The data survey had ranked Wake first and Guilford second. The owner’s answers moved the second slot.
Wake first
Raleigh, Cary, and Wake County publish permit feeds under a clear licence, with addresses attached. It is the lowest legal risk of anything surveyed and it covers the most contractors, so it stays first.
Forsyth second
Forsyth County is the owner’s choice for the second jurisdiction, for the plainest of reasons: it is where the owner can check an alert against a permit they can drive past. Its feed is usable but has two gaps. The county’s map service states no licence for the data, and its records carry a parcel number where an address should be. So Forsyth gets two pieces of work before a single alert goes out: a join against the county’s parcel records to turn numbers into addresses, and an email to the county asking in writing whether the data may be used this way. It is not scheduled until the answer is in hand. That follows the day-two rule, free and legal data only.
Testers
None yet, from outside. The owner tests the first digests personally, which is the other reason the second county is one they know.