Building permit leads by city: what the permit data shows in 6 US cities
A newly issued building permit is a public sign that work is about to happen at an address. Contractors, suppliers and service firms use permits as leads. This page shows how many permits each of 6 US cities issued every month from January 2026 to September 2026, split by permit type, counted by us from each city's official open data. It also lists companies that sell permit leads, with prices they publish.
What this site does not have: owner, applicant or contractor names, phone numbers or emails. It is not a lead list. The counts tell you how much work of each type a city is permitting, which helps you judge whether a market or a lead subscription is worth it.
6 cities at a glance
| City | Dataset | Permits, Jan 2026 to Sep 2026 | Per month (avg) | Sep 2026 | Most common type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | Building permits (DBI) | 16,134 | 1,793 | 1,432 | otc alterations permit |
| Austin | Issued construction permits | 43,361 | 4,818 | 5,127 | Electrical Permit |
| Seattle | Building permits (SDCI) | 4,920 | 547 | 507 | Building |
| New Orleans | Permits (Safety and Permits) | 13,641 | 1,516 | 1,531 | Electrical Service / Circuit / Feeder |
| Cincinnati | Building permits | 7,895 | 877 | 828 | Plumbing Permits |
| New York City | DOB NOW approved permits | 132,776 | 14,753 | 15,815 | General Construction |
Building permit leads in San Francisco: permits issued by type, Jan 2026 to Sep 2026
Permits issued by San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection, one row per permit. 16,134 permits were issued from January 2026 to September 2026, about 1,793 a month; 1,432 in September 2026. “Type” is the city's own permit-type field, so the types are not comparable between cities.
| Permit type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| otc alterations permit | 1,844 | 1,711 | 1,702 | 1,885 | 1,563 | 1,744 | 1,525 | 1,348 | 1,305 | 14,627 |
| additions alterations or repairs | 106 | 110 | 83 | 83 | 93 | 113 | 101 | 93 | 85 | 867 |
| (blank) | 43 | 36 | 31 | 42 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 24 | 25 | 290 |
| sign - erect | 28 | 21 | 24 | 28 | 49 | 40 | 25 | 7 | 11 | 233 |
| demolitions | 2 | 3 | 4 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 48 |
| new construction wood frame | 4 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 38 |
| All other types (3) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 31 |
| All permits | 2,031 | 1,885 | 1,851 | 2,079 | 1,747 | 1,935 | 1,694 | 1,480 | 1,432 | 16,134 |
Source: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (via DataSF), data.sfgov.org/i98e-djp9 (free), retrieved 2026-10-24 11:58:55 UTC. Month by month with the newest records: San Francisco building permits issued.
Building permit leads in Austin: permits issued by type, Jan 2026 to Sep 2026
Construction permits issued by the City of Austin, one row per permit, including trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical). 43,361 permits were issued from January 2026 to September 2026, about 4,818 a month; 5,127 in September 2026. “Type” is the city's own permit-type field, so the types are not comparable between cities.
| Permit type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Permit | 1,273 | 1,304 | 1,353 | 1,375 | 1,328 | 1,516 | 1,374 | 1,511 | 1,631 | 12,665 |
| Plumbing Permit | 1,158 | 1,303 | 1,340 | 1,401 | 1,227 | 1,379 | 1,271 | 1,340 | 1,296 | 11,715 |
| Building Permit | 945 | 849 | 1,122 | 1,086 | 1,049 | 1,210 | 1,146 | 1,036 | 993 | 9,436 |
| Mechanical Permit | 713 | 638 | 933 | 929 | 950 | 1,114 | 1,225 | 1,035 | 1,097 | 8,634 |
| Driveway / Sidewalks | 85 | 66 | 65 | 99 | 87 | 109 | 111 | 179 | 110 | 911 |
| All permits | 4,174 | 4,160 | 4,813 | 4,890 | 4,641 | 5,328 | 5,127 | 5,101 | 5,127 | 43,361 |
Source: City of Austin Development Services Department (via data.austintexas.gov), data.austintexas.gov/3syk-w9eu (free), retrieved 2026-10-24 11:59:06 UTC. Month by month with the newest records: Austin construction permits issued.
