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How BluePeak verifies contractor information

BluePeak ranks contractors by what public records show rather than by review counts. This page states exactly where that information comes from, how current it is, and what it does not prove.

Current coverage

Building permit records
46,147
Active business listings
1,880
Licence records
1,207
Permit records span
January 2018 – August 2020

Geographic coverage is currently limited to the Dallas–Fort Worth metro, Texas.

What permit records do and do not show

They do show

  • Work that was filed with a city and inspected
  • Which ZIP codes a contractor has worked in
  • The declared value of that work
  • The trades a contractor actually pulls permits for

They do not show

  • Whether a contractor is taking work today
  • Current pricing or a quote for your job
  • Quality of workmanship or customer service
  • Work that legitimately required no permit

Publishing thresholds

  • A local cost figure requires at least 25 matching residential permits. Below that, a national average is shown and identified as one — a median over a handful of records is noise presented as fact.
  • Cost figures use declared job value, which is what the applicant reported to the city. It can exclude some finish work and is not a quoted price.
  • A business claim is only approved when the licence number supplied by the claimant does not contradict the licence on the source record.
  • Where a contractor's newest permit is more than 18 months old, the profile says so rather than implying current activity.

Corrections

Public records contain errors, and businesses change hands, names, and addresses. If a listing is wrong, business owners can claim it and submit corrections, which are checked against the source record before publication.

Common questions

Where does BluePeak's contractor data come from?
Public building-permit records filed with municipal authorities, and state contractor licensing records. Businesses do not submit this information themselves, which is why it can be checked against the original source.
Does a permit history prove a contractor is available today?
No. Permit records show work that was filed and inspected in the past. They demonstrate experience and where a contractor has worked, not current availability, current pricing, or current staffing. BluePeak's permit records currently run through August 2020.
How does BluePeak calculate typical project costs?
From the declared job value on residential building permits — the amount the applicant reported to the city. BluePeak publishes a local figure only when at least 25 matching residential permits exist for that trade and area; below that threshold a national average is shown and labelled as one.
Why do some contractors show no permit history?
Absence of records does not mean a contractor is unlicensed or inactive. Not all work requires a permit, permits are sometimes pulled by a homeowner or a subcontractor under a different name, and municipal record coverage varies.
What does the 'verified' label mean?
That a business has completed BluePeak's claim process, including submitting a licence number that was checked against the source record. Listings shown as Independent Contractor are real businesses discovered from public records that have not completed that process.