Shovels | The intelligence layer for the built world

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How we're different

Our data is Shovel-ready

We make building permits easy to understand and use for market research, go-to-market, and sales. No data engineering required.

Fanatical customer service: We're a small company with a big heart. We're here to help you succeed.
Constant innovation: We ship fast. We ship often. We ship quality. We use the latest technology to make your life easier.
Transparency: We're not afraid to show you exactly where our coverage gaps are. We're the only company that's fully transparent about our data.
Residents and employees: We go beyond just the properties and contractors. We also include residents and employees with contact information.
Helpful documentation: Our documentation is comprehensive and easy to understand. We keep our API documentation and data dictionary up to date.
AI-powered from the start: We run hundreds of millions of records through our AI to make sure our data is accurate.
Pricing for everyone: We work with all budgets. Our customers range from climate and proptech startups to publicly-traded companies.
Multiple interfaces: We're more than just a data provider. We're both a data platform and a software company.

From the blog

We write about building permits, contractors, and the future of the built environment.

Nov 20, 2025 Company

November 2025 Newsletter

In this retrospective newsletter, Shovels celebrates a remarkable 2025: doubling jurisdiction coverage from 1,000 to 2,000+, tripling monthly recurring revenue, launching Storm for offline data collection, achieving SOC 2 compliance milestones, getting maps accepted into Esri's Living Atlas, and publishing groundbreaking research. Looking ahead to 2026, the company plans to launch new data types, API v3, and an AI interface while continuing to expand coverage and revenue.

Ryan Buckley

CEO

Nov 17, 2025 Data

When Disaster Strikes: What Permit Data Reveals About Hurricane Recovery

Permit data from Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Ian reveals dramatically different recovery patterns. Harvey's flooding triggered a slow-building reconstruction surge peaking 11 months later with foundation work and complete rebuilds. Ian's wind damage sparked an immediate roofing crisis, with permits peaking in just 3-4 months. The type of disaster—flood versus wind—creates distinct "signatures" in permit activity that reveal how communities actually recover.

Morgan Friberg

Head of Marketing

Oct 27, 2025 Data

America's ADU Boom: What 2.8 Million Permits Reveal About the Housing Solution

ADUs, or Accessory Dwelling Units, are small secondary homes built on single-family lots—and they're becoming one of the most effective tools to fight America's housing shortage. Using data from 2.8 million ADU permits, this post explores how ADUs help expand housing supply, which policies accelerate or stifle growth, and which states are leading the way in 2025.