Building permit leads in Seattle: permits issued by type, Jan 2026 to Sep 2026
Building, land-use and trade permits issued by Seattle SDCI, one row per permit. 4,920 permits were issued from January 2026 to September 2026, about 547 a month; 507 in September 2026. “Type” is the city's own permit-type field, so the types are not comparable between cities.
| Permit type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building | 405 | 347 | 570 | 528 | 447 | 505 | 467 | 441 | 415 | 4,125 |
| Demolition | 39 | 39 | 43 | 41 | 36 | 39 | 45 | 80 | 44 | 406 |
| Roof | 32 | 22 | 35 | 67 | 39 | 43 | 51 | 36 | 44 | 369 |
| Grading | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 20 |
| All permits | 476 | 409 | 651 | 637 | 524 | 589 | 566 | 561 | 507 | 4,920 |
Source: Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (via data.seattle.gov), data.seattle.gov/76t5-zqzr (free), retrieved 2026-10-24 11:59:15 UTC. Month by month with the newest records: Seattle building permits issued.
Building permit leads in New Orleans: permits issued by type, Jan 2026 to Sep 2026
Permits issued by the City of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits, one row per permit. 13,641 permits were issued from January 2026 to September 2026, about 1,516 a month; 1,531 in September 2026. “Type” is the city's own permit-type field, so the types are not comparable between cities.
| Permit type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Service / Circuit / Feeder | 292 | 318 | 322 | 377 | 622 | 438 | 374 | 423 | 390 | 3,556 |
| Mechanical Fuel Gas | 195 | 195 | 258 | 255 | 307 | 229 | 214 | 201 | 213 | 2,067 |
| Mechanical HVAC | 185 | 175 | 233 | 221 | 323 | 235 | 233 | 170 | 224 | 1,999 |
| Residential Re-Roofing | 93 | 71 | 103 | 136 | 135 | 93 | 106 | 99 | 127 | 963 |
| Electrical Vacancy | 54 | 108 | 88 | 70 | 160 | 99 | 148 | 106 | 97 | 930 |
| Renovation (Non-Structural) | 89 | 67 | 106 | 93 | 91 | 86 | 94 | 89 | 48 | 763 |
| All other types (30) | 403 | 328 | 398 | 367 | 351 | 381 | 366 | 337 | 432 | 3,363 |
| All permits | 1,311 | 1,262 | 1,508 | 1,519 | 1,989 | 1,561 | 1,535 | 1,425 | 1,531 | 13,641 |
Source: City of New Orleans Safety and Permits (via data.nola.gov), data.nola.gov/rcm3-fn58 (free), retrieved 2026-10-24 11:59:23 UTC. Month by month with the newest records: New Orleans permits issued.
Building permit leads in Cincinnati: permits issued by type, Jan 2026 to Sep 2026
Building permits issued by the City of Cincinnati, one row per permit. 7,895 permits were issued from January 2026 to September 2026, about 877 a month; 828 in September 2026. “Type” is the city's own permit-type field, so the types are not comparable between cities.
| Permit type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing Permits | 279 | 221 | 214 | 254 | 396 | 192 | 257 | 341 | 188 | 2,342 |
| HVAC | 221 | 245 | 269 | 263 | 193 | 253 | 279 | 300 | 219 | 2,242 |
| Building | 191 | 180 | 178 | 228 | 159 | 218 | 207 | 199 | 210 | 1,770 |
| Fire Protection Systems | 50 | 40 | 31 | 40 | 50 | 81 | 50 | 64 | 34 | 440 |
| Misc. Structures | 10 | 18 | 33 | 50 | 29 | 63 | 39 | 44 | 82 | 368 |
| Excavation/Fill | 26 | 46 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 49 | 26 | 33 | 43 | 304 |
| All other types (4) | 38 | 47 | 61 | 50 | 35 | 44 | 55 | 47 | 52 | 429 |
| All permits | 815 | 797 | 811 | 913 | 890 | 900 | 913 | 1,028 | 828 | 7,895 |
Source: City of Cincinnati Buildings & Inspections (via data.cincinnati-oh.gov), data.cincinnati-oh.gov/uhjb-xac9 (free), retrieved 2026-10-24 11:59:30 UTC. Month by month with the newest records: Cincinnati building permits issued.
