Inside the Data

The deepest permit record in Canada

A permit tells you what work is happening, where, by whom, at what value, and at what stage. Most providers expose a handful of fields. We expose more than 40, normalized, geocoded, validated, and tagged by lifecycle stage.

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ANATOMY

Anatomy of a permit record

Seven logical groups, one schema, every municipality.

01

Identifiers and provenance

Stable BuildPermitData ID, source municipality, original permit number, source URL, ingestion and last-updated timestamps. Lineage on every record.

 

02

Project classification

Canonical permit type (new construction, addition, renovation, demolition, change of use, accessory, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, sign, pool, and more), canonical sub-type (basement finishing, kitchen renovation, secondary suite, deck, roof replacement), property class, and dwelling type.

 
 

03

Scope of work

Normalized description plus structured flags: structural, foundation, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, gas, insulation, cladding, roofing, windows and doors, drywall, finishes, fire and life safety, accessibility. The bridge from free text to filterable fields.

 
 

04

Valuation and size

Declared construction value, value band (under $25K through $2M+), gross floor area, storeys, dwelling units created or removed, and lot information where published.

 
 

05

Location and geography

Civic address, parsed components, latitude and longitude, neighbourhood, census tract, FSA, and zoning classification at the coordinate where available.

 
 

06

Parties involved

Applicant, owner, primary contractor, additional trades, and a normalized contractor ID so the same firm is recognised across municipalities.

 
 

07

Regulatory and lifecycle

Application and issue dates, current status (applied, issued, under inspection, completed, withdrawn, expired), inspection and occupancy milestones, and a canonical lifecycle stage.

 
 

LIFECYCLE

The permit lifecycle

A permit is not one event. It is a sequence of milestones over months. Knowing the stage is the difference between sending tile catalogues to a project that has not been framed yet and sending them the week selections happen.

Every record is tagged with one of six canonical stages:

Stage What it means What downstream teams act on
1. AppliedPermit application has been submitted but not yet issued. Plans under municipal review.Earliest signal. Developers and competitors track upcoming activity; design and engineering firms prospect.
2. IssuedPermit is approved and work is authorised to begin.Suppliers of structural materials and trades who work early in the project mobilise. Insurance can flag declared scope.
3. Under constructionFirst inspection or other milestone confirms work has started.Mid-project trades and product categories (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) become relevant.
4. Mid-stageStructural and rough-in inspections passed. Project is past framing and ready for systems and enclosure.Window, door, insulation, and cladding suppliers; HVAC, electrical, plumbing finishing trades.
5. FinishingDrywall, finishes, fixtures, and final mechanical work. Project is weeks from completion.Flooring, cabinetry, tile, paint, fixtures, appliances, landscaping; real estate agents start the listing conversation.
6. CompletedFinal inspection passed and occupancy authorised, or permit closed.Insurance verifies declared work was inspected and signed off; agents confirm property history; warranty starts.

INSURANCE LENS

How insurers read the same permit

Where a supplier sees purchase intent, an insurer sees a change in risk and a check on what the policyholder declared. The same basement permit drives six different insurance touchpoints:

 

01

New policy or renewal underwriting

If the homeowner applies for a new policy or renews, the permit history shows whether the finished basement and secondary suite were declared. An undeclared rental suite changes occupancy, increases liability, and may invalidate coverage.

 
 

02

Mid-term endorsement triggers.

A finishing permit issued on an active policy is a signal to reach out about an endorsement: increased dwelling value, the addition of a secondary suite, possible rental occupancy, and added bathroom plumbing exposure.

 
 

03

Water damage and plumbing risk.

Adding a bathroom and a kitchenette below grade introduces new plumbing and drainage risk. The scope-of-work flags (plumbing, gas, drainage) and the value band drive premium adjustments and may trigger backwater valve or shut-off device requirements.

 
 

04

Egress and life safety verification.

