About
Shovels is the intelligence layer for the built world, designed to make building permit and contractor data easy to understand and act on — without any data engineering. The platform ingests raw permit filings from over 1,800 jurisdictions across the US, runs them through AI pipelines to normalize and enrich the records, and delivers clean, Shovel-ready datasets through multiple access methods. Users can explore permits and contractors via the Shovels Online web app, query data programmatically through the REST API, interact with it using natural language via Charlie AI, visualize it in GIS tools like QGIS and ArcGIS, or load it directly into Snowflake, BigQuery, or Databricks for enterprise-scale analysis. A CLI tool rounds out the offering for agent-first workflows. The platform serves a wide range of industries: building materials suppliers use it to identify active contractors; construction tech companies use it for go-to-market targeting; energy and climate firms track electrification trends; home services businesses find high-intent homeowners; telecoms optimize fiber rollout; and real estate professionals enhance site selection. Shovels also offers pre-built audience segments that combine permit signals with resident and employee contact data for targeted marketing campaigns. With 5M+ new permits added monthly, transparent coverage dashboards, comprehensive documentation, and SOC 2 Type 2 compliance, Shovels is built for businesses that need reliable, continuously updated construction intelligence at scale.
Key Features
- 130M+ Permit Database: Access a continuously updated database of over 130 million building permits across 1,800+ US jurisdictions, with 5M+ new permits added every month.
- Charlie AI — Natural Language Queries: Transform permit data into actionable insights using natural language queries, removing the need for SQL or data engineering expertise.
- Multi-Channel Data Access: Consume data via REST API, Shovels Online web app, CLI, GIS integrations (QGIS, ArcGIS), or enterprise data warehouses (Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks).
- Contractor & Resident Intelligence: Access profiles on 2.3M+ contractors plus resident and employee contact data, enabling both B2B and B2C go-to-market targeting.
- Pre-Built Audience Segments: Leverage high-signal homeowner, resident, and B2B audiences built from permit activity for precise marketing campaign targeting.
Use Cases
- Building materials suppliers identifying the most active contractors in target markets to focus their sales outreach.
- Energy and climate companies tracking building electrification trends and solar/EV permit activity across regions.
- Construction technology SaaS companies building targeted contractor marketing lists for product launches.
- Real estate developers using permit activity signals to evaluate site selection and neighborhood growth trajectories.
- Telecommunications firms mapping permit data to optimize fiber network expansion and monitor competitor build-out activity.
Pros
- No Data Engineering Required: Shovels normalizes and enriches raw permit data so teams can extract insights immediately without building data pipelines.
- Transparent Coverage: A public coverage dashboard clearly shows where permit data is and isn't available — a level of honesty rare among data providers.
- Flexible Access Methods: From a no-code web UI to enterprise warehouse integrations and a developer API, Shovels fits a wide range of technical environments.
- SOC 2 Type 2 Certified: Enterprise-grade security compliance gives businesses confidence when integrating permit data into sensitive workflows.
Cons
- US-Focused Coverage: Shovels currently covers US jurisdictions only, limiting its utility for international construction intelligence needs.
- Coverage Gaps Exist: Not all US jurisdictions are covered, and permit completeness varies by locality — users must check the coverage dashboard for their target areas.
- Enterprise Pricing Can Be Significant: Full data warehouse access and large-scale API usage are geared toward enterprise budgets, which may be a barrier for small teams or startups.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Shovels and what problem does it solve?
Shovels is an AI-powered intelligence platform that cleans, normalizes, and enriches raw building permit data from 1,800+ US jurisdictions. It solves the problem of fragmented, hard-to-use permit records by delivering Shovel-ready data for sales, marketing, and market research purposes.
How can I access Shovels data?
Shovels offers multiple access methods: the Shovels Online web app, a REST API for programmatic lookups, Charlie AI for natural language queries, GIS integrations for QGIS and ArcGIS, a CLI tool for agent workflows, and direct data warehouse delivery via Snowflake, BigQuery, or Databricks.
Is there a free tier available?
Yes, Shovels offers a free permit search feature on their website. Paid plans unlock API access, bulk data downloads, and enterprise warehouse integrations, with pricing designed to accommodate a range of budgets.
What industries is Shovels best suited for?
Shovels serves building materials and equipment suppliers, construction technology companies, energy and climate organizations tracking electrification, home services businesses, real estate firms, and telecommunications companies optimizing infrastructure deployment.
How accurate and up-to-date is the permit data?
Shovels adds 5M+ new permits monthly and runs hundreds of millions of records through AI models to ensure accuracy. The platform also maintains a public coverage dashboard so users can see exactly where data is available and where gaps exist.