Building permit leads in New York City: permits issued by type, Jan 2026 to Sep 2026
Permits approved and issued through the NYC Department of Buildings' DOB NOW: Build system, one row per work permit. 132,776 permits were issued from January 2026 to September 2026, about 14,753 a month; 15,815 in September 2026. “Type” is the city's own permit-type field, so the types are not comparable between cities.
| Permit type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Construction | 3,147 | 2,721 | 4,329 | 3,958 | 3,411 | 4,173 | 3,846 | 3,549 | 3,786 | 32,920 |
| Plumbing | 1,831 | 1,669 | 1,945 | 2,090 | 1,860 | 2,063 | 2,023 | 1,931 | 1,995 | 17,407 |
| Sidewalk Shed | 1,029 | 556 | 1,595 | 1,118 | 1,458 | 1,808 | 1,693 | 2,075 | 2,023 | 13,355 |
| Mechanical Systems | 1,295 | 1,103 | 1,680 | 1,576 | 1,286 | 1,592 | 1,601 | 1,345 | 1,482 | 12,960 |
| Structural | 1,013 | 770 | 1,406 | 1,285 | 1,029 | 1,305 | 1,232 | 1,109 | 1,203 | 10,352 |
| Construction Fence | 819 | 702 | 1,026 | 836 | 855 | 885 | 971 | 769 | 862 | 7,725 |
| All other types (15) | 3,762 | 3,113 | 4,439 | 4,363 | 4,182 | 4,941 | 4,567 | 4,226 | 4,464 | 38,057 |
| All permits | 12,896 | 10,634 | 16,420 | 15,226 | 14,081 | 16,767 | 15,933 | 15,004 | 15,815 | 132,776 |
Source: NYC Department of Buildings (via NYC Open Data), data.cityofnewyork.us/rbx6-tga4 (free), retrieved 2026-10-24 12:00:22 UTC. Month by month with the newest records: NYC DOB NOW building permits issued.
Companies that sell permit leads
These vendors sell permit-based lead products. We list prices exactly as each one published them on 25 Oct 2026; we have not checked whether each covers a given city. Full table with every plan and its source: permit lead service prices compared.
- Permitlify: Daily permit alerts with an AI lead score; the vendor says each permit comes with contact information. From US$79/month (published price, checked 25 Oct 2026).
- PermitSleuth: Search across public permit portals and export a CSV of property addresses for direct mail. From US$79/month (published price, checked 25 Oct 2026).
- PermitGrab: Permit records by city with filters and CSV export; contractor, owner and violation fields where the city publishes them. From US$149/month (published price, checked 25 Oct 2026).
- PermitStack: Building-permit data API and web search; contractor contact fields and owner mailing addresses on higher plans, where published. From US$0 (published price, checked 25 Oct 2026).
- TurfClaim: Permit-based leads by ZIP code with homeowner name and available contact details; a limited number of contractors per trade per ZIP. From US$79/month (published price, checked 25 Oct 2026).
- FieldClients: Done-for-you B2B leads from permits and other public records, matched to a business with a verified decision-maker email. From US$800/month (published price, checked 25 Oct 2026).
The free route
Every city above publishes its permits free on its open-data portal (linked under each table), and our month pages show the newest 25 records of each month free. Paid lead services mainly add daily delivery, filtering by trade, many more cities, and contact details matched from other records.