Nearby Permits
Building permits by street address for 8 US cities, from city open data. Free, no key.
Should I use this
Quality & Safety
Based on automated analysis of tool definitions and protocol compliance.
Context Cost
This is the approximate number of tokens consumed each time the server's tools are loaded into a model's context. Higher counts reduce the attention available for other tasks.
Install
One-Click Install
Add this to your `claude_desktop_config.json` file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"permits": {
"url": "https://nearbypermits.com/mcp"
}
}
}Remote endpoints
https://nearbypermits.com/mcpstreamable-httpWhat it can do
Tool inventory
Tools (5)
🟢list_cities
List the US cities and counties with building permit data, with each one's slug for the other tools.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {},
"additionalProperties": false
}🟢permits_at_address(city, address)
Use when someone asks what is being built, remodeled or torn down at an address, whether a house had work done with permits, or what construction is going on next door. Returns every building permit on record at that street address in a supported city or county (Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Cincinnati, Mesa, New Orleans, Fort Worth, Columbus, San Diego, Detroit, Nashville, Raleigh, Phoenix, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Montgomery County, Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington, Los Angeles County, Wake County): type of work, description, date, status and reported cost, from city open data refreshed several times a day.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"city": {
"type": "string",
"description": "City slug, e.g. los-angeles, new-york, chicago"
},
"address": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Street address with house number, e.g. '867 N Iliff St'. New York: include the borough, e.g. '180 West Street, Brooklyn'."
}
},
"required": [
"city",
"address"
],
"additionalProperties": false
}🟢permits_near(city, address, lat, lon, radius_m, ...)
Use when someone asks what is being built near an address or a place: new buildings next door, construction on the block, what's permitted around a home they might buy or rent. Give a city and street address, or a latitude and longitude. Returns building permits within a radius (default 400 meters, about a quarter mile) issued since a date (default about six months back), newest first, each with distance in meters and compass direction from the point. Covers the last 24 months of city open data. counts.total is exact even when the list is capped.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"city": {
"type": "string",
"description": "City slug, e.g. chicago. Needed with address; optional with lat and lon."
},
"address": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Street address with house number, e.g. '2443 W Warren Blvd'."
},
"lat": {
"type": "number",
"description": "Latitude, used instead of city and address."
},
"lon": {
"type": "number",
"description": "Longitude, used instead of city and address."
},
"radius_m": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 50,
"maximum": 1600,
"description": "Radius in meters, default 400."
},
"since": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Earliest date, YYYY-MM-DD, or 6m, 1y, 2y. Default 6m (the first of the month five months back)."
},
"limit": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 1,
"maximum": 200,
"description": "Most permits to list, default 50."
}
},
"additionalProperties": false
}🟢get_permit(city, permit_id)
Look up one building permit by its city permit number: work, date, status, cost and address.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"city": {
"type": "string"
},
"permit_id": {
"type": "string"
}
},
"required": [
"city",
"permit_id"
],
"additionalProperties": false
}🟢recent_permits(city, zip, limit)
Use when someone asks what is being built in their neighborhood or ZIP code. Returns the newest building permits in a supported city or county, optionally within one ZIP code.
Input Schema
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"city": {
"type": "string"
},
"zip": {
"type": "string",
"description": "5-digit ZIP code"
},
"limit": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 1,
"maximum": 50
}
},
"required": [
"city"
],
"additionalProperties": false
}Community
Evidence