# How we count: the Scottsdale Builds method and sources

> The public records behind Scottsdale Builds, what they can prove, and the judgment calls we made. Sources, definitions and known gaps.

Source: https://scottsdalebuilds.com/about

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Method

# How we count, and what we can't

Everything here's public record. We pull it, clean it and publish it. This
 page exists so you can check our work and know where the edges are.

## Sources

**City of Scottsdale building permit reports.** Issued permits with date, address,
 square footage, zoning, declared valuation, owner and contractor. We count commercial,
 multi-family and tenant improvement permits and exclude single family homes, pools, fences
 and solar, so the numbers reflect business construction.

**City of Scottsdale certificates of occupancy.** Issued when a space passes final
 inspection. This is our openings measure, since it's the closest public record to a
 business actually being allowed to open.

**Maricopa County food establishment permits.** The active roster of food businesses
 with names and addresses. County records carry no issue date, so we snapshot the roster
 monthly and compare: names that appear are new, names that vanish have closed.

**US Census Bureau geocoder.** The city publishes addresses, not coordinates, so we
 geocode the addresses ourselves to build the map. It's the federal geocoder and it's free.
 It placed 849 of our 1,193 commercial permits. 336 addresses it couldn't match, usually suites, new streets or the city's own abbreviations. Another 8 came back with coordinates outside Scottsdale, which means it guessed, so we left those off the map rather than plot a permit somewhere it isn't.

## Definitions

**Declared value** is the figure the applicant puts on the permit application. It's not
 final construction cost, and it's the standard measure used in permit data. Some permits
 declare zero, usually shell or phased work.

**A permit isn't a completion.** It means the city authorized work. Projects stall,
 change hands and get amended.

**Builder and owner names are messy.** The same firm appears with and without Inc or
 LLC, and occasionally misspelled. We strip legal suffixes and merge duplicates by hand. A
 firm operating under two names may still show up twice. 25 permits list the
 owner as their own builder and are excluded from contractor rankings.

## Known gaps, stated plainly

**The 2026 count is too low.** Scottsdale moved to a new permitting portal in January
 2026 and current-year permits appear to be under-reported in the public feed. We flag it
 everywhere it affects a number rather than quietly publishing a fake decline.

**Permits name addresses, not businesses.** A tenant improvement at a suite number
 doesn't tell you which restaurant is going in. Resolving that's the next thing we're
 building.

**Closings are the hardest.** No agency publishes them. Our monthly food-roster
 snapshots started in August 2026, so the closings series is thin now and strengthens every
 month.

**Liquor licenses aren't in here yet.** The state's license database blocks automated
 access. It would add pre-opening signal for bars and restaurants and it's on the list.

## Corrections

If a number here's wrong about your project, your company or your address, email
 [john@thescottsdalescoop.com](mailto:john@thescottsdalescoop.com) and we'll fix it
 and say what changed.

## Common questions

### Where does Scottsdale Builds data come from?

Three public sources: the City of Scottsdale building permit reports, its certificate of occupancy records, plus the Maricopa County Environmental Services food permit roster. Everything is pulled directly from the public record.

### Is Scottsdale Builds free to use?

Yes. The report is free and always will be. It's published by Scottsdale Scoop, a local newsletter, funded by a single quarterly sponsor.

### How often is the data updated?

Permit and occupancy data is refreshed quarterly. The county food roster is snapshotted monthly so that closings can be detected over time.

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