API / Developers

Build on Legislative Intelligence

The LocalCode API gives qualified platforms access to structured municipal code, legislative chain data, and amendment events. Built for serious integrations. Access is manually approved.

Request API Access →View API Documentation

Explore the draft developer documentation and OpenAPI reference.

Legislative Chain · tx-austinbash · json

curl https://api.localcode.ai/v1/chain/25-2-773 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer lc_live_sk_..." \
  -G -d "jurisdiction=tx-austin"

# → 200 OK
{
  "section_id": "25-2-773",
  "section_title": "Permitted Uses — MF-3",
  "effective_date": "2022-03-14",
  "adopting_ordinance": {
    "number": "20220127-069",
    "date": "2022-01-27",
    "source_url": "..."
  },
  "amendments": [
    {
      "ordinance": "20231109-152",
      "date": "2023-11-09",
      "description": "Added 'short-term rental' to permitted use list"
    }
  ],
  "enabling_statute": "Texas Local Gov't Code § 211.003"
}

What the API Exposes

The Full Legislative Intelligence Layer

Four data surfaces, all accessible via REST. Each one adds a layer of intelligence that doesn't exist anywhere else.

Legislative Chain

Ordinance linkage, amendment history, enabling statute, source documents.

Code Library

Structured section text, hierarchy, source attribution, effective date.

Jurisdiction Research

Coverage metadata, jurisdiction feed, change event log.

Amendment Events

Structured diff payloads via webhook. Know when any section changes.

Endpoints

Developer Preview API Surface

Draft v1 endpoint groups focused on jurisdictions, code sections, ordinances, legislative chain, source verification, sources, and search.

GET/v1/jurisdictions

Jurisdictions

List supported jurisdictions and coverage metadata.

GET/v1/code-sections/{id}

Code Sections

Retrieve structured code section text, hierarchy, status, and provenance fields.

GET/v1/ordinances/{id}

Ordinances

Access ordinance metadata, source links, adoption details, and related code impacts.

GET/v1/legislative-chain

Legislative Chain

Trace relationships between code sections, ordinances, authority, and source evidence.

GET/v1/source-verification

Source Verification

Check official source references, verification status, confidence, and evidence links.

GET/v1/sources

Sources

Retrieve source records for official code pages, ordinance PDFs, and jurisdiction materials.

GET/v1/search

Search across supported jurisdictions, code sections, ordinances, and provenance metadata.

View full API documentation →

Integration Patterns

Three Ways Platforms Use LocalCode

From legislative intelligence layers to amendment monitoring to underwriting automation — the same API, different workflows.

Pattern 01 · Platform Integration

Add Legislative Intelligence to Your Data Stack

Platforms that serve attorneys, entitlement professionals, or real estate teams can integrate the LocalCode API to surface legislative chain data, amendment history, and structured code alongside their existing data layers.

01GET /chain/{section_id} to retrieve the full legislative chain
02Display adopting ordinance, amendments, and enabling statute in your UI
03Subscribe to /webhooks to receive amendment events automatically
04Use /code/{section_id} for structured section text with attribution

platform-integrationbash · json

curl https://api.localcode.ai/v1/chain/25-2-773 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer lc_live_sk_..." \
  -G -d "jurisdiction=tx-austin"

# → 200 OK
{
  "section_id": "25-2-773",
  "section_title": "Permitted Uses — MF-3",
  "effective_date": "2022-03-14",
  "adopting_ordinance": {
    "number": "20220127-069",
    "date": "2022-01-27",
    "source_url": "..."
  },
  "amendments": [
    {
      "ordinance": "20231109-152",
      "date": "2023-11-09",
      "description": "Added 'short-term rental' to permitted use list"
    }
  ],
  "enabling_statute": "Texas Local Gov't Code § 211.003"
}

Pattern 02 · Amendment Monitoring

Know About Code Changes Before Your Clients Do

Subscribe to webhook events for the jurisdictions that matter to your users. When a council publishes an amendment, you receive a structured diff payload with the exact changes — before anyone discovers it in a physical review.

01POST /webhooks with your endpoint URL and jurisdiction list
02Receive event payloads within 72hr of council publication
03Parse changes[] array for affected sections and attributes
04Surface alerts to users affected by the change

amendment-monitoringjson

{
  "event": "section.amended",
  "jurisdiction": "tx-austin",
  "section_id": "25-2-773",
  "section_title": "Permitted Uses — MF-3",
  "effective_date": "2023-11-09",
  "ordinance_number": "20231109-152",
  "changes": [
    {
      "attribute": "permitted_uses",
      "prior_value": ["multifamily", "residential-care"],
      "new_value": ["multifamily", "residential-care", "short-term-rental"],
      "source_ref": "§ 25-2-773(B)(4)"
    }
  ],
  "diff_url": "https://api.localcode.ai/v1/diffs/tx-austin/20231109-152",
  "timestamp": "2023-11-09T14:22:17Z"
}

Pattern 03 · Underwriting & Site Selection

Flag Regulatory Risk at Deal Intake

Pull zoning attributes at the moment a parcel enters your underwriting pipeline. Surface non-conforming flags, permitted use gaps, and dimensional mismatches before your team touches the deal.

01POST /parcels/batch with APNs from your intake form
02Parse permitted_uses and non_conforming fields
03Compare against your target use requirements
04Auto-flag deals requiring land use review

underwriting-&-site-selectionbash · json

curl -X POST https://api.localcode.ai/v1/parcels/batch \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer lc_live_sk_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jurisdiction": "tx-austin",
    "parcel_ids": ["APN-1001", "APN-1002", "APN-1003"]
  }'

Technical Specs

Built to the Standard You Expect

OpenAPI 3.1 Spec

Import directly into Postman, Insomnia, or any OpenAPI-compatible client. Full schema documentation included.

<100ms P95 Latency

Served from edge infrastructure, cached per jurisdiction. Batch endpoints optimized for high-volume workflows.

SDK (Coming Soon)

TypeScript and Python clients. Drop-in integration for analytics pipelines and PropTech platforms.

Webhook Retries

Automatic retry with exponential backoff. Delivery logs and event replay available in the dashboard.

Authentication

Bearer Token, Standard HTTP

All requests are authenticated with a Bearer token in the Authorization header. Keys are scoped per environment (sandbox vs. production) and per tier.

API access is manually approved. We review applications and issue keys to qualified platforms and integrators. See pricing →

Authenticationbash

# All API requests
curl https://api.localcode.ai/v1/... \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer lc_live_sk_xxxxxxxxxxxx"

# Sandbox (no billing)
curl https://api.localcode.ai/v1/... \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer lc_test_sk_xxxxxxxxxxxx"

Ready to Integrate?

API access is manually approved. Tell us what you're building and we'll evaluate your application and follow up directly.

Request API Access →Request a Demo