A legal secondary suite in most provinces requires egress windows, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and fire separation. The presence of mid-stage and final inspections in the permit lifecycle is evidence those requirements were met. The absence of those inspections is a flag.

 
 

05

Claims investigation.

When a claim is filed years later for water damage, fire, or injury, the permit record is contemporaneous evidence of what was built, by whom, and whether it was inspected. It supports or contradicts the policyholder's account at the time of loss.

 
 

06

Portfolio-level risk scoring

At a book-of-business level, BuildPermitData feeds a risk-scoring model with permit history per address: count of permits, total declared value, presence of structural or plumbing work, time since last inspection, and unpermitted-work flags. Loss-prone profiles surface for retention or repricing.

 
 

WORKED EXAMPLE

Worked example: a basement finishing permit

A homeowner pulls a permit to finish their basement into a one-bedroom secondary suite with bathroom, kitchenette, and separate entrance. Declared value $85,000. Here is who can act, and when.

Stage Who can act What they do with the permit
1. AppliedArchitects and designers, structural engineers, basement specialistsReach out with design and code-compliance services before plans are finalised. Suite separation, egress, and fire code expertise are valuable here.
2. IssuedGeneral contractors, framers, demolition crews, concrete and underpinning specialists, waterproofing contractors, building product suppliers (lumber, steel studs, foam board, vapour barrier)Project is funded and approved. Trades that touch the structure first mobilise. Suppliers of structural and rough-in materials route the lead to the local rep.
3. Under constructionElectricians, plumbers, HVAC contractors, gas fitters, sprinkler installers, insulation contractorsRough-in trades start work. Mechanical and electrical product suppliers (panels, wire, conduit, ducting, fixtures) target outreach now.
4. Mid-stageDrywall and taping crews, window and egress-window installers, exterior door specialists, soundproofing contractors, smart-home and security installersRough-in is done. Enclosure, separation, and pre-wire work happens. Suppliers of drywall, sound batt, egress windows, exterior doors, and low-voltage products are relevant.
5. FinishingFlooring contractors, tilers, painters, cabinet and millwork installers, countertop fabricators, plumbing fixture installers, appliance installers, lighting installers, finish carpentersThe most product-intense stage. Suppliers of flooring, tile, cabinetry, countertops, paint, plumbing fixtures, kitchen appliances, lighting, and trim see the highest conversion here. Cleaning services start scheduling.
6. CompletedInspectors, occupancy authority, insurance, landlord-services firms, property managers, real estate agents (if owner plans to sell or rent), warranty and service providers, energy retrofit programsInsurers verify the suite was permitted and inspected. Property managers and tenant-finding services engage if it is being rented. Agents update property records if it changes the value or supports a future listing.

DELIVERY

Two ways to receive it

No front end. The data goes straight into the systems you already run.

STEP 1

REST API

Query on demand. Filter by city, type, sub-type, value band, date, stage, scope flags, or proximity. JSON, OpenAPI spec, sandbox keys, and optional webhooks for new or changed records.

STEP 2

File delivery

CSV, JSON, or Parquet by SFTP, cloud storage (S3 or your bucket), or direct download. On the schedule you choose.

INTEGRATIONS

Fits your stack

Geocoded and CRM-ready. Flows straight into Salesforce, HubSpot, your data warehouse, or your GIS. Stable IDs make enrichment and updates duplicate-free.

permit_id ON-TOR-2024-088421
jurisdiction"Toronto, ON"
province"Ontario"
permit_type"New construction"
classification"Commercial — mixed use"
issued_date"2024-05-12"
valuation_cad12,450,000.00
floor_area_sqm9,820
lat,lng43.6532, -79.3832
lifecycle_stage"Framing inspection passed"
source"toronto.ca/open-data"
Lifecycle Progression — 6 Stages

Tell us your use case and we will send a sample permit feed.

Book a consultation and we will map your audience, regions, and stages to the right slice of the data, then share a real sample.

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