How contractors find building permit leads
Short answer: Most cities publish issued building permits. Contractors pull those records from the city's open-data portal or permit search, filter them by work type and area, and follow up by mail or in person while respecting CAN-SPAM, TCPA and Do-Not-Call rules. A subscription does the pulling and sorting for you.
Steps
- Find your city's permit data.
- Filter to residential and your trade.
- Map to your service ZIPs.
- Follow up legally.
Options
| Option | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| City portal | Free | Manual |
| National data tools | Varies | Broad coverage |
| Exterior Permits | $49+/mo | Minneapolis, sorted weekly |
Legal
CAN-SPAM · TCPA · Do Not Call Registry
Minneapolis example
Minneapolis issued 2,322 residential roofing permits from 2025-10-01 to 2026-09-30, by our count.