Now tracking all 5 NYC boroughs

Know about every renovation in your territory. Before anyone else.

Every Monday morning, get the building permits filed in your ZIP codes last week — with project costs, work descriptions, and owner names when public records include them. One policy upsell pays for 6 months.

Example: a homeowner in your territory pulls a $179,000 renovation permit. Their existing policy may not account for construction liability, updated replacement cost, or the increased property value after renovation. The agent who spots it early has a timely reason to start the coverage conversation.
You're in. We'll follow up with a sample brief.

NYC DOB permit monitoring is live. ECB violations and expiration alerts are being QA'd before release.

Live Permit Feed
11211 · Williamsburg
587 Lorimer St, Brooklyn $594,200
General Construction High Value
Horizontal and vertical enlargement · Owner: Jose Altamirano
19 Thames St, Brooklyn $342,000
New Building High Value
New work filing — lofts development · Owner: Offir Naim
157 Havemeyer St, Brooklyn $52,290
Alteration Mar 6
Facade restoration of front and rear of building · Owner: Benjamin Clyburn
985 Lorimer St, Greenpoint $31,872
Electrical Mar 7
Installation of solar PV system on roof · Owner: Margaret Chen
219 Putnam Ave, Bed-Stuy $83,250
General Construction High Value
Structural renovation, new beams and joists · Owner: David Ruiz
280 Kent Ave, Williamsburg $20,400
Plumbing Mar 5
Full plumbing replacement, 3-story residential · Owner: Kent Ave Holdings LLC
828 49th St, Sunset Park $80,000
Alteration High Value
Kitchen and bathroom renovation, 2-family dwelling · Owner: James Park
572 Myrtle Ave, Clinton Hill $495,000
General Construction High Value
Full gut renovation, convert to 4-unit residential · Owner: Myrtle Development Group
587 Lorimer St, Brooklyn $594,200
General Construction High Value
Horizontal and vertical enlargement · Owner: Jose Altamirano
19 Thames St, Brooklyn $342,000
New Building High Value
New work filing — lofts development · Owner: Offir Naim
157 Havemeyer St, Brooklyn $52,290
Alteration Mar 6
Facade restoration of front and rear of building · Owner: Benjamin Clyburn
985 Lorimer St, Greenpoint $31,872
Electrical Mar 7
Installation of solar PV system on roof · Owner: Margaret Chen
219 Putnam Ave, Bed-Stuy $83,250
General Construction High Value
Structural renovation, new beams and joists · Owner: David Ruiz
280 Kent Ave, Williamsburg $20,400
Plumbing Mar 5
Full plumbing replacement, 3-story residential · Owner: Kent Ave Holdings LLC
828 49th St, Sunset Park $80,000
Alteration High Value
Kitchen and bathroom renovation, 2-family dwelling · Owner: James Park
572 Myrtle Ave, Clinton Hill $495,000
General Construction High Value
Full gut renovation, convert to 4-unit residential · Owner: Myrtle Development Group
0
Permits this week
0
Violations this month
$0
Project value monitored
0
Expiring permits flagged
How It Works

Three steps. Zero manual searching.

We pull from DOB NOW, legacy BIS, and ECB databases so you don't have to dig through three different government portals.

 
Step One

Pick your ZIP codes

Enter the territories you cover. All five NYC boroughs plus select Westchester municipalities. Filter down to exactly the blocks you care about.

 
Step Two

We pull permits, violations, and expirations

Every day we pull building permits from DOB NOW and legacy BIS, ECB violations, and permits approaching expiration. New permits appear within 1–2 business days. Violations within 3–5 days.

 
Step Three

You get the digest

A clean, scannable email. Permits show address, work type, estimated cost, owner name, and insurance relevance. Violations show severity and penalty amount. Expiring permits flag stalled projects. Everything you need to make the first call.

What You Get

Two data feeds. Three city databases. One Monday email.

DOB NOW permits, legacy BIS filings, and ECB violations — pulled daily and delivered in a format you can act on.

Feed One

Building Permits

New filings from DOB NOW plus historical records from the city's legacy BIS system. Not just what got filed this week — the full permit history at any address, so you know if that $180K reno is the first project or the fourth.

400+ Per week in NYC
1–2 days From filing
  • Full property address and owner name
  • Estimated project cost and work description
  • Permit type (GC, Plumbing, Electrical, Alteration, New Building)
  • Historical BIS records — prior permits at the same address
  • Insurance relevance scoring (high / medium / low)
Feed Two

ECB Violations & DOB Complaints

Properties with active Environmental Control Board violations are underinsured almost by definition. Open violations mean unresolved hazards — structural, electrical, fire safety. Each one is a coverage gap and a conversation starter.

278 Flagged this month
3–5 days Data lag
  • Full property address and respondent name
  • Violation type, description, and ECB case number
  • Severity scoring — active vs. resolved, penalty amount
  • Insurance relevance flag (structural, fire, electrical = high)
  • Penalty amounts — $0 penalty often means owner hasn't responded yet
The Math

One upsell per quarter pays for the entire year.

A homeowner in your territory pulls a $179,000 renovation permit. Their current policy may not reflect construction liability, updated replacement cost, or the increased property value after renovation. PermitBeam helps surface that moment early enough for a useful coverage review.

📧
PermitBeam costs $199/mo ($2,388/year)
📞
One policy upsell = $800–2,000 additional annual premium
💰
One upsell per quarter = $3,200–8,000/year in new premium
What you're spotting
  • Coverage gaps from unreported renovations
  • Homeowners who need builder's risk policies
  • Properties with new replacement cost values
  • Construction liability exposure
  • Upcoming policy renewal conversations
Who Uses It

Built for insurance agents who work by territory.

Insurance Agents

A major renovation permit can be an early signal that a homeowner needs a coverage review. PermitBeam turns those public filings into a short weekly list by ZIP code.

  • Policy upsells from renovation permits — $800–2,000 per call
  • Builder's risk policies for active construction sites
  • ECB violations flag properties with known hazards
  • Owner names when present in public records; no skip tracing required
  • Beat direct writers who sit around waiting for inbound

Real Estate Agents

Six renovation permits in one block means prices are about to move. You see the data three months before it shows up in comps.

  • Spot renovation clusters before they hit comps
  • Know what's being built before listing presentations
  • Identify motivated sellers by permit activity
  • Historical BIS data shows the full renovation timeline

Contractors

A $200K gut reno permit is expiring next month and was never renewed. That means a stalled project or a GC who walked off the job. Either way, that homeowner needs someone new.

  • Permit expiration alerts — find stalled projects before anyone else
  • Active job sites in your radius, filtered by trade and size
  • Reach out to owners directly — names on every permit
  • Spot follow-on work near your current jobs
Sample Digest

This is what lands in your inbox.

Real permit data from this week. No fluff — just actionable intelligence.

↑ Real permit data pulled April 26, 2026 from NYC DOB via Open Data API.

Coverage Area

NYC live. Westchester under QA.

Data is pulled directly from government APIs and municipal permit systems. 100% public record.

New York City

All five boroughs. Comprehensive coverage with 400+ permits per week.

  • Manhattan
  • Brooklyn
  • Queens
  • Bronx
  • Staten Island

Westchester QA

Recent sample pulls are working for select municipalities, but coverage is not yet sold as countywide.

  • New Rochelle
  • Ossining
  • Yonkers — blocked in latest QA pull
  • Mamaroneck Village — pending verification
  • Peekskill — pending verification

Expanding to additional Westchester municipalities and Connecticut only after source-level verification. Need a specific area? Let us know.

Live Data

See what's happening in your territory.

Enter any NYC ZIP code. Real permits from the last 7 days. Updated daily.

Pricing

Choose your territory size.

No contracts. Cancel anytime.

Access is reviewed before payments open so every account receives a verified weekly brief.

