~$250–$1,000 |
| Angi / HomeAdvisor | $15–$100 + ~$300/yr | Shared, often 3–8 ways | 7–15% | ~$300–$1,250+ |
The cheap lead is the expensive one. An $85 shared lead sold four ways, closing 10%, costs $850 per booked job. A $200 exclusive lead closing 35% costs $571. The $85 lead is 49% more expensive per job.
CPL ranges above are compiled from published vendor pricing and industry write-ups and are directional only. There is no audited public dataset of roofing lead costs, and most published figures originate with companies that sell leads.
In March 2022 the FTC filed an administrative complaint alleging that since at least mid-2014 HomeAdvisor made false, misleading or unsubstantiated claims about the quality and source of the leads it sold — including telling providers that leads converted into jobs at rates it could not substantiate, and selling leads that did not match the services or geography the provider signed up for. HomeAdvisor agreed to an order requiring payment of up to $7.2 million; the FTC approved the final consent order in April 2023 and began returning money to affected businesses that November.
Primary sources: the $7.2M order · final order · case file. The lesson is not “never buy leads” — it is that the conversion rate a vendor quotes you is the least reliable number in the transaction.
We are not going to tell you a permit is a homeowner waiting for your quote. A homeowner who pulled a roof permit has already hired a roofer. Any vendor claiming otherwise is overselling, and you should discount everything else they say.
What roof permits are genuinely the best available source for:
Owner, contractor, address, valuation, and contact coverage depends entirely on what each jurisdiction publishes. No provider can honestly conjure a field a source does not release. Open your city page to inspect current source dates and available fields before building a canvassing or outreach workflow.
Full methodology and the source-by-source ranking: Roofing Leads: Every Source Ranked by Real Cost Per Lead (2026).
Real questions contractors have asked us. If yours isn't here, email [email protected].
No. Building permits are public records, not exclusive form-fill leads. PermitGrab organizes available public records by market and trade; other people may be able to access the underlying municipal source too.
Angi and HomeAdvisor sell consumer enquiries. PermitGrab is a public-record research product: it organizes building-permit activity, source dates, and available contractor or owner fields by city. A permit is evidence of a project, not a promise that a homeowner is seeking a new bid.
Freshness varies by municipality and source. Each city page shows its public source, newest published record, and available update cadence. Review those signals for your market rather than assuming every city publishes the same day.
Some sources publish a contractor business name or phone; owner fields can also be available from public property records. Availability varies by city and record, and city pages disclose coverage rather than promising a phone or owner for every permit.
PermitGrab is $149/month flat. No annual contract. Cancel anytime. No per-lead fee, no shared-lead surcharge, no surprises.
Available records can be exported as CSV on Pro for use in a CRM or internal research workflow. Exported fields reflect what the public source and verified enrichment made available for that record.