Answers · reference
Questions about public records, answered with the count
One page per question. Each opens with the answer, names the dataset it was counted against, prints the filter and the date it was measured, and points at the government file so you can run the count yourself. Where a figure was never measured, the page says so instead of estimating one.
Answers published
20
Clusters
3
permits · carrier authority · licences
Datasets cited
5
City of Chicago and US DOT / FMCSA files, by ID
Chicago building permits
8 answers · feed: Permit Signal
The City of Chicago's permit file, dataset ydr8-5enu — what is in it, how to query it, and what the counts actually are.
- 01How many building permits does Chicago issue each month?The City of Chicago issued 2,744 building permits in the 30 days to 2026-07-29 — every permit type, citywide — counted directly in the City's own file, dataset ydr8-5enu. Across 90 days, 5,319 distinct contractors appear on at least one permit. Both figures are counts, not estimates or projections.ydr8-5enu · measured 2026-07-29
- 02How do I find out who pulled a permit at an address in Chicago?Query the City of Chicago's building permit file, dataset ydr8-5enu, by street number and street name. The address columns are street_number, street_direction and street_name. Each matching record returns the permit number, permit type, issue date, work description, reported cost and the parties attached to the permit.ydr8-5enu · no count on this page
- 03Chicago building permit types, explainedChicago labels each permit with a permit_type in dataset ydr8-5enu. Five of them carry the trade filters this site publishes: PERMIT – EXPRESS PERMIT PROGRAM, PERMIT - NEW CONSTRUCTION, PERMIT - RENOVATION/ALTERATION, PERMIT - WRECKING/DEMOLITION and PERMIT - SIGNS. Electrical work files under the Express Permit Program; the older ELECTRIC WIRING type is retired.ydr8-5enu · no count on this page
- 04Is Chicago building permit data public and free?Yes. The City of Chicago publishes every building permit it issues as an open dataset, ydr8-5enu, on its data portal. No account, no fee, no API key. You can download the whole file or query it over HTTP, and the records go back to 2006.ydr8-5enu · no count on this page
- 05What is dataset ydr8-5enu?ydr8-5enu is the City of Chicago's Building Permits dataset on its open data portal — one row per permit the City issues, carrying the permit number, permit type, issue date, address, work description and reported cost. It reaches back to 2006 and is free to query over HTTP.ydr8-5enu · measured 2026-07-29
- 06What is an Express Permit Program permit?PERMIT – EXPRESS PERMIT PROGRAM is the City of Chicago permit type electrical work now files under in dataset ydr8-5enu. The City retired PERMIT - ELECTRIC WIRING in July 2026. The replacement label is spelled with an en dash (U+2013); a query using a plain hyphen matches zero rows.ydr8-5enu · measured 2026-07-29
- 07How do contractors find new construction leads in Chicago?From the City's own permit file rather than a bought list. 2,744 permits were issued in the 30 days to 2026-07-29, each carrying an address, a work description and a reported cost. The file read on 2026-07-29 held permits issued 2026-07-28 — a one-day publication lag.ydr8-5enu · measured 2026-07-29
- 08How do I query Chicago permits with the Socrata API?GET https://data.cityofchicago.org/resource/ydr8-5enu.json with SoQL parameters, no API key. $select picks columns, $where filters, $order sorts, $limit caps the response. Dates compare as strings, so a week is issue_date >= '2026-07-20' AND issue_date < '2026-07-27'. The whole query goes in the query string — nothing to sign up for, nothing to install.ydr8-5enu · no count on this page
FMCSA carrier authority
7 answers · feed: HaulRisk
Federal motor carrier suspension and registration orders — datasets wb4f-neki and inys-ebih, and what a suspension does to a carrier.
