How it works

CanPermits is an independent data platform, not a government service. We aggregate publicly available building permit records so contractors can find construction projects and leads in one place.

1

Cities publish permit data

Canadian municipalities release building permit records through their open data portals. This is public information, freely available to anyone.

2

We aggregate and organize

CanPermits collects data from 30 cities across 6 provinces into one searchable, standardized database. Most cities are synced daily; some weekly or monthly, depending on how often the city publishes.

3

You find projects and leads

Search by address, contractor, trade, or project value. Set up email alerts to get notified when new permits match your criteria, before the competition sees them.

What CanPermits is and isn't

What we are

  • ✓ An independent data aggregation platform
  • ✓ Built for contractors, builders, and trades
  • ✓ Using only publicly available municipal open data
  • ✓ A tool to find construction projects early

What we are not

  • ✗ Not a government service or agency
  • ✗ Not affiliated with any municipality
  • ✗ We do not issue, process, or file permits
  • ✗ We do not charge for access to public data

Where the data comes from

Every record on CanPermits comes from a municipal open data program, the same records each city publishes on their own website. We don't scrape private sites or buy data from anyone. Each city's open government licence is listed on the attributions page.

Data may be incomplete or delayed. For an authoritative permit record, always check with the issuing city directly.

Who uses CanPermits

Contractors

Find new construction and renovation projects to bid on before they're widely known.

Trades & suppliers

Roofers, electricians, and material suppliers track new builds in their service area.

Analysts & researchers

Study construction trends, neighbourhood development, and market activity across cities.