Roofing Permit Data
Roofing permit data is the record of roof replacement and repair authorized at a property: tear-offs, overlays, resheeting, and the covering material installed. Builty structures these nationally and derives roof age at the address from them, dated from the permit rather than estimated from the building.
The roof is the claim. The permit is the date.
Roof condition drives loss severity more than almost any other property variable, and it is the one carriers are least able to verify at quote. Self-reported roof age is inconsistent, assessor records are silent on it, and imagery can tell you a roof looks new without telling you when it was replaced or whether the deck was touched. A roofing permit is a dated, government-issued record of the replacement itself.
What's in the data
The distinctions that change how a roof should be rated.
| Signal | What it carries |
|---|---|
| Roof age | Derived at the address from the most recent roof-covering permit, dated |
| Tear-off vs overlay | A full replacement and a second layer over the old one are not the same roof |
| Squares | Roof area permitted, where the jurisdiction publishes it |
| Covering material | Architectural and 3-tab composition, tile, metal, wood shake, TPO and EPDM |
| Warranty term | The rated life named on the permit, such as a 30-year laminate |
| Decking & resheet | Structural work under the covering, which overlay permits will not show |
| Coupled work | Solar, gutters or skylights permitted on the same record |
A roofing permit, decoded
Trade shorthand, with no key and no shared field names between jurisdictions.
Who uses it
Frequently asked questions
How do you determine roof age from a permit?
What is the difference between a tear-off and an overlay?
Do you know the roofing material?
Are roofing permits public record?
Can I get roofing data for one state or metro?
Get the Roofing dataset
Nationwide, or scoped to the geographies and attributes you need.
Request a Sample