Data methodology
How Permit Leads sources, classifies, refreshes, and presents public building-permit records.
Public data sources
Permit Leads monitors public permit records published by the cities of Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Coverage and fields vary by city. We are an independent service and are not affiliated with any municipal government.
What “scanned” means
The scanned total includes all records collected from monitored sources. A keyword pre-match identifies possible roofing, HVAC, solar, or remodeling work. That smaller set is then classified before it can appear as a public example or subscriber match.
What “classified” means
A classified record has been reviewed by the Permit Leads processing system and assigned to a supported trade based on the public project description. Classification reduces irrelevant matches, but it is not a city endorsement and can be imperfect.
Freshness
We normally check sources daily. Source outages, delayed municipal publication, format changes, and maintenance can delay a record. The homepage displays the most recent site refresh date.
Important limitations
A permit is a business-development signal—not proof that a project needs a contractor. Some projects already have a contractor of record, may be canceled, or may change after publication. Subscribers should verify status with the issuing city and comply with all solicitation, privacy, and licensing rules.
Corrections
If you find an incorrect classification or record, email [email protected] with the permit ID and correction.