Dataset · Infrastructure

Data Center Construction Permit Data

Data center permit data tracks the construction of computing facilities and the power infrastructure built to serve them (shells, fit-outs, substations, generators, cooling, and battery storage) as recorded in local building permits. Builty structures these records nationally, so a campus becomes visible when its permits are filed, not when it opens.

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6,400+
Distinct sites identified nationally
6,200+
Found by inference, not from a registry
9
Infrastructure categories
25+ yrs
Of build history
Why permits

The sites nobody has on a list

Public data center registries track facilities that have been announced or opened. Permits capture the ones that haven't: of the sites in Builty's data, the large majority appear in no public registry, surfacing only because construction was filed with a local authority under a holding company or a code name.

Known campuses
Matched to operators and, where the record supports it, to listed companies.
Unregistered sites
Clusters of construction at addresses that appear on no public data center list.
Power build-out
The substations, generators, and storage being built to serve them, often the earliest signal of all.
What's in the data

Nine kinds of infrastructure, told apart

Every permit is categorized by the kind of infrastructure it represents, so you can separate a shell going up from a fit-out, or a substation from a backup generator.

CategoryWhat it signals
ShellThe building itself: earliest hard evidence of a new facility
Fit-outInterior build-out; capacity coming online
Substation & switchgearGrid connection being built: a leading power-demand signal
Transmission & distributionLines and feeds serving the site
GeneratorBackup and behind-the-meter generation
Fuel systemTanks and delivery supporting generation
CoolingThermal capacity: a proxy for compute density
Battery storageBESS installations at or near the site
Fire protectionSuppression systems, dense in data center construction

Each record also carries the address, jurisdiction, dates, declared value, and the site cluster it belongs to.

Transformation

A cryptic permit, decoded

Hyperscale construction is often filed with no mention of a data center at all, just electrical capacity that gives it away.

Raw record, as published
Builty structured output
"4000A SERVICE + (2) 2500KVA XFMR, SWITCHGEAR BUS DUCT, N+1"Northern Virginia
Category: Substation & switchgear · Service: 4,000 A · Transformers: 2 × 2,500 kVA · Redundancy: N+1 · Site: clustered to an active campus
Who uses it

From load forecasts to accumulation risk

Hedge funds & asset managers
Track the AI build-out physically (which operators are actually pouring concrete, where, and how fast) ahead of announcements and earnings.
Utilities & power analysts
Substation and generation permits as a forward signal of load growth in a service territory.
Insurers & reinsurers
Accumulation risk around high-value sites, with fire protection and construction detail from the permit record.
Equipment & suppliers
Transformers, switchgear, chillers, generators: demand visible at the point it's permitted.
Real estate & developers
Where campuses are clustering, and which corridors are absorbing capacity next.
Policy & research
Grid impact, land use, and regional build-out patterns from primary records.
Coverage

Where the build-out is

Activity concentrates in a handful of corridors, with the fastest growth in markets that weren't on anyone's list two years ago.

Northern VirginiaPhoenix, AZCentral OhioTexasGeorgia+ emerging secondary markets

Coverage is national. See Virginia data in depth →

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is data center permit data?
Data center permit data is the record of building permits filed for computing facilities and their supporting power infrastructure: shells, interior fit-outs, substations, switchgear, generators, cooling systems, and battery storage. Because a permit is filed before construction begins, it's one of the earliest observable signals that a facility is being built.
How can you track data center construction before it's announced?
Construction requires a permit from the local authority, and that record is public, regardless of whether the project has been announced. Filings often use a holding company or a project code name rather than the operator's name, so the site is identified by clustering permits at an address and reading the infrastructure being built.
How many data centers are there in the US?
Public registries list a few thousand known facilities. Permit records show substantially more active construction sites than any registry: Builty's national data identifies thousands of distinct sites, the majority of which don't appear on public data center lists.
Can data center permits be mapped to public companies?
In part. Where a permit names an operator, contractor, or owner that maps to a listed company, the record can be attributed to that ticker. Many filings use holding companies or code names, so attribution is applied conservatively and flagged rather than inferred.
What does permit data show about data center power demand?
Substation, switchgear, transformer, and generator permits carry electrical ratings: service amperage, kVA, redundancy configuration. Taken together across a site, these are a physical, forward-looking indicator of the load a facility is being built to draw.
How is the data delivered?
By API, bulk file, or ongoing subscription feed scoped to the states, categories, or operators you follow. Sample first, in your preferred format.
Related

Keep reading

Insights
Virginia's Data Center Boom: Hidden Signals in Permit Data →
Pillar
US Building Permit Data →
Industry
Construction & Market Intel →

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