Compare
How to find commercial construction leads: sources compared
The right source depends on when you sell. General contractors and subcontractors who bid from plans need a planning and bid database such as Dodge or ConstructConnect, because the general contractor has usually been chosen by the time a permit is issued. Subcontractors, suppliers and site-service companies that sell to active jobs can use building permits, which name the address, scope, value and often the contractor.
Lead sources side by side
| Source | Project stage | Coverage | Published price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Permit Search | Permit, commercial and multifamily only, grouped into projects | 34 U.S. cities and counties | $99/mo or $948/yr for every city; free public pages | Subcontractors, suppliers and site services selling to active jobs in those cities |
| Dodge Construction Network | Pre-planning and design through permit and construction start | 700K+ projects tracked a year | Not published; by demo | Firms that want projects months before they bid |
| ConstructConnect Project Intelligence | Bidding; planning projects, plans and specs on higher plans | Sold by market | $129/mo per market, or from $199/mo per market and seat on an annual contract | Bidding from plans and specs in a few markets |
| BuildingConnected (Autodesk) | Bidding: bid management, invitations and a plan room | A network of general contractors, subcontractors and owners | Not shown on its product page | Managing bid invitations with general contractors |
| PermitGrab | Permit | 1,000+ cities and counties listed | $149/mo, with a 14-day trial | Permit leads in smaller markets |
| Shovels | Permit | 2,840+ jurisdictions; 202M+ permits | Free for 500 records/mo; $599/mo for 25,000; $999/mo for 50,000 | Data teams that need nationwide permits |
| Zabalist | Permit and project records | Texas only, all 254 counties | Free for 500 calls/mo; paid from $49/mo | Companies working only in Texas |
| City open-data portals | Permit, in each city's own format, with residential mixed in | One portal per city | Free | One or two cities, with someone to clean the data |
US Permit Search is one of these sources, and we wrote this comparison. Other companies’ figures are what their own pages said on November 4, 2026, and each name links to the page we read. Spot something out of date? Email support@uspermitsearch.com and we’ll fix it.
Which one fits
- You bid on the general contract, or from plans and specs: a planning and bid database such as Dodge or ConstructConnect. Permits come too late for you.
- General contractors already invite you to bid: BuildingConnected, to manage those invitations.
- You sell to active job sites in a big city (subcontracting, supplies, equipment rental, dumpsters, fencing, cleaning): commercial permit data. This is the case we built US Permit Search for.
- You work in smaller markets we don’t cover: a wider permit source such as PermitGrab or Shovels.
- You only need a city or two and have time: the city’s own open data, which is free.
Why project stage matters
A commercial job usually moves from planning to bidding to permit to construction. Planning and bid data arrives first, but some planned projects change or never start. A permit arrives later but is a record of a job that’s going ahead, often naming who is building it. How long that takes varies by city: see how long commercial permits take.
Questions and answers
What is the best way to find commercial construction leads?
The right source depends on when you sell. General contractors and subcontractors who bid from plans need a planning and bid database such as Dodge or ConstructConnect, because the general contractor has usually been chosen by the time a permit is issued. Subcontractors, suppliers and site-service companies that sell to active jobs can use building permits, which name the address, scope, value and often the contractor.
Are building permits good construction leads?
For companies that sell once a job is under way, yes: a permit is a dated public record of a real job, with its address, scope and often its value and contractor. They come too late to win the general contract itself, and many permits are small repairs, so filter by value and trade.
What is the cheapest source of commercial construction leads?
City open-data portals are free, but each city has its own format and mixes in residential work. US Permit Search's public pages are also free, and show each project's contractor 30 days after its first permit. Paid access starts at $99 a month.
When is US Permit Search the wrong choice?
If you need to bid before a general contractor is chosen, or you work outside the 34 cities we cover, or you need residential permits. A planning and bid database, or a permit source with wider coverage, will suit you better.
See the permit data for yourself
Every city page is free to browse, with its newest commercial projects.