Building permits contain a wealth of information — if you know what you're looking at. Most city permit portals display raw data with cryptic field names, abbreviations, and codes.
Here's how to read a building permit like a pro and turn it into a business opportunity.
The key fields on any building permit
Event ID / Permit Number
This is the unique identifier for the permit. Use it to look up the full record on the city's portal or to reference it when contacting the permit office.
Address
Where the work is happening. This is the most important field for any contractor — it tells you exactly where to go. Some cities break this into street number, street name, and suffix.
Permit Type
The category of work. Common types include:
- Building — general construction, renovations, additions
- Electrical — wiring, panel upgrades, solar
- Plumbing — pipes, water heaters, fixtures
- Mechanical — HVAC, ventilation
- Demolition — teardowns
- Roofing — re-roofing, roof repair
Description
A free-text field describing the scope of work. This is where you learn the real story. Examples:
- "Install new 200-amp electrical panel and rewire kitchen"
- "Re-roof 2,400 sq ft single-family residence"
- "Interior renovation of 2nd floor — new bathroom, kitchen remodel"
Valuation / Estimated Cost
How much the project is worth. This helps you prioritize:
- Under $10K — minor repairs, probably not worth chasing
- $10K–$50K — solid residential jobs
- $50K–$200K — major renovations
- $200K+ — new construction or commercial projects
Applicant Name
Who filed the permit. This could be:
- The homeowner — they may still need a contractor
- A general contractor — they may need subcontractors
- An architect — the project is in design/planning
Contractor Name
The licensed contractor on file. If this field is empty, the project may not have a contractor yet — that's your opening.
Owner Name
The property owner. Useful for direct outreach via mail or in-person visit.
Status
Where the permit is in its lifecycle: filed, issued, approved, expired, etc. Focus on "issued" permits — these are active projects.
What to do with a permit once you read it
- Check the valuation — is this worth your time?
- Read the description — does it match your trade?
- Check the contractor field — is there an opening?
- Note the address — add it to your route for doorknocking or mailers
- Act fast — permits are public, and the first contractor to reach out wins
Automate the process
Reading individual permits works at small scale. But if you want to monitor hundreds of permits across multiple cities, filtering for just the ones that match your criteria, you need automation.
The Permit Sheet does this automatically — scraping 10 city databases every 10 minutes and delivering only your matches via email.