Building Permits
Available on: Upgrade, Premium, and Premium Plus plans
The Building Permits card shows construction, renovation, demolition, electrical, and plumbing permits filed within 0.25 miles of the address. Permit data is a useful proxy for neighborhood investment and development activity — areas with high permit counts are actively being improved or redeveloped, which can signal rising property values but also construction disruption.
Data sources
Permit data is scraped daily from the public permit portals of Colorado counties and municipalities. Currently integrated:
- City and County of Denver — Denver permit portal (dataset
p2va-z44mand related) - Jefferson County — permit portal via feature server
- Larimer County — permit portal via feature server (covers Fort Collins, Loveland, and surrounding areas)
Additional counties are being integrated. If you search an address in a county not yet covered, the Permits card will note that data is not available for that jurisdiction rather than showing an empty result.
What the card shows
- Total permits filed in the last 90 days within 0.25 miles
- Permit type breakdown: construction, renovation, demolition, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and other
- Individual permit records: each permit shows the type, address, estimated project value (where available), and filing date
- Permit count trend: 90-day rolling count compared to the prior 90-day period (increasing, stable, or decreasing activity)
Permit types explained
| Type | What it means |
|---|---|
| Construction (new) | A new structure being built — can mean single-family home, multi-unit building, or commercial development |
| Renovation / alteration | Work on an existing structure — kitchen remodels, additions, structural repairs |
| Demolition | An existing structure is being torn down, often preceding new construction |
| Electrical | Electrical panel upgrades, rewiring, EV charger installs — often indicates modernization |
| Plumbing | Plumbing system work — could be a simple repair or a full bathroom renovation |
| Mechanical | HVAC systems, furnaces, boilers |
How to interpret permit data
High permit activity nearby can mean:
- Active neighborhood improvement — investors and owners are upgrading properties, which generally supports property value trends
- Nearby new construction — possible construction noise, traffic, and dust for the near term, but new housing stock or commercial amenities once complete
- Pre-sale renovations — a concentration of renovation permits on adjacent properties may indicate sellers preparing homes for market
Demolition permits are worth examining individually:
A single large demolition permit within a block could mean a developer is preparing to build a significant new project — this could be positive (new mixed-use building, grocery store) or negative (large apartment complex that changes neighborhood density or traffic), depending on your perspective.
Low permit activity is not necessarily negative:
In a stable, established neighborhood, low permit counts are normal. Not every well-maintained area shows high permit activity.
Project value
Where the permit filing includes an estimated project value, the card displays it. These are self-reported by the permit applicant and are frequently underestimated. High-value renovation permits (over $100,000) generally indicate significant investment in a property.
Permit data is updated via a daily scrape from each county's portal. There is typically a 24–48 hour lag between a permit being filed and it appearing in DoesItHaveIt?. Permits that have been filed but not yet approved (pending permits) are included — approval status is shown where available.
Search radius
The Permits card always uses a fixed 0.25-mile radius regardless of plan. This is intentional — permits for properties more than a quarter mile away are generally too far to meaningfully affect the character of your immediate block.