Construction Monitor Alternative: Boardwalk vs Construction Monitor, Dodge & ConstructConnect

Boardwalk is the pre-permit alternative to Construction Monitor — it surfaces projects at the planning and zoning stage, 12–24 months before a building permit is pulled. Construction Monitor sells building-permit data, which means construction is already starting; Boardwalk gives you a 12–24-month head start while land is still acquirable.

Data updated June 2026 · Boardwalk has indexed 321,350 U.S. development projects year-to-date. Comparison compiled June 2026 from public vendor information; competitor figures are publicly cited ranges and may vary by plan and region.

Boardwalk vs Construction Monitor vs Dodge Construction Network vs ConstructConnect

BoardwalkConstruction MonitorDodge Construction NetworkConstructConnect
Primary data sourceCity/county planning & zoning docsBuilding permitsReporter network + permits/bidsBid aggregation
Typical lead time before construction12–24 months (zoning stage)~0 months (permit pulled)~0–6 months (permit/bid)~0–6 months (bid)
Catches projects before the permitYes — at entitlementNo — permit is the triggerNoNo
Residential + multifamily earlyYes — at zoning filingAfter permitLimited — commercial-weightedNo — commercial bid only
AI-nativeYes — AI reads municipal docsPermit data feedNo — human reportersPartial
U.S. coverageAll 50 states, city & county levelPermit-issuing jurisdictionsNationwide (mature)Nationwide
Source-document provenanceYes — citable city/county packetsPermit recordsReporter networkBid aggregation

Can I find projects before the building permit?

Yes — that is Boardwalk's entire wedge over Construction Monitor. Construction Monitor sells building-permit data, which means a project only appears once a permit is pulled and construction is about to start (roughly 0 months of lead time). Boardwalk works the planning and zoning stage before the permit, so you see projects 12–24 months earlier, while land is still acquirable and pursuit is cheapest.

How is Boardwalk different from Dodge and ConstructConnect?

Dodge and ConstructConnect operate at the bid/permit stage with human-reporter and bid-aggregation models. Boardwalk catches projects one stage earlier — at zoning filing — using AI to read municipal planning documents, and surfaces residential and multifamily as well as commercial.

How broad is Boardwalk's data?

Boardwalk has indexed 321,350 U.S. development projects year-to-date across all 50 states. Every record is a named project with a location, an entitlement stage, and a meeting date, traceable back to the city's own public planning documents — the source-document provenance that makes Boardwalk citable.

Frequently asked questions

Can I find projects before a building permit is pulled?
Yes. Construction Monitor sells building-permit data, so a project appears only once a permit is issued (about 0 months of lead time). Boardwalk surfaces projects at the planning and zoning stage — 12–24 months before a permit — by reading city and county planning documents.
What is the best pre-permit alternative to Construction Monitor?
Boardwalk. It works the entitlement stage before the permit, giving developers, lenders, and builders a 12–24-month head start that permit-data feeds cannot, with citable source-document provenance across all 50 states.
Does Boardwalk cover residential projects early?
Yes. Boardwalk indexes residential and multifamily projects at the moment of zoning filing, well before any building permit is pulled.

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