property_improvement
Permitted work on a property: the scope, the date, the declared valuation, the contractor, and whether it reached final inspection.
The question it answers
What changed since it was built?
Two physically identical houses on the same street diverge by six figures if one had a gut renovation. Photographs show current condition but not cost basis, scope, or recency. A permit records all three, and a pulled but unfinalised permit is a leading indicator priced differently again. Permits are issued by municipalities rather than counties, which is an order of magnitude more integration surface than parcel data and the reason incumbent coverage is thin.
Why it matters
The permit record is what makes a renovation datable and costable. The declared valuation on the permit is the contractor's own figure at the time of filing, which is a lower bound on spend rather than an appraisal, and the scope text is the description the jurisdiction accepted.
Recency comes from the filing and completion dates, which is why the class holds both rather than a single date.
The source dictionary carries no definition for this class.
In practice
Acquisition is the hard part, and it is a sourcing problem rather than a technical one. Permits are issued by municipalities, and the recorded estimate puts the number of permit-issuing bodies in the tens of thousands against roughly 3,300 counties.
Coverage therefore reports permits as a separate surface: a jurisdiction served for property records is not automatically served for permits.
An unfinalised permit is a distinct state rather than missing data, which is why the inspection record is its own class — see inspection.
Properties
| Property | Type | Definition |
|---|---|---|
source_http_request | object | HTTP request configuration for retrieving this data. |
request_identifier | string | Identifier value that should be substituted into the source HTTP request to retrieve this specific data. |
improvement_type | string | null | GeneralBuildingResidentialConstructionCommercialConstructionBuildingAdditionStructureMoveDemolitionPoolSpaInstallationElectricalMechanicalHVACGasInstallationRoofingFencingDockAndShoreFireProtectionSystemPlumbingExteriorOpeningsAndFinishesMobileHomeRVLandscapeIrrigationScreenEnclosureShutterAwningSiteDevelopmentCodeViolationComplaintContractorLicenseSponsorshipStateLicenseRegistrationAdministrativeApprovalAdministrativeAppealBlueSheetHearingPlannedDevelopmentDevelopmentOfRegionalImpactRezoningSpecialExceptionZoningVarianceZoningExtensionZoningVerificationLetterRequestForReliefWaiverRequestInformalMeetingEnvironmentalMonitoringVacationVegetationRemovalComprehensivePlanAmendmentMinimumUseDeterminationTransferDevelopmentRightsDeterminationMapBoundaryDeterminationTransferDevelopmentRightsCertificateUniformCommunityDevelopmentSpecialCertificateOfAppropriatenessCertificateToDigHistoricDesignationPlanningAdministrativeAppealWellPermitSolarTestBoringExistingWellInspectionNaturalResourcesComplaintNaturalResourcesViolationLetterWaterSewerUtilitiesConnectionDrivewayPermitRightOfWayPermit |
improvement_status | string | null | Current status of the improvement project. CompletedInProgressPlannedPermittedOnHoldCancelled |
completion_date | string | null | Date when the improvement work was completed. |
contractor_type | string | null | Type of contractor or method used for the work. GeneralContractorSpecialistDIYPropertyManagerBuilderHandymanServiceUnknown |
permit_required | boolean | Whether the improvement required building permits. |
permit_number | string | null | Jurisdiction record/permit number (e.g., MEC2025-05360). |
application_received_date | string | null | Date the application was received. |
permit_issue_date | string | null | Date the permit was issued. |
final_inspection_date | string | null | Date of final inspection approval. |
permit_close_date | string | null | Date the permit record was closed/complete. |
improvement_action | string | null | Nature of the work. NewReplacementRepairAlterationAdditionRemoveOther |
is_owner_builder | boolean | null | Whether improvement is done by owner versus hiring a contractor |
is_disaster_recovery | boolean | null | Whether the work is associated with disaster recovery. |
private_provider_plan_review | boolean | null | Private provider used for plan review. |
private_provider_inspections | boolean | null | Private provider used for inspections. |
fee | decimal | Cost associated with acquiring the property improvement/permits. |
Provenance and coverage
A record of this class is validated against the same definition whatever jurisdiction it came from, which is what makes two counties comparable without a per-county adapter. A jurisdiction appears below only where a committed configuration serves this class's surface.
- Santa Clara, California