Help center

Quick answers about Job Start List. Still stuck? Email hello@jobstartlist.com and we reply within one business day.

Getting started (2 minutes)

1. Pick your city and trade on the home page and enter your work email.
2. Click the confirm link we email you.
3. You land on your dashboard with this week's ranked jobs right away. The Top 5 also arrives every Monday morning.

Your dashboard

Your dashboard shows this week's Top 5 for your city and trade, lets you change city or trade, stop emails, or delete your account. Lost the link? Email yourself a new one.

How jobs are ranked

Each job gets a 0 to 100 score: up to 40 points for declared project value (capped at $100,000), up to 40 for freshness (issued today scores highest, 7 days old scores zero), and up to 20 for a clear work description. Permits at the same address are merged into one job, and paperwork-only permits (revisions, extensions, signs, temporary tents, contractor changes) are removed.

Next-trade signals

Many jobs don't need your trade yet but will soon. A new home usually needs fencing, landscaping, HVAC, electrical and plumbing; a pool needs a fence; a re-roof often brings solar, windows and gutters. Each job shows "Direct" when the permit names your trade, or "Usually leads to" when it's an earlier-stage job that typically comes before your work.

Where the data comes from

• Chicago: City of Chicago Data Portal
• Austin: City of Austin Open Data (public domain)
• Seattle: City of Seattle Open Data (public domain)
• New Orleans: City of New Orleans Open Data (CC0 1.0)
• Cincinnati: City of Cincinnati Open Data (public domain)
• Montgomery County, MD: Montgomery County, MD dataMontgomery (public domain)
• Cambridge, MA: City of Cambridge Open Data (ODC PDDL)
• New York City: NYC Open Data, Department of Buildings DOB NOW (no use restrictions)
• Boston: City of Boston Analyze Boston (ODC PDDL)
• Pittsburgh: City of Pittsburgh via WPRDC (CC BY 4.0)
• Nashville: Metro Nashville Open Data (CC0 1.0)
• Detroit: City of Detroit Open Data (public domain per the City)
• Mesa, AZ: City of Mesa Data Hub (open license, commercial use allowed)
• Louisville: Louisville Metro / LOJIC Open Data (ODC PDDL; Mapping Data Source: LOJIC)

Cities publish on their own schedules, so some permits arrive late or get corrected. Austin does not publish project value. We never include owner names or phone numbers. Live feed health is on the status page.

Plans and billing

The weekly Top 5 is free. Paid plans (Starter $29/month: one city and trade, the full ranked list plus a CSV; Pro $59/month: up to 3 cities, all trades) are not open yet; join the notify list. When they open, you can cancel anytime from your account link, and your first month is refundable within 14 days (refund policy).

Your data

We store your email, city, trade, and signup time. You can delete your account and data yourself from your dashboard at any time. See Privacy.

Contact

Support: hello@jobstartlist.com. Abuse or unwanted email: abuse@jobstartlist.com. Mail: Job Start List, 2505 Resnick Dr, Round Rock, TX 78681.

Job Start List, 2505 Resnick Dr, Round Rock, TX 78681. Support: hello@jobstartlist.com. Subscriptions are sold through Stripe Managed Payments; Link, LLC is the merchant of record. Terms · Privacy · Refunds