Building permit data

See the data before you download

These filters apply to the table, free sample and list builder. Change the filters.

Choose filters that work for your city

Six cities share the same CSV columns, but they do not populate every field. This table describes DataScoop's current mappings. A mapped field can still be blank in an individual record.

Before using a cost, description or ZIP filter: New York City has no mapped cost or description, so a positive minimum cost or a description search returns no NYC rows. Chicago has no mapped ZIP, so use its community area or work description instead. These gaps describe this export, not everything available from the city. Blank values stay blank in the CSV.

Three permit lists to start with

• Chicago new-construction permits with estimated cost of $1 million or more. The cost threshold is inclusive and uses the city's reported cost.
• New York City permits in Brooklyn. Use borough, category or issue date here; cost and description are not mapped.
• Austin mechanical permits. The source city distinguishes Austin, Texas from Chicago's Austin community area.

Open a list, adjust its filters and check the matching rows. Download the free sample of up to 25 records before buying the full filtered CSV. The building-permit dataset page shows the current import date, sample and column list.

Compare permit records carefully

• Keep source city and permit number together. A permit record is not a unique project, property or available contract.
• Categories are broad mappings of each city's published permit type. Keep the original type and status when comparing cities; the same category does not establish identical local rules.
• Area can mean a borough, community area, plan area, neighborhood or whole city. Choose the source city before narrowing the area.
• Issue date records permit issuance, not the start of work. Coverage periods and publication schedules differ by city; the current import is not a complete historical archive.
• Estimated cost is the source's published estimate or valuation, not a verified contract value. Description text is limited to 300 characters where mapped.

Verify a time-sensitive project in its original city record. Owner and applicant contact details are excluded. In Excel, use Data → From Text/CSV and keep permit numbers and ZIP codes as text to preserve their formatting.

Or pull it straight into your code or your agent

# Every new-construction permit in Chicago over $1m, as CSV
curl "https://datascoop.io/v1/datasets/us-building-permits/query?\
  source=Chicago&category=New%20construction&minCost=1000000&format=csv" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ds_your_key"

// # Every new-construction permit in Chicago over $1m, as CSV
const res = await fetch("https://datascoop.io/v1/datasets/us-building-permits/query?source=Chicago&category=New%20construction&minCost=1000000", {
  headers: { Authorization: "Bearer ds_your_key" }
});
const { rows, total, attribution } = await res.json();

# # Every new-construction permit in Chicago over $1m, as CSV
import requests
r = requests.get("https://datascoop.io/v1/datasets/us-building-permits/query",
                 params={"source":"Chicago","category":"New construction","minCost":"1000000"},
                 headers={"Authorization": "Bearer ds_your_key"})
rows = r.json()["rows"]

# Claude Code (one line; other clients on /agents)
claude mcp add --transport http datascoop https://datascoop.io/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer ds_your_key"

# Your agent then calls
query_dataset({ dataset: "us-building-permits", filters: {"source":"Chicago","category":"New construction","minCost":"1000000"} })

Fields in the CSV

Organisational fields only. No personal contact lists.

Area statistics and filtered lists

Compare areas, see who is for demolition, and download any list. Browse statistics and preview up to 25 rows free. Larger CSV exports cost $1.99 each.