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A jurisdiction is the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)—the governmental body responsible for issuing building permits in a specific area, typically a city or county government. The United States has approximately 20,000 jurisdictions. Shovels covers about 2,000 of them, representing ~85% of the US population.

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What is an AHJ?

An AHJ is typically either:
  • A county government
  • A city government

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Why Jurisdictions Matter

Jurisdictions play a crucial role in the construction permitting process:
  • Establish and enforce building codes
  • Conduct inspections
  • Maintain official records of construction activities
Understanding which jurisdiction governs a particular property is essential for contractors and service providers, as it determines:
  • Which rules apply
  • Which office must approve permits
  • Specific requirements and processes

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Jurisdiction Coverage

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How Many Exist

Nationwide, there are approximately 20,000 different jurisdictions, each with their own:
  • Requirements
  • Processes
  • Data formats

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Shovels Coverage

Shovels has standardized data from over 2,000 jurisdictions, covering approximately 85% of the US population.

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Power Law Distribution

Our coverage follows a power law distribution:
  • About 15% of jurisdictions represent ~85% of the US population
  • The remaining 85% of jurisdictions cover just ~15% of the population
This is why we prioritize larger jurisdictions while continuously expanding into smaller ones.

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Finding Jurisdiction Information

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Complete List

Shovels maintains a comprehensive list of all covered jurisdictions, available on our blog: List of All Building Permit Jurisdictions

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Updates

The list is regularly updated as we add new coverage areas. We add 10-30 new jurisdictions each month.

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Learn More