- 01What is an FMCSA out-of-service order?Two different records get called this. A roadside out-of-service order stops a truck or driver at inspection. A registration-side suspension order ends a carrier's operating authority on a stated effective date. Kova Signals reads the second — 3,681 published nationally in June 2026, FMCSA dataset wb4f-neki, measured 2026-07-28.wb4f-neki · measured 2026-07-28
- 02How many motor carriers lose operating authority each month?FMCSA published 3,681 suspension orders nationally in June 2026, counted in dataset wb4f-neki on 2026-07-28. That is orders published, not authority lost: a served carrier has a statutory 30 days to file insurance, and the ones that file keep operating. 99.7% of notices published before their own effective date.wb4f-neki · measured 2026-07-28
- 03How do I check whether a carrier's operating authority is active?Look the carrier up by USDOT number in FMCSA's own records. FMCSA publishes a company snapshot per carrier, the federal carrier register is dataset inys-ebih, and suspension and registration orders are dataset wb4f-neki. All are public. The USDOT number is the key that joins the order to the carrier.wb4f-neki + inys-ebih · no count on this page
- 04What happens when a motor carrier is suspended?A suspension notice starts a statutory 30-day clock from the serve date. The carrier files insurance inside that window or loses operating authority on the order's effective date. FMCSA publishes the order before that date in 99.7% of cases, measured across 3,681 June 2026 orders in dataset wb4f-neki on 2026-07-28.wb4f-neki · measured 2026-07-28
- 05FMCSA suspension vs revocation — what is the difference?A suspension can be cured. It pauses a carrier's operating authority on a stated effective date, and the carrier has a statutory 30 days from the serve date to file insurance and keep operating. Kova Signals reads suspension orders from dataset wb4f-neki and publishes no measured revocation count.wb4f-neki · no count on this page
- 06What is a USDOT number and what does it tell you?A USDOT number is the identifier FMCSA assigns a motor carrier. On its own it tells you nothing; as a key it tells you everything. Registration orders in dataset wb4f-neki resolve to a carrier in the federal register, dataset inys-ebih, by USDOT number, and FMCSA's company snapshot is keyed on it too.wb4f-neki + inys-ebih · no count on this page
- 07What is dataset wb4f-neki?wb4f-neki is the US DOT / FMCSA registration-order dataset — the federal file carrying motor carrier suspension notices with the effective date on which operating authority is lost. It held 3,681 suspension orders nationally for June 2026, counted 2026-07-28, and 99.7% of them published before their own effective date.wb4f-neki · measured 2026-07-28
Chicago business licences
5 answers · feed: Opening + Renewal Signal
The City's licence register r5kz-chrr and its business-owner register ezma-pppn — openings, expiries, and the join that carries the officer's name.
- 01How many businesses open in Chicago each month?The City of Chicago issued 603 new business licences in 30 days, measured 2026-07-29 in dataset r5kz-chrr. 259 of those are event permits and personal credentials rather than a business opening — 43% of the raw count. What is left is 325 qualified openings a month.r5kz-chrr · measured 2026-07-29
- 02How do I find newly opened businesses in Chicago?Read the City's business licence register, dataset r5kz-chrr, for licences issued in the last day or week, then join it to the business owner register, dataset ezma-pppn, on account_number to get the officer's name. Both files are free. 325 qualified openings a month, measured 2026-07-29.r5kz-chrr + ezma-pppn · measured 2026-07-29
- 03When do Chicago business licences expire?Each licence carries its own expiration date in dataset r5kz-chrr — expiry is per licence, not a citywide renewal day. Counted on 2026-07-29, 4,162 licences were due to expire inside the following 60 days. Filtering the file by expiration date returns any window you want.r5kz-chrr · measured 2026-07-29
- 04How do I find a business owner's name from a Chicago licence?Join the licence to the City's business owner register. Dataset r5kz-chrr carries the licence, dataset ezma-pppn carries the officers, and the two join on account_number. Owner names are free and public — no data broker, no purchased list, and no fee for either file.r5kz-chrr + ezma-pppn · no count on this page
- 05What is dataset r5kz-chrr?r5kz-chrr is the City of Chicago's business licence register — one row per licence, carrying its account number, category and expiration date. It joins to the City's business owner register, dataset ezma-pppn, on account_number. Measured 2026-07-29: 603 licences issued in 30 days, 4,162 expiring inside 60.r5kz-chrr + ezma-pppn · measured 2026-07-29
Check the work
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