> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.shovels.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Finding Properties With Unfinaled Permits

> Use the permit_tags_unfinaled filter on the Shovels /properties/search endpoint to find properties where a permit was pulled but never finaled.

A permit that was pulled but never finaled often signals an opportunity: a job that was opened and left unfinished—for example, a solar installer that went out of business mid-project. The `permit_tags_unfinaled` filter on [Search Properties](/api-reference/properties/search-properties) finds these properties directly.

<Info>
  Properties are currently in **beta**. Query parameters and response fields may still change in response to how the endpoint is used in practice.
</Info>

## Usage

Pass one or more canonical tags, one key per tag (`?permit_tags_unfinaled=solar&permit_tags_unfinaled=roofing`). Each named tag must have an unfinaled permit at the property:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X GET \
  "https://api.shovels.ai/v2/properties/search?geo_id=94103&permit_tags_unfinaled=solar" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
```

With `permit_from`, the tag's latest unfinaled permit must be on or after that date.

Each property record also includes `last_unfinaled_date_by_tag`, a map of work type to the latest unfinaled permit date, so you can see when the unfinished work was started.

## How "Unfinaled" Is Determined

The filter reads the permit's **status**, not its dates. That distinction matters:

* A permit with `final` status carries no `final_date` about 15% of the time, so "missing final date" is not evidence of unfinished work.
* Roughly 41% of permits with no `final_date` are in fact finaled by status. A date-based test would be wrong that often.

A work type counts as unfinaled at a property only when its **latest non-final permit is more recent than its latest final permit** of that type (equal dates count as finaled). This removes the false positives a plain "any non-final permit" test would keep—a property that re-roofed in 2015 (unfinaled) and again in 2022 (finaled) is not an unfinished roofing job.

A permit whose status is unknown counts as neither final nor unfinaled.

<Tip>
  For what each permit status means (`active`, `in_review`, `inactive`, `final`), see [Permit statuses](/docs/knowledge-base/data/permits/permit-statuses).
</Tip>

## Related Articles

* [How to search for properties](/docs/knowledge-base/api/properties/property-search)
* [Permit statuses explained](/docs/knowledge-base/data/permits/permit-statuses)
* [How is project completion determined?](/docs/knowledge-base/data/permits/project-completion)
* [API Reference: Search Properties](/api-reference/properties/search-properties)