# Building Permit Search - Multi-City (`lulzasaur/building-permit-scraper`) Actor Search building permits across NYC, Chicago, LA, SF, and Austin via open data APIs. Get permit type, status, address, dates, and more. - **URL**: https://apify.com/lulzasaur/building-permit-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [lulz bot](https://apify.com/lulzasaur) (community) - **Categories:** Other - **Stats:** 4 total users, 2 monthly users, 93.8% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $10.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Building Permit Search - Multi-City Search building permits across 5 major US cities using official open data portals (Socrata/SODA APIs). Returns normalized permit data from NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Austin. ### Supported Cities & Data Sources | City | Source | Dataset | |------|--------|---------| | **New York City** | NYC Open Data | DOB Job Applications + DOB Now Permits | | **Chicago** | Chicago Data Portal | Building Permits | | **Los Angeles** | LA Open Data | LA Build Permits | | **San Francisco** | SF Open Data | Building Permits | | **Austin** | Austin Open Data | Issued Construction Permits | ### Input Parameters | Parameter | Type | Description | |-----------|------|-------------| | `cities` | array | Cities to query: `nyc`, `chicago`, `la`, `sf`, `austin`, or `all` | | `searchAddress` | string | Street address to search (partial match) | | `permitType` | string | Filter by type: new building, alteration, demolition, etc. | | `status` | string | Filter by status: issued, pending, expired, active, filed | | `dateFrom` | string | Start date (YYYY-MM-DD) | | `dateTo` | string | End date (YYYY-MM-DD) | | `maxResults` | integer | Max results per city (1-200, default 50) | ### Example Input ```json { "cities": ["nyc", "chicago"], "searchAddress": "BROADWAY", "permitType": "new building", "maxResults": 25 } ```` ### Output Schema Each result is normalized to a unified schema regardless of source city: ```json { "city": "New York City", "permitNumber": "321386512", "permitType": "NB", "status": "SIGNED OFF", "address": "666 UNION ST BROOKLYN", "description": "New 3-story residential building", "applicantName": "JOHN SMITH", "ownerName": "JANE DOE", "contractorName": "ABC CONSTRUCTION LLC", "estimatedCost": 500000, "filingDate": "2024-01-15", "issuedDate": "2024-03-20", "expirationDate": null, "latitude": 40.676829, "longitude": -73.98157, "sourceUrl": "https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/ic3t-wcy2.json", "scrapedAt": "2024-03-20T12:00:00.000Z" } ``` ### Use Cases - **Real estate research**: Find construction activity in target neighborhoods - **Lead generation**: Identify contractors and property owners filing permits - **Market analysis**: Track building trends across major metro areas - **Competitor intelligence**: Monitor new construction in your market - **Compliance monitoring**: Track permit status and expiration dates ### Notes - All data comes from official city open data portals (no web scraping) - No proxy required for most use cases (these are public APIs) - If one city's API fails, the actor continues with remaining cities - NYC queries two datasets for comprehensive coverage - Field availability varies by city (some fields may be null) # Actor input Schema ## `cities` (type: `array`): Cities to search. Use 'all' to search all supported cities, or pick specific ones: nyc, chicago, la, sf, austin. ## `searchAddress` (type: `string`): Street name or address to search for (e.g., 'BROADWAY', '5TH AVE'). Case-insensitive partial match. ## `permitType` (type: `string`): Type of permit to filter by (e.g., 'NEW BUILDING', 'ALTERATION', 'DEMOLITION'). Case-insensitive partial match. ## `status` (type: `string`): Permit status filter (e.g., 'APPROVED', 'ISSUED', 'PENDING'). Case-insensitive partial match. ## `dateFrom` (type: `string`): Start date for filtering permits (format: YYYY-MM-DD). Only works for cities with date fields. ## `dateTo` (type: `string`): End date for filtering permits (format: YYYY-MM-DD). Only works for cities with date fields. ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of results to return per city endpoint. ## Actor input object example ```json { "cities": [ "all" ], "maxResults": 50 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "cities": [ "all" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("lulzasaur/building-permit-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "cities": ["all"] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("lulzasaur/building-permit-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "cities": [ "all" ] }' | apify call lulzasaur/building-permit-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=lulzasaur/building-permit-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Building Permit Search - Multi-City", "description": "Search building permits across NYC, Chicago, LA, SF, and Austin via open data APIs. Get permit type, status, address, dates, and more.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "IIdteFLu87g0TkMI6" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/lulzasaur~building-permit-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-lulzasaur-building-permit-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/lulzasaur~building-permit-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-lulzasaur-building-permit-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/lulzasaur~building-permit-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-lulzasaur-building-permit-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "cities": { "title": "Cities", "type": "array", "description": "Cities to search. Use 'all' to search all supported cities, or pick specific ones: nyc, chicago, la, sf, austin.", "default": [ "all" ], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "searchAddress": { "title": "Address / Street Name", "type": "string", "description": "Street name or address to search for (e.g., 'BROADWAY', '5TH AVE'). Case-insensitive partial match." }, "permitType": { "title": "Permit Type", "type": "string", "description": "Type of permit to filter by (e.g., 'NEW BUILDING', 'ALTERATION', 'DEMOLITION'). Case-insensitive partial match." }, "status": { "title": "Permit Status", "type": "string", "description": "Permit status filter (e.g., 'APPROVED', 'ISSUED', 'PENDING'). Case-insensitive partial match." }, "dateFrom": { "title": "Date From (YYYY-MM-DD)", "type": "string", "description": "Start date for filtering permits (format: YYYY-MM-DD). Only works for cities with date fields." }, "dateTo": { "title": "Date To (YYYY-MM-DD)", "type": "string", "description": "End date for filtering permits (format: YYYY-MM-DD). Only works for cities with date fields." }, "maxResults": { "title": "Max Results per City", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 1000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of results to return per city endpoint.", "default": 50 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```