Getting started with Dwellhand

Start with a question. Follow the records.

You can use Dwellhand to explore a property's history, find professionals with relevant recorded work, or understand activity in an area. Pick the guide that matches what you want to do.

Available tools and details depend on your plan and the records for the location you are researching.

1. Explore permits near an address

1. Open Map.
2. Enter an address, city, or ZIP code in the search box and choose Search.
3. Check the year chip near the top. The map starts with the current year selected. Remove it or choose another year to explore older records.
4. Zoom in and select a marker to open permit details. If you see a cluster, zoom in to separate nearby records.
5. Read the work description, dates, and available professional information. Use Property History to explore other permits shown for the address.
6. Follow Permit Link, where available, to review the source record.

Try this: Search your street, then compare the descriptions of additions, new homes, and smaller trade permits nearby.

2. Narrow the map to work that interests you

Use the filter menus above the map to focus your search:

• Permit type: new construction, alterations, pools, demolition, grading, electrical, plumbing, and other work.
• Property type: homes, ADUs, apartments, and other available building types.
• Valuation: a minimum or maximum declared permit value.
• Filters: year, hillside, basement, owner-builder, fire rebuild, residential or commercial classification, and keyword search.
• Builder menu: available modes for builders, architects, engineers, expediters, land-use consultants, and project management.

Use Apply where shown. Your selections appear as chips that you can remove individually. Choose Clear filters to start again.

For a smaller area, choose Draw boundary, then click and drag on the map. Use Clear boundary to remove the shape.

Keep in mind: Setting a valuation range excludes permits without a declared value. A map can also limit the number of records displayed; read its counter alongside your filters.

3. Switch from the map to a list

Choose Analyze List to explore results in a list alongside the map. Adjust the sort priorities to look at recency, activity, valuation, alphabetical order, or years since license issue.

Open a company to explore its addresses, then select an address to read the permit details.

4. Find recorded work using a keyword

1. Open Dashboard and find Keyword Intelligence.
2. Enter a word or phrase describing the work you want to research, or choose a suggestion such as Solar, Pool, or Foundation.
3. Explore the results and read the work descriptions.
4. Use Filed by, Entity, and Workers Comp to narrow the results where useful.
5. Under Rank by, choose recent addresses, contractors with the most matching permits, or contractors with the highest aggregate recorded valuation.
6. Expand a contractor's permit list or open their profile to investigate further.

Try this: Search “retaining wall” to find records that may be relevant to a project involving sloping land. Read the descriptions to see what each permit actually covers.

A keyword match is a starting point. Ask the professional about their role and experience with your particular project.

5. Research a builder you already know

1. Open License Search.
2. Enter the contractor's license number and run the search.
3. Review the business name, license information, and available history.
4. Explore the activity map and permit descriptions.
5. Look at Project Teams to see architects and engineers named on shared permits.
6. Choose Save if you want to revisit the profile from your own Profile page.

Check that the license and business identity match the professional you intend to research, especially when using a partial license number.

6. Find an architect or engineer

Open Architect Intelligence or Engineer Intelligence. Search by name, firm, license, or area. Architect search also supports school information; engineer search includes discipline information.

Use the available filters to explore professional type, area, aggregate valuation, new-build or alteration history, hillside work, basement work, and board verification.

Change the sort order to compare permit volume, valuation, recent activity, or licensing history. Open a result for more detail, then follow the full profile to explore its map, permit history, and connected builders.

Try this: Look for architects with recorded hillside work in the area where you plan to build. Open several profiles and compare the actual projects behind the results.

7. Save a shortlist

Use Save on a builder, architect, or engineer card. Open Profile to return to your saved professionals.

For professional accounts, Dwellhand may show the names and areas of homeowners who saved their card. The Saved by feature does not display those homeowners' email addresses or phone numbers. Saving a profile is not an introduction request.

8. Add your project address

1. Open Settings.
2. Find Project address.
3. Enter the street address, optional unit, city, state, and ZIP code.
4. Choose Save address.
5. Return to Profile to explore matching permit history.

You can update the address in Settings if your plans change or the details need correcting. If your account includes both a professional license and a project address, available history controls let you switch between them.

Adding an address connects it to your account for research. It does not verify legal ownership. If no permits appear, check the address and remember that records may be unavailable or outside current coverage.

9. Explore submitted applications with Vendor access

Open Submitted Permits to research applications moving through the approval process.

Search an address or keyword, add a ZIP code if useful, and choose Search. You can also pan or zoom the map to focus the address list. Choose Show All to remove the map-area restriction.

Each address groups its applications together. Expand the activity to read filing dates, recorded movement, descriptions, and statuses. Open filed documents where available.

Keep in mind: An application is not an issued permit or a confirmed construction start. “No filed documents indexed” means a document is not available through that result.

10. Explore potential teams for your project

Open Build My Team and work through the steps:

1. Location: enter your project address, city or neighborhood, and ZIP code.
2. Project: choose the kind of work you are planning.
3. Details: add the available size, budget, timeline, and project-feature information.
4. Preferences: choose what matters most—similar projects, local experience, shared team history, or higher-valued work. You can also add an optional architectural style.
5. Choose Find My Team and explore the available results. Named team results require an eligible plan.

Read the evidence beside each proposed professional and follow their profiles. The information you provide describes your project; it does not confirm a professional's availability or agreement to your budget or schedule.

Where offered, Request this Builder asks Dwellhand to help make an introduction. Review your options and speak with the professionals before deciding whom to hire.

Need help?

Tell us what you are trying to find and where you are getting stuck.

Email support@dwellhand.com