Construction Leads for Electricians in the United States: Where the Projects Are and Who Awards Them
The best construction leads for electricians are permitted projects at the stage when electrical work is still being awarded, with the name of the person who awards it. On October 1, 2026, Builtie's permit data held 37,383 projects in the electrical award window across six US metros (New York, Austin, Miami-Dade, Nashville, Chicago and Seattle), 25,075 of them permitted in the last 90 days. Most of that work is awarded by builders and general contractors, not homeowners, and it is awarded once: rough-in starts once framing and the roof are on, so the electrical subcontract is usually signed between about 20% and 55% of the way through the build, after structure and before drywall. Reach the owner of a small builder, or the project manager or estimator at a commercial GC, before that point and you are pricing against two or three firms instead of the whole bid list.
The same four steps, whether the buyer is a builder, a designer, an owner or a company you want to acquire.
Electrical projects in the award window, by US metro
| Metro | Projects in the electrical award window | Permitted in the last 90 days | Median project value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 21,956 | 15,212 | 524,000 |
| Austin | 7,093 | 4,759 | not published |
| Miami-Dade | 4,938 | 2,863 | 800,000 |
| Nashville | 1,540 | 1,124 | 397,000 |
| Chicago | 1,092 | 570 | 1,000,000 |
| Seattle | 764 | 547 | 425,000 |
| Six US metros | 37,383 | 25,075 | – |
Read October 1, 2026 from Builtie's permit data. A project counts when its permit was issued in the last four years, its stage sits inside the trade's award window, and the trade's share of the project clears the smallest contract the trade usually takes. Miami-Dade is the county feed (unincorporated Miami-Dade plus many of its cities). New York's feed starts in February 2026. Austin states a construction cost on 7% of permits, so its counts are the least filtered by job size and its median is not published.
City guides for this trade: Electrical leads in New York, Electrical leads in Austin, Electrical leads in Miami-Dade, Electrical leads in Nashville, Electrical leads in Chicago, Electrical leads in Seattle. Canada: Toronto.
Who awards electrical work
| Customer | Who usually picks the electrical contractor | What they weigh |
|---|---|---|
| Custom home builder or small GC | The owner, often after a walk-through with the site lead | Price, availability for rough-in, and whether you answer the phone |
| Production home builder | Purchasing or a regional construction manager, on a per-plan price | Unit price per plan, crew capacity across many starts |
| Mid-size commercial GC | Project manager or chief estimator at buyout | A complete number against the drawings, bonding, schedule |
| Design-build or developer-led project | The development or construction manager, sometimes with the engineer of record | Design assist, value engineering, service capacity |
The decision maker changes with the size of the builder. At a small builder it is the owner; at a commercial GC it is whoever runs buyout on that project. A list of companies is not enough; you need the person, and their current employer checked against the record. See How contact data is verified.
When electrical is awarded, in months after the permit
As a share of the build, electrical is usually awarded between 20% and 55% of the way through. In months, that depends on the size of the project:
| Project size | Typical build | When electrical is usually awarded |
|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | 7 months | month 1 to 4 |
| $2 million | 13 months | month 3 to 7 |
| $10 million | 20 months | month 4 to 11 |
| $50 million | 30 months | month 6 to 17 |
Build lengths are Builtie's duration tiers by declared project value. Projects whose electrical share is under 5,000 US dollars, the smallest contract the trade usually quotes, are left out of the counts above. For every trade side by side, see When to contact each trade.
Ask the GC who is carrying the electrical number on their bid and when buyout happens. On commercial jobs the electrical package is often one of the first trade packages bought out after award, because the switchgear lead time drives the schedule.
Who is pulling the permits
The busiest firms in a metro are both your competitors and, for some trades, your customers. Rankings built from the permit record: Most active electrical contractors in Austin, Most active electrical contractors in Miami-Dade. For home builders: Austin, Nashville and Miami-Dade.
Where electricians find construction leads, compared
| Source | What you get | When you hear about the job | Who else sees it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeowner lead marketplaces | A homeowner's request | When they are ready to hire | Several contractors who paid for the same lead |
| Bid networks and GC invitations | Plans and a bid date from a GC | At bid time | Every sub on that GC's list |
| Public bid portals | Public projects with formal bids | At bid time | Anyone who registers |
| Building permits, raw | A permit number and an address | Early, before trades are bought out | Few, because few do the research |
| Builtie | Permitted projects in your trade's window, with the builder and a verified decision maker | Early, inside your award window | Few |
For the case against shared homeowner leads, see Project leads vs residential lead marketplaces; for why fewer, better-timed projects beat a big list, see Construction lead quality vs quantity.
Plans and coverage
Builtie's Starter plan is $79 per seat per month (CAD) for 20 projects; Growth is $99 for 50 projects and adds the LinkedIn and email outreach you run yourself. Opening a project spends one credit, and the decision makers, emails, phones and AI call script inside it are included. Your monthly credits reset at each renewal, and extra credit packs are valid for 30 days. The free trial runs 7 days with 10 projects. Custom, where Builtie's team runs the outreach for you, starts from CAD $1,500 a month on top of a Growth seat.
Builtie covers North America, with its deepest permit and contact data in the Greater Toronto Area, where it started. How much a city yields depends on what that municipality publishes, so ask for live sample projects in your own city before you buy.
See also: Best lead generation software for electrical contractors, ServiceTitan vs Builtie for new construction, How to get on a general contractor's bid list.
Frequently asked questions
Where can electricians find construction leads in the US?
From building permits, bid invitations from general contractors, public bid portals and homeowner lead marketplaces. Permits are the earliest and least shared. On October 1, 2026 Builtie held 37,383 projects in the electrical award window across New York, Austin, Miami-Dade, Nashville, Chicago and Seattle.
When is electrical work awarded on a new construction project?
Usually between 20% and 55% of the way through the build: rough-in starts once framing and the roof are on, so the electrical subcontract is usually signed between about 20% and 55% of the way through the build, after structure and before drywall.
Who should electricians contact at a general contractor?
At a small builder, the owner. At a mid-size or large commercial GC, the project manager, preconstruction manager or chief estimator running buyout on that project.
Where do electrical contractors find commercial work in the US?
From three places: bid invitations from general contractors (BuildingConnected, PlanHub and similar), public bid portals, and building permits for private work that is never publicly bid. Permits are the earliest signal; Builtie turns them into a list of projects in the electrical award window with the builder's decision maker attached.
Does Builtie cover my city?
Builtie covers North America, with permit-level depth in New York, Austin, Miami-Dade, Nashville, Chicago and Seattle in the US and deepest coverage in the Greater Toronto Area. Ask for live sample projects in your own city before you buy.
How much does Builtie cost?
Starter is $79 per seat per month (CAD) for 20 projects; Growth is $99 for 50 projects and adds LinkedIn and email outreach. The free trial runs 7 days with 10 projects.