Starter
$ 99 /mo
Five ZIP codes. Weekly permits. Test the water.
  • 5 ZIP codes
  • Weekly email digest
  • Building permits only
  • Address, type, cost, owner name when present
  • Insurance relevance scoring
  • ECB violations
  • Daily delivery
Request Access
Territory
$ 399 /mo
Coverage expansion for teams after subscriber-specific fulfillment is verified.
  • Unlimited ZIP request
  • Weekly territory brief
  • Team account review
  • Expansion roadmap input
  • Priority alerts for $100K+ permits
  • Priority support
  • Daily delivery
  • ECB/BIS signals until QA is complete
Request Access

BuildFax and Verisk prove that permit history matters to insurance. PermitBeam is narrower and more local: a weekly territory brief for independent agents who need timely coverage conversations, not an enterprise data warehouse.

Data refreshed daily from government APIs
100% public record data
No contracts. Cancel anytime.
Data Sources

Where the data comes from

PermitBeam starts with NYC DOB approved permit data and is QA'ing additional DOB violation and expiration signals before adding them to subscriber briefs.

Source 1

DOB NOW: Build

The city's current permitting system for new building permits. When a contractor files for a permit today, DOB NOW is where it lands. PermitBeam captures approved filings within 1-2 business days.

API: data.cityofnewyork.us · Updated daily

Source 2

BIS (Building Information System)

The legacy database contains historical permits and expiration data. PermitBeam is QA'ing these records before adding expiration alerts to subscriber briefs.

Status: QA before release

Source 3

ECB (Environmental Control Board)

Active violations issued by the Department of Buildings, including work without a permit and unsafe conditions. PermitBeam is QA'ing violation monitoring before adding it to paid briefs.

Status: QA before release

All data sourced under NYC Open Data Terms of Use. Full methodology: permitbeam.com/methodology

The Workflow

How insurance agents use permit data

Four steps from digest to revenue. Most agents complete this in under 30 minutes per week.

01

Open your Monday digest

Scan for high-value permits first. A $179K kitchen renovation at a residential address is a clear signal that someone needs updated coverage.

02

Check your book

Is the property owner already your client? Their policy likely needs updating. Not your client? This is a warm lead with an immediate need.

03

Reach out within the week

"I noticed you pulled a permit for renovation work at [address]. I wanted to make sure your coverage is up to date during construction." This is not a cold call.

04

Quote the gap

Renovation projects commonly need builder's risk coverage, increased replacement cost, or liability endorsements. One upsell on a $179K renovation yields $800-2,000 in annual premium.

The data is the starting point. What you do with it generates revenue.

FAQ

Good questions.

PermitBeam starts with DOB NOW approved permit filings from NYC Open Data. BIS expiration records and ECB violation monitoring are being QA'd before they are added to paid subscriber briefs. All data is public record, sourced directly from government systems. No gray-area scraping, no third-party data brokers.
PermitBeam data freshness depends on the source. Building permits from DOB NOW usually appear within 1-2 business days of the city approving the filing. PermitBeam pulls directly from government sources so subscribers can see permits filed earlier that week — typically weeks or months before construction actually begins on many projects.
PermitBeam currently covers all five NYC boroughs — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. New Rochelle and Ossining are in QA with recent sample data. Additional Westchester municipalities and Connecticut will be added only after their data sources are verified.
Yes, using building permit data is completely legal. All data in PermitBeam comes from public government APIs under NYC Open Data policies. Building permits and code violations are public record. PermitBeam pulls publicly available data from official city databases and formats it into a digest — no private information, no scraping of non-public sources.
PermitBeam is actively adding coverage areas based on subscriber demand. If you need permit data for a specific municipality or region not yet covered, join the waitlist and mention your area. This helps PermitBeam prioritize which areas to add next. Connecticut and additional Westchester municipalities are already on the expansion roadmap.

Your territory. Your edge.

Request a sample brief for the ZIP codes your agency cares about.

You're in. We'll follow up with a sample brief.