BuildData › Development Permits & Planning Applications
Dataset

Canadian Development Permits
& Planning Applications API

515,000+ records from 37+ Canadian cities. Development permits and planning applications are the earliest structured signal in the construction pipeline, arriving months before a building permit is issued.

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368K+ development permit records
147K+ planning application records
37+ cities covered
Daily refresh rate

Where these datasets fit in the pipeline

A planning application or development permit signals intent before financing, before shovels, and before a building permit is filed. For real estate and construction intelligence, this is where the signal is strongest.

Earliest signal
planning_application
Site approval
development_permit
Construction authorized
permit
Work verified
inspection

BuildData covers all four stages. Records at the same address can be joined via normalized_address. See all datasets →

Coverage

Development permits span 7 cities; planning applications span 30 cities. Coverage expands as municipalities publish open data. Select cities below.

Development permits

Calgary AB
Edmonton AB
Red Deer AB
Strathcona County AB
Victoria BC
Toronto ON
+ more

Planning applications (rezonings, variances, subdivisions)

Toronto ON
Calgary AB
Winnipeg MB
Oakville ON
Sudbury ON
Maple Ridge BC
Cambridge ON
Barrie ON
Victoria BC
Edmonton AB
+ 20 more

What the data includes

status_canonical
Normalized status: approved, pending, refused, cancelled, or expired
application_date
Date the application was filed
event_date
Decision date or most recent status change
description / subtype
Project description and application subtype (rezoning, variance, site plan, etc.)
address / normalized_address
Street address, normalized for joining with permit and inspection records
lat / lng
Geocoordinates for proximity and map-based queries
municipality / province
City and province, normalized

Who uses development pipeline data

Real estate site selection

Identify land where development is already approved or pending. Track rezoning applications to anticipate density changes before they hit market. Screen sites against development activity in the surrounding area.

Construction lead generation

Development permits are filed months before a building permit. Suppliers, contractors, and trades can reach project owners while the project is still in the planning stage.

Investment screening

Monitor planning applications near existing assets. Detect incoming rezoning or densification that affects neighbouring property values. Track approval timelines as a proxy for municipal development velocity.

Urban planning & research

Analyse approval rates by neighbourhood, subtype, and period. Track the gap between application and decision across cities. Measure the pipeline of housing and commercial projects from the earliest stage.

API example

GET /development_permit?municipality=calgary&status=approved&issued_after=2024-01-01

# All approved development permits in Calgary in 2024
# Returns: status_canonical, description, application_date, address, lat/lng
GET /planning_application?municipality=toronto&q=rezoning&status=pending&limit=50

# Active rezoning applications in Toronto
# Earliest-stage development signal for a given area

Same endpoint pattern as building inspections, business licences, and building permits. One API key, one schema.

Start with 25 free requests per day

No credit card required. Full API access via RapidAPI. OpenAPI spec and docs included.

Get a free API key

Part of the BuildData Canadian construction data platform. Also available: building inspections, business licences, see all coverage.