How Do I Search Austin Build + Connect for New Home Permits?

Using the Austin Build + Connect Public Search

Austin Build + Connect (AB+C) is the City of Austin's permit portal. Its Public Search lets anyone look up permits without registering.

1. Open the Public Search at abc.austintexas.gov/public-search. No login is needed.
2. If you have a permit number, enter it in the city's format, like "2014-000123 BP" (year first, with the suffix).
3. To look for new houses, use the property, project, type and date range search. Pick "Building Permit" as the permit type, choose the sub type for single-family houses ("C- 101 Single Family Houses"), and set a date range.
4. You don't have to fill every field. The city's manual says more detail narrows the results.
5. Open each result to see its details and status.

Skip the morning permit search. The board does it for you.

The city also publishes an Issued Construction Permits dataset on its open data portal. It covers building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, with the issue date, location, description of work, valuation and units.

Why is the AB+C Public Search only half the job?

The search finds permits, but it leaves the rest to you: rerun it every day, open each result, work out the builder and how to reach him, and track who you've called. And it raises a bigger question.

Isn't the sub on a new Austin house already picked by the time a permit is public?

Try it for a week and make your first call.

That's the first worry most subs have about permits, and it's fair. It depends on which permit you're watching. On a new house, the electrical and plumbing permits are pulled by the subs who already have the job. They tell you who won.

The building permit for the house comes first. The builder can't start until the City of Austin issues it, and that's often when he's still lining up subs. That's the permit to watch.

To reach him, the building permit names the builder or contractor, and the City of Austin record sometimes lists a phone. When it doesn't, the company name is usually enough to find one.

Don't Austin builders just stick with the sub they know?

Even when you reach the builder in time, there's a second wall: most builders stick with who they know. A builder who's happy with his sub puts him on the next house, and the one after that.

"I know a builder who gives every solar job to one solar guy. That one relationship has been worth hundreds of thousands in work to him."Ben, FirstBid founder

Skip the morning permit search. The board does it for you.

That's exactly why it's worth getting in. You're not trying to bump his sub off this house. You're getting on his list, so when his guy is booked, late or slipping, you're the next call. Miss that, and you're back to shared leads where the cheapest quote wins.

How do you get on an Austin builder's list? 3 steps

Getting on the list comes down to being early, being easy to work with, and proving it once.

1. See the new building permit the week it's issued. Run the AB+C search above for new single-family building permits, or let the board do it each morning.

2. Call the builder like a sub, not a salesman. Keep it short and easy to say no to:

If he's set: "No problem. Mind if I send you my info for the next one?" If he's open, ask when he'll need you, then tell him what he cares about:

Try it for a week and make your first call.

Then text him your name, license number and phone so he has it when he needs it. One call won't always win the house. It gets you on the list for the next one.

3. Do one house right, then ask for the next. Show up on his schedule, pass inspection, leave it clean. A builder who doesn't have to chase his sub keeps calling the same one.

Step 1 is the hard part. Checking City of Austin permit records every morning takes time most owners don't have. That's what FirstBid does for you.

What do you get on the Austin board?

Want to see who's building this week? Unlock today's permits.

Once you're in, every card opens up like the one above:

• New Austin single-family permits each morning, from City of Austin public records.
• The full address, so you know the house and the area.
• The builder's name and phone, when the record lists them.
• Tap to call or text right from the card.

You still make the call and win the job. The board tells you who to call and when.

Questions Austin subs ask before trying it

Skip the morning permit search. The board does it for you.

Fair questions. Here are straight answers.

Sources: AB+C Public Search (abc.austintexas.gov/public-search); City of Austin "AB+C Manual" (austintexas.gov/transportation-public-works/abc-manual); "Austin Build + Connect (AB+C)" (austintexas.gov/development-services/austin-build-connect-abc); Issued Construction Permits dataset (data.austintexas.gov, 3syk-w9eu). Checked Nov 2, 2026.

Skip the daily search

The AB+C search works, one search at a time. The board runs it for you each morning. Try it for 7 days.