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Unbiased building contractor scores

Information asymmetry in the labor market for the trades makes both sides worse off. We mine millions of permits, inspections, and other datasets to assess contractor skill levels and job fit. We identify good and bad contractors and predict project outcomes.

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We ❤️ construction data --
so you don't have to

Before Shovels, gathering up all the building permits and contractors active in a particular region was painful. Building the buildings should be harder than collecting public data on the buildings. That's the problem we're solving.

Built for software developers
Shovels is designed to make it easy to integrate our near real-time contractor, permit, and inspection feeds and APIs. Our terms of use allow for resale and derivative works. Integrate Shovels and do great things!
Electrify everything
This specific use of Shovels is worth calling out. We see all permit activity, but right now, it's especially important that home electrification is measured accurately. We see where it's happening and which contractors do the best electrification work.
Know who you're backing
Shovels is like a background check and a credit check on contractors, rolled up in one. You can come to us directly or use one of our partners. Whether it's a hard-money construction loan or an insurance application, we help you do the research.
Unbiased contractor recommendations
When you're growing, it's hard to find enough good contractors. We tell you who's available, who's done similar work, who's passing inspections, and how to contact them. If you need more than that... tell us!

Shovels is built for construction data analysis

We've gone out of our way to make our data easy to understand. A lot happens behind the scenes: cleaning, associating, normalizing, interpreting, and deriving fascinating new metrics. We do the heavy lifting so you can build the products and develop the strategies.

Fast response times:
We are compressed and optimized and ready for whatever load you need.
RESTful API:
Our API works exactly the way you'd expect it to. No surprises, please!
Data feeds:
For maximum enjoyment, use our data feeds and ingest years of data across multiple geographies.

Property Permits API

Retrieve all current and past permits pulled on a given US address. Lookup by address or parcel number.

{
"property_address": "18491 Davis Ave",
"property_city": "Los Gatos",
"property_zip_code": "95030",
"property_county": "Santa Clara",
"property_state": "CA",
"permits": [
  {
    "project_id": "DEV20-0118",
    "status": "Finaled",
    "start_date": "2020-01-21",
    "end_date": "2021-04-12",
    "duration_days": 447,
    "inspection_pass_rate": 0.67,
    "type": "Battery Storage System",
    "details": "Install (1) 13.5kwh energy storage system and (n) 200amp main breaker and load center",
    "address": "18491 Davis Ave",
    "city": "Los Gatos",
    "county": "Santa Clara",
    "state": "CA"
  },
  {...}
  ]
}

Contractor Permits API

Retrieve all current and past permits worked on by a contractor. Lookup by contractor license ID, contractor name, or contractor address.

{
"contractor_name": "TESLA ENERGY OPERATIONS INC",
"contractor_address": "901 Page Ave",
"contractor_city": "Fremont",
"contractor_zip_code": "94538",
"contractor_county": "Alameda",
"contractor_state": "CA",
"contractor_phone": "(844) 837 5201",
"contractor_license_no": "888104",
"permits": [
  {
    "project_id": "DEV20-0118",
    "status": "Finaled",
    "start_date": "2020-01-21",
    "end_date": "2021-04-12",
    "duration_days": 447,
    "inspection_pass_rate": 0.67,
    "type": "Battery Storage System",
    "details": "Install (1) 13.5kwh energy storage system and (n) 200amp main breaker and load center",
    "address": "18491 Davis Ave",
    "city": "Los Gatos",
    "county": "Santa Clara",
    "state": "CA"
  },
  {...}
  ]
}

Contractor Details API

Retrieve all derived metrics, including breakdowns of activity by permit type. Filter by region or activity metrics. by contractor license ID, contractor name, or contractor address.

{
  "contractor_name": "TESLA ENERGY OPERATIONS INC",
  "contractor_address": "901 Page Ave",
  "contractor_city": "Fremont",
  "contractor_zip_code": "94538",
  "contractor_county": "Alameda",
  "contractor_state": "CA",
  "contractor_phone": "(844) 837 5201",
  "contractor_license_no": "888104",
  "all_permits": 700,
  "active_permits": 162,
  "expired_permits": 55,
  "avg_project_duration_days": 198.98,
  "avg_inspection_pass_rate": 0.76,
  "permit_types": [
    "Battery Storage System",
    "Solar Photovoltaic System",
    "Electrical",
  ]
}