How to Look Up Any Contractor's Permit History via API

Hiring a contractor without checking their permit history is like hiring an employee without checking references. Permit records show exactly what they've built, where they've worked, and how active they are — all from public data.

Why contractor permit history matters

A contractor's permit record tells you things their website won't. How many projects have they completed? Are they consistently active or did they go quiet for two years? Do they specialize in residential or commercial work? Which cities and neighborhoods do they operate in? Are they pulling permits for the type of work you need?

Insurance companies use this data for underwriting. Homeowner platforms use it for verification. Building material suppliers use it for sales targeting. And homeowners use it to verify claims before signing a contract.

Searching contractors with PermitStack

Search by name

curl "https://api.permit-stack.com/v1/contractors/search?name=smith+construction&per_page=10" \
  -H "X-API-Key: pk_your_key_here"

Get a contractor's full profile

curl "https://api.permit-stack.com/v1/contractors/{contractor_id}" \
  -H "X-API-Key: pk_your_key_here"

Get all permits for a specific contractor

curl "https://api.permit-stack.com/v1/contractors/{contractor_id}/permits?per_page=50" \
  -H "X-API-Key: pk_your_key_here"

Python: building a contractor verification tool

import requests

API_KEY = "pk_your_key_here"
headers = {"X-API-Key": API_KEY}

# Search for a contractor
r = requests.get(
    "https://api.permit-stack.com/v1/contractors/search",
    headers=headers,
    params={"name": "ABC Roofing"}
)

contractors = r.json().get("results", [])

for c in contractors:
    print(f"Name: {c['name']}")
    print(f"  Total permits: {c.get('total_permits', 'N/A')}")
    print(f"  Active since: {c.get('first_permit_date', 'N/A')}")
    print(f"  Last activity: {c.get('last_permit_date', 'N/A')}")
    print()

Use cases by industry

Insurance companies verify contractor credentials before approving claims involving contractor work. A contractor with hundreds of permits across multiple years is a different risk profile than one with two permits filed last month.

Home services marketplaces like Angi, Thumbtack, and Porch can verify that listed contractors actually pull permits and have a track record. This solves the trust problem that plagues the industry.

Building material suppliers identify the most active contractors in a metro area and target them with outreach. A contractor pulling 50 permits a year is a much better prospect than one pulling 3.

Homeowners and property managers check whether a contractor they're considering has actually done the type of work they claim to specialize in. Talk is cheap; permits are public record.

What contractor data includes

PermitStack extracts contractor information from permit records across all 15 covered cities. Each contractor profile includes their name, total permit count, first and last activity dates, permit types they've worked on, and the cities where they're active. You can then drill into their individual permits to see addresses, project descriptions, and estimated values.