Construction Leads
New to this? Start with construction leads from building permit data.
How contractors use permit data to find projects early
Find real projects at the filing stage and reach out before the bid list is fully set.
Read →What is the pre-bid window in construction?
The gap after a permit is filed but before it is issued, when the project team is still forming. What it is, what permit data shows, and how GCs and subcontractors use it.
Read →How do contractors find NYC construction jobs before their competition?
NYC construction jobs are public record, but the timing window is tight. How GCs use DOB filings to reach owners before the bid list closes.
Read →How do contractors find Chicago construction jobs before their competition?
Chicago Department of Buildings permit filings show construction projects in real time. How GCs and subcontractors use the public daily feed.
Read →How do contractors find San Francisco construction jobs before their competition?
SF building permit data is public on DataSF, updated daily, including in-review and issued permits. How contractors read it.
Read →How do contractors find Miami-Dade construction jobs before their competition?
Miami-Dade has two separate permit feeds, county and City of Miami, plus 30+ municipal building departments. How GCs read them and reach owners before the bid list closes.
Read →Permit Data for Business Development
For BD and estimating teams, start with preconstruction project leads.
Construction business development from permit data
A weekly workflow for BD, precon, and estimating teams to find and pursue projects earlier.
Read →How to turn a permit filing into an owner outreach email
Write specific, credible outreach from a real filing, without overclaiming what the data proves.
Read →What "no GC named in the filing" actually means
A blank contractor field is an early signal, not proof a job is open. How to read it without overclaiming.
Read →Subcontractor Leads
For trade contractors, start with subcontractor leads from permit filings.
Design Professionals
For engineers and designers, start with design professional leads from permit filings.
When is an interior designer hired on a project?
When interior designers are engaged across commercial fit-outs, tenant improvements, hospitality, and residential work, and how permit filings relate.
Read →When is an MEP engineer hired on a project?
When mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineers are engaged across design-bid-build, design-build, and tenant-improvement projects, and how permit filings relate.
Read →When is a Civil engineer hired on a project?
When civil engineers are engaged on land development, ground-up, and phased projects, and how permit filings relate to selection.
Read →When is a Structural engineer hired on a project?
When structural engineers are engaged across new construction, retrofits, renovations, and delegated design, and how permit filings relate.
Read →When is a Landscape architect hired on a project?
When landscape architects are engaged on entitlement-driven, amenity, and residential projects, and why filings often run ahead of selection.
Read →When is an AV designer hired on a project?
Why AV and low-voltage design is contracted late, and how fresh permit filings act as a forward indicator for AV firms.
Read →Permit Timelines
How long permits actually take, filing to issuance, by city.
How long does an NYC building permit take to issue?
A realistic timeline for NYC permits, alteration, new building, demo. Plan exam, objections, and special review windows.
Read →Building permit timeline by city: NYC vs SF vs Chicago vs Miami
Side-by-side timeline comparison across the four largest contractor markets. Median filing-to-issuance times, what drives variance, and which city rewards which contractor posture.
Read →How long does a Chicago building permit take to issue?
A realistic timeline for Chicago permits across the four review tracks. What zoning, Landmarks, Open Violations, and Planned Developments actually add.
Read →How long does an SF building permit take to issue?
A realistic timeline for SF permits, OTC, plan check, Planning review, Discretionary Review. What Section 311/312 and Historic Preservation actually add.
Read →How long does a Miami-Dade building permit take to issue?
A realistic timeline for Miami-Dade permits, county vs. municipal, HVHZ, DERM environmental, Historic Preservation Board. What slows each jurisdiction.
Read →City Permit Guides
Plain-language guides to each city's permit system and the rules that shape your bid.
NYC Department of Buildings Online Filings: A Contractor's Guide
How to read NYC Department of Buildings permit filings online. A plain-language guide for general contractors and subcontractors.
Read →How do I find NYC Local Law 97 retrofit projects in permit data?
LL97 is driving billions in retrofit work across NYC's largest buildings. What an LL97-driven project looks like in DOB filings.
Read →What is a master permit and how does it work?
The parent construction permit that authorizes a project. Sub-permits for trades pull against it. Plain-language explanation with city-by-city terminology.
Read →SF Soft Story Retrofit Program: what contractors need to know
San Francisco's mandatory seismic retrofit ordinance. Which buildings, what it costs, how long it takes, and how GCs and structural subcontractors spot the filings.
Read →Chicago Community Areas vs. Wards: which one defines a contractor's bid territory?
77 Community Areas, 50 Wards, and they don't align. Which one should a contractor use to define a bid territory? A practical breakdown.
Read →What are the four Chicago permit review tracks and what do they mean?
Standard Plan, Developer Services, Self-Cert, Easy Permit. Each one signals project size, complexity, and timeline.
Read →What are the SF DBI permit types and what does each one tell you?
Nine distinct permit types in San Francisco. Each one tells you something different about scope, value, and timeline.
Read →What's the difference between SF Planning and SF Building approval?
Most SF projects need both Planning Department approval and a DBI building permit. Knowing which track tells you the timeline.
Read →Miami-Dade permit guide: county vs. municipal permits
Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Doral, Hialeah and 25+ other cities run their own building departments. A guide to which one your project lives in.
Read →HVHZ explained: Miami's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone construction code
All of Miami-Dade and Broward are in the HVHZ. What it means for impact glazing, NOA-approved products, and why your bid sheet runs higher in coastal ZIPs.
Read →Market Data & Cost Benchmarks
What projects really cost by city and neighborhood, benchmarked from public permit values.
The 10 GCs running NYC: 31% of the dollars on less than 4% of the permits
Every NYC GC-led building permit issued in the last 90 days, ranked by volume and by total declared value. Methodology filters MEP firms and developer SPVs whose 'GC license' isn't really general construction.
Read →What do construction projects actually cost in each Chicago Community Area?
Costs vary 2–3× between Community Areas for the same scope. A practical benchmark guide for general contractors.
Read →What do San Francisco construction projects cost by neighborhood?
Cost benchmarks for typical scopes across all 36 SF analysis neighborhoods, built from city permit data.
Read →What do Miami-Dade construction projects actually cost by neighborhood?
Brickell, Coral Gables, Doral, Aventura, Beaches, cost benchmarks for typical scopes built from county and City of Miami permit data.
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