Why PingPermit exists

Respect for the people who do the work

Electricians, concrete crews, roofers, plumbers, demolition teams and many other trades turn plans into places people can live and work. Their days also include estimates, scheduling, supplies, customer calls and the search for the next project.

Time spent researching a potential opportunity has a cost. A small business owner needs enough detail to decide whether a project fits the crew, the service area and the kind of work they can perform well. We want PingPermit to make that first decision easier.

The worker brings the expertise, relationships and judgment. Our job is to make useful public information easier to work with.

A better starting point for finding work

Public permit records can describe construction activity in a community. Depending on the jurisdiction, they may include the address, scope of work, filing dates, recorded status and companies associated with a project.

Those details can help someone identify relevant activity, research a business and prepare a more informed conversation. A concrete crew can check whether the recorded scope fits its capabilities. A supplier can look for active businesses it may be able to serve. A contractor can investigate a project and confirm who coordinates any remaining work.

Timing matters. A contractor named on a permit may already be performing the job. The available record may leave hiring needs unanswered. We build the service around checking the source, understanding the stage and confirming an opportunity with the right person. Our goal is to help people spend their effort where it has a reasonable chance of being useful.

Better information for the next property conversation

The same public records can help someone understand a specific property. Before buying, selling or planning work, a person may want to know which alterations were described in the available filings, when they were filed and which status the jurisdiction recorded.

Our Property Permit Reports bring those available records into a readable report for an address. A free preview helps the reader see what is available before choosing a one-time purchase. The report gives them details they can take into a conversation with a seller, inspector, contractor or permitting department.

Coverage and fields vary by source. Missing records leave questions to investigate, and recorded permits still need to be read in context. We want customers to understand both the evidence and its limits. Clearer information can support clearer questions and better working relationships. See the public sources we use.

A business that earns its place

We charge for the service. We intend to earn that choice through useful research, clear presentation and dependable access to the result someone purchased.

That responsibility shapes the business we want to build. Show the source. Explain the coverage. Make the price understandable. Respect customers' time and privacy. Help promptly when the experience falls short. Use customer evidence to improve the product.

Revenue gives us a way to keep improving the service. The work has to remain connected to the people it serves. We will judge progress through useful customer actions, relevant business conversations, fulfilled purchases and customers choosing to return.

The principles behind the promise

These are the standards we set for our work and the commitments customers should be able to hold us to.

1. Customer Obsession. Start with the question a customer needs answered, then make the available information useful and clear.
2. Ownership. Take responsibility for the customer experience, from the first preview through delivery and support.
3. Invent and Simplify. Find simpler ways to research public records and remove unnecessary steps from using the service.
4. Are Right, A Lot. Seek different perspectives and look for evidence that challenges our assumptions.
5. Learn and Be Curious. Listen to how people actually work and use what we learn to improve the product.
6. Hire and Develop the Best. Choose and develop people for skill, judgment and respect for customers. Share knowledge and coach improvement.
7. Insist on the Highest Standards. Check the records and the customer experience carefully, and fix the causes of recurring problems.
8. Think Big. Make useful construction information accessible to more of the people who can put it to work.
9. Bias for Action. Respond to useful feedback, test improvements promptly and learn from the results.
10. Frugality. Spend carefully, reduce wasted work and keep the value of the service clear.
11. Earn Trust. Explain what the records show and what they leave unanswered. Respect people's time and privacy, and own our mistakes.
12. Dive Deep. Check the source, the dates and the details, especially when a headline number hides a different story.
13. Deliver Results. Finish the work customers rely on: useful information, dependable access and timely help when something falls short.

The opportunity ahead

Our ambition is to make PingPermit a trusted starting point for researching construction activity and property permit history. We will learn which information people can act on, which workflows deserve a better product and where we need to change our approach.

Helping someone find a worthwhile next opportunity is work worth doing. That is the purpose we want every product decision, customer conversation and new feature to serve.