Who Built This
I'm Alex Colombo, an electronics technician and software developer based in Westchester County, NY. My day job involves troubleshooting complex systems — mechanical, electrical, networking, software — and understanding how different parts of a system connect to each other. That same skillset is what I bring to building data tools.
I've spent over two years building production software with AI tools. I built ShowFloor.ai, a SaaS product that helps flooring contractors visualize custom epoxy blends on real photos — a tool that a contractor used to close a $15,000 deal. I've built clinical decision support tools for physicians. I understand what it takes to ship a working product that real people depend on.
Why I Built PermitBeam
I saw a gap: insurance agents, brokers, and local operators in NYC have no easy way to track what's being built and renovated in their territory. Every time someone pulls a building permit, it creates useful public-record context for policy reviews, market awareness, and local planning.
That data is public. It's sitting in NYC government databases. DOB NOW permit monitoring is live in PermitBeam; BIS expiration records and ECB violation context are being QA'd before they are added to subscriber briefs. Nobody has time to check city databases every day and filter by ZIP code.
Enterprise tools have shown that permit history matters to insurance and property workflows. PermitBeam is narrower and more local: a weekly territory brief for independent professionals who need timely public-record context, not an enterprise data warehouse.
Data Sources
Transparency matters. Here's exactly where PermitBeam gets its data — no black boxes, no proprietary estimates.
DOB NOW: Build
The city's current permitting system. New building permits, job filings, and approved permit records across all five boroughs. PermitBeam captures approved filings within 1-2 business days.
BIS (Building Information System)
The legacy database with historical permits and expiration data. PermitBeam is QA'ing BIS matching before adding expiration alerts to subscriber briefs.
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 subscriber briefs.
Westchester Municity5
Recent sample pulls are working for select municipalities, but coverage is not yet sold as countywide. New Rochelle and Ossining have recent QA samples; other municipalities remain pending or blocked.
Methodology
Every permit in your digest receives a review tier based on the type of work and the estimated project cost. A $179K kitchen renovation is flagged as a larger project because the public filing may be worth checking against your own records. A $2K plumbing repair is usually lower priority because the project scope is smaller.
The full details — data pipeline steps, scoring criteria, data freshness timelines, and known limitations — are documented on the methodology page.
What the data can tell you
Property address, owner name when present, work description, estimated project cost, permit type, filing date, approval date, source link, and permit review tier.
What the data cannot tell you
Contact information (phone numbers, emails), whether the property owner has existing insurance coverage, or whether the work description is accurate (it is self-reported by the applicant). Roughly 15-20% of permit filings have no cost data. Many NYC properties list LLC names rather than individual owner names.
How It Works
You tell us the ZIP codes you care about. We monitor approved DOB permit filings and compile a digest of new permit activity in your territory. You get it in your inbox — clean, organized by review tier, and ready to inspect.
No login required. No dashboard to learn. Just the data you need, delivered where you already work: your email.
Who It's For
PermitBeam was designed for professionals whose livelihood depends on knowing what's happening in their territory:
Insurance agents who want timely policy-review prompts from public renovation and construction filings.
Contractors and subcontractors tracking local project activity, trade patterns, and nearby work by ZIP code.
Real estate professionals tracking market activity, renovation trends, and neighborhood development patterns. Permit volume by ZIP code is a leading indicator of property value changes.
Get in Touch
Questions, feedback, or partnership inquiries — I read every email.
hello@permitbeam.com