Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of PermitZap's website, applications, and services (collectively, the "Service") operated by PermitZap ("we," "us," or "our"). By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Service.

2. Eligibility and Geographic Restrictions

2.1 Age Requirement

You must be at least 18 years old to use the Service. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years of age.

2.2 United States Only

The Service is available only to users located in the United States. PermitZap provides analysis of NYC Department of Buildings permit data and is designed exclusively for the US market. We do not comply with GDPR or other international data protection regulations. If you are located outside the United States, you are not permitted to access or use the Service.

2.3 Account Registration

To use certain features of the Service, you must create an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration
• Maintain and update your information to keep it accurate and current
• Keep your password secure and confidential
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to your account
• Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account

3. Subscription and Billing

3.1 Free and Premium Tiers

PermitZap offers both free and premium subscription tiers:

• Free Tier: Includes limited features as described on our pricing page (browsing permits, basic search, limited exports, up to 3 documents)
• Premium Tier: $49/month or $470/year, includes unlimited alerts, unlimited documents, unlimited exports, team workspaces, and advanced features

3.2 Payment Terms

Premium subscriptions are billed in advance on a monthly or annual basis. By subscribing, you authorize us (via Stripe) to charge your payment method on a recurring basis until you cancel. All payments are non-refundable except as required by law or as described in our refund policy.

3.3 Free Trial

We may offer a free trial period for Premium features. At the end of the trial, your subscription will automatically begin unless you cancel before the trial ends. No credit card is required to start a trial.

3.4 Cancellation and Refunds

You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings. Cancellations take effect at the end of the current billing period. We offer:

• 14-day money-back guarantee: Full refund if you cancel within 14 days of your first payment
• No pro-rated refunds: After 14 days, you will not receive a refund for unused time in your billing period
• Access until period end: You retain access to Premium features until the end of your paid period after cancellation

3.5 Price Changes

We reserve the right to change our pricing at any time. Price changes will not affect your current billing cycle and will take effect at your next renewal. We will notify you at least 30 days in advance of any price changes.

4. Acceptable Use Policy

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any illegal purpose or in violation of any laws
• Violate the intellectual property rights of PermitZap or others
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, other accounts, or computer systems
• Use automated tools (bots, scrapers, crawlers) to access or extract data from the Service without written permission
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers
• Upload malicious code, viruses, or any harmful technology
• Harass, abuse, threaten, or harm other users
• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity
• Share your account credentials with others
• Resell, redistribute, or provide access to the Service to third parties without authorization
• Use the Service to send spam or unsolicited communications
• Remove or alter any copyright, trademark, or proprietary notices

Violation of this Acceptable Use Policy may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account without refund.

5. Data and Content

5.1 NYC Permit Data

PermitZap provides access to NYC Department of Buildings permit data sourced from NYC Open Data. This data is publicly available and provided by the City of New York. We make no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of this data. You should verify all critical information directly with the NYC DOB.

5.2 Your Content

You retain ownership of any content you create using the Service, including:

• Alert queries and configurations
• Custom documents and spreadsheets
• Team messages and communications
• Notes and annotations

By using the Service, you grant us a license to use, store, and process your content solely to provide the Service and improve its functionality. We will not sell or share your content with third parties for marketing purposes.

5.3 AI-Generated Content

PermitZap uses AI (powered by Anthropic and OpenAI) to match alerts and generate documents. AI-generated content is provided as-is without warranties. You are responsible for reviewing and verifying all AI-generated content before relying on it for business decisions.

6. Intellectual Property Rights

The Service, including its software, design, text, graphics, logos, and other content (excluding NYC permit data and your content), is owned by PermitZap and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not:

• Copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the Service
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract source code
• Create derivative works based on the Service
• Remove or alter any proprietary notices

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service for your internal business purposes in accordance with these Terms.

7. Privacy and Communications

7.1 Privacy Policy

Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. Please review our Privacy Policy to understand our data practices.

7.2 Marketing Communications

By creating an account, you agree to receive marketing and promotional emails from PermitZap. These communications may include product updates, feature announcements, tips, special offers, and surveys. You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or adjusting your email preferences in account settings. You will continue to receive transactional emails (account notifications, receipts, security alerts) even if you unsubscribe from marketing.

7.3 Product Improvement

We may contact you to request feedback, conduct user research, or invite you to participate in surveys to help us improve the Service. Participation in these activities is voluntary.

8. Disclaimers and Warranties

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, including:

• Warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement
• Warranties that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure
• Warranties regarding the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of NYC permit data
• Warranties regarding AI-generated content or alert matching accuracy

We do not guarantee that the Service will meet your requirements or that any errors will be corrected. You use the Service at your own risk.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, PermitZap and its officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including:

• Loss of profits, revenue, data, or business opportunities
• Cost of substitute goods or services
• Business interruption or loss of goodwill
• Personal injury or property damage

Our total liability for any claims arising from your use of the Service shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or $100, whichever is greater.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or limitations of liability, so these limitations may not apply to you.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless PermitZap and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:

• Your use or misuse of the Service
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any law or regulation
• Your violation of any third-party rights
• Any content you submit or share through the Service

11. Termination

11.1 Termination by You

You may terminate your account at any time by contacting support or using the account deletion feature in settings. Upon termination, your access to the Service will cease, and your data will be deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy (typically within 90 days).

11.2 Termination by Us

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account immediately, without notice or liability, for any reason, including:

• Violation of these Terms or our Acceptable Use Policy
• Fraudulent or illegal activity
• Non-payment of fees
• Prolonged inactivity
• At our sole discretion if we believe termination is necessary to protect the Service or other users

If we terminate your account for violation of these Terms, you will not be entitled to a refund.

11.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination, your right to use the Service will immediately cease. Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (including disclaimers, limitations of liability, indemnification, and dispute resolution) will continue to apply.

12. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting the updated Terms on this page
• Updating the "Last Updated" date
• Sending an email notification for significant changes

Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree to the modified Terms, you must stop using the Service.

13. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

13.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

13.2 Informal Resolution

Before filing a claim, you agree to first contact us at legal@permitzap.co and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days.

13.3 Arbitration Agreement

If informal resolution fails, you agree that any dispute arising from these Terms or the Service will be resolved through binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) in accordance with its Commercial Arbitration Rules. The arbitration will take place in New York, NY.

You waive your right to a jury trial and to participate in class actions. Arbitration decisions are final and binding, with limited rights to appeal.

13.4 Exceptions

Either party may seek injunctive relief in court for intellectual property infringement or to enforce the arbitration agreement.

14. Miscellaneous Provisions

14.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, along with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and PermitZap regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements.

14.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

14.3 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that provision or any other provision.

14.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your account without our written consent. We may assign these Terms without restriction.

14.5 Force Majeure

We will not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, riots, embargoes, government actions, or network failures.

14.6 Third-Party Services

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or terms of service of any third-party sites or services.

15. Contact Information

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us: