Public Permit Data for Contractors

Building Permit Records for Contractors: Current Project Data by City

Review public building permit records by city and trade. Each market shows its source, newest published record, and the contractor, owner, phone, or violation fields that are actually available before you subscribe.

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What you get

Each market page identifies its public source, newest published record, and available fields before you subscribe.

Public-source provenance on the city page, including the municipal portal or dataset behind the record.
Trade, date, value, and location filters for reviewing building-permit activity in a specific market.
Contractor business details only where the source or verified public enrichment supports them.
Owner and contact fields only where public property records make a defensible match possible.
Visible market freshness: newest published record and available update cadence, not a blanket daily claim.
$149/mo flat for access to the markets we cover; inspect city-level source and field availability before starting a trial.

Building permit records, stated plainly

PermitGrab organizes publicly available building-permit activity by city and trade. A record can show an address, project type, filing or issue date, valuation, and a contractor name. The exact fields come from the municipality or county that published the record, so they are not identical in every market.

A permit is evidence of a project, not a promise of an open homeowner bid. In many cases the primary contractor has already been selected. The useful work is understanding active territory, researching project activity, finding potential subcontract relationships, and following up on legitimately relevant post-project services.

How to evaluate a market before subscribing

  1. Check the source. Every city page identifies the public portal or dataset behind its records.
  2. Check the newest published record. That date is more useful than a blanket “updated daily” claim because municipal publishing schedules differ.
  3. Check field coverage. Contractor, owner, phone, value, and violation fields appear only where the public source or verified enrichment supports them.
  4. Filter for the work you can act on. Trade, date, value, and location filters make the public record useful for a real operating question.

Where contractors use permit data

  • Territory intelligence: see which categories and projects are actually appearing in a market.
  • Subcontract research: identify general contractors or active project sites when that information is published.
  • Competitive context: understand visible permit activity before you invest in a new trade, zip code, or service area.
  • Operational planning: export the records your team has reviewed into its own CRM or research workflow.

What varies by city

Some municipalities publish records quickly with rich contractor details. Others publish fewer fields, publish less frequently, or do not expose owner/contact data at all. PermitGrab keeps those differences visible on city pages rather than filling the gaps with assumptions. Browse cities to inspect your market's source, freshness, and available fields before starting a trial.

Simple pricing
$149/mo
Cancel anytime. No annual contract.
  • City-level public-source and freshness disclosures
  • Available permit, contractor, owner, and violation fields by market
  • CSV export for records available to your plan
  • Saved city and trade research workflows
  • Review coverage details before subscribing
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14-day trial · Cancel anytime in one click

Frequently asked questions

Real questions contractors have asked us. If yours isn't here, email [email protected].

What is in a building permit record?

A public building permit can include an address, project type, filing or issue date, status, value, and contractor information. Municipal sources vary, so a city page shows which fields are available for that market.

Is a permit an open homeowner lead?

Not necessarily. A permit commonly means a project is already underway and a contractor may already be selected. It is best used as project, territory, subcontract, or competitive intelligence rather than a promised new bid.

What kinds of work show up in permit data?

Roofing (re-roof, new roof, repair), HVAC (AC install, furnace, heat pump, ductwork, water heater), plumbing (repipe, gas line, fixture install, sewer), solar (PV install, battery storage), general construction (additions, renovations, new builds), pool, electrical, demo. Filter on each city page by trade.

Are these records exclusive?

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.

How current is the data?

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.

Do records include phone or owner details?

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.

How much does it cost?

PermitGrab is $149/month flat. No annual contract. Cancel anytime. No per-lead fee, no shared-lead surcharge, no surprises.

Can I try before paying?

Yes. Start a 14-day trial to review the cities and public-record fields that matter to your business. A card is required to start; cancel before the trial ends to avoid the monthly charge. Coverage still varies by market.

Can I import the leads into my CRM?

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.

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