Quickstart

This guide walks you through your first few API calls to Fordje Connect. By the end, you’ll have retrieved jurisdiction data, queried code requirements, and generated a comparison report.

Prerequisites

You need an API key from your Fordje account. If you don’t have one, contact your organization administrator.
Your API key determines which Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) records you can access — you’ll only see data for jurisdictions your organization subscribes to.

Python examples use the requests library — install it with pip install requests.JavaScript examples use top-level await and the built-in fetch API, which requires an ES module environment. In Node.js 18+, either add "type": "module" to your package.json or save files with the .mjs extension. Alternatively, wrap the code in an async function.

See your jurisdictions

Let’s start by seeing which AHJs your organization has access to.

curl -X GET "https://connect.fordje.com/v1/ahjs?page=1&page_size=10" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key"

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://connect.fordje.com/v1/ahjs",
    headers={"X-API-Key": "your-api-key"},
    params={"page": 1, "page_size": 10},
)
data = response.json()
print(data)

const response = await fetch(
  "https://connect.fordje.com/v1/ahjs?page=1&page_size=10",
  {
    headers: { "X-API-Key": "your-api-key" },
  }
);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

You’ll receive a response like this:

{
  "response_type": "success",
  "description": "Retrieved 10 AHJ(s)",
  "data": {
    "items": [
      {
        "id": 1,
        "name": "City of Los Angeles",
        "type": "city",
        "state_code": "CA",
        "geoid": "0644000"
      }
    ],
    "pagination": {
      "page": 1,
      "page_size": 10,
      "total": 142,
      "total_pages": 15
    }
  }
}

Each AHJ has an id you’ll use in later requests, along with its name, type (city, county, or state), state_code, and geoid (its Census GEOID — see looking up AHJs by geoID).

Look up code requirements

Now let’s query some actual code data. Data points are the individual code requirements tracked in Fordje — things like permit requirements, insulation values, or inspection rules.Plug these data points into your sales, design, engineering, or permitting tool so you have accurate data points exactly where you need them. Or pull a full set into your CRM at the start of a project.You can filter data points by AHJ IDs, state, or category. Here’s how to pull data points for two specific jurisdictions:

curl -X GET "https://connect.fordje.com/v1/data-points?ahj_ids=1,2&page_size=5" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key"

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://connect.fordje.com/v1/data-points",
    headers={"X-API-Key": "your-api-key"},
    params={"ahj_ids": "1,2", "page_size": 5},
)
data = response.json()
print(data)

const response = await fetch(
  "https://connect.fordje.com/v1/data-points?ahj_ids=1,2&page_size=5",
  {
    headers: { "X-API-Key": "your-api-key" },
  }
);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

You’ll receive a response like this:

{
  "response_type": "success",
  "description": "Retrieved 5 data point(s)",
  "data": {
    "items": [
      {
        "ahj": {
          "id": 1,
          "name": "City of Los Angeles",
          "type": "city",
          "state_code": "CA"
        },
        "data_point_type": {
          "id": 10,
          "name": "Permit Required",
          "description": "Whether a permit is required for this work type",
          "unit_of_measure": "boolean",
          "category_ids": [53]
        },
        "value": "Yes",
        "reference": "Los Angeles Municipal Code",
        "section": "91.106.1.1",
        "updated_at": "2025-01-10T08:30:00Z"
      }
    ],
    "pagination": {
      "page": 1,
      "page_size": 5,
      "total": 12,
      "total_pages": 3
    }
  }
}

Each item pairs an AHJ with a data point type and the latest published value for that jurisdiction. When available, the response also includes source metadata such as reference and section.

You can also filter by state_codes (e.g., state_codes=CA) or category_ids to narrow results to a specific topic like Permitting or Inspections. See the data points concept page for all available filters.

Pull a curated set with collections

Once you know which data points matter for your workflow, save them as a collection in the Fordje platform. Then execute that collection through the API to pull exactly the data you need — no extra filtering required.

curl -X GET "https://connect.fordje.com/v1/collections/a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890/data?ahj_ids=1,2,3&page_size=10" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key"

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://connect.fordje.com/v1/collections/a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890/data",
    headers={"X-API-Key": "your-api-key"},
    params={"ahj_ids": "1,2,3", "page_size": 10},
)
data = response.json()
print(data)

const response = await fetch(
  "https://connect.fordje.com/v1/collections/a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890/data?ahj_ids=1,2,3&page_size=10",
  {
    headers: { "X-API-Key": "your-api-key" },
  }
);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

You’ll receive a response like this:

{
  "response_type": "success",
  "description": "Collection 'Permitting Requirements' executed: 6 result(s)",
  "data": {
    "collection_id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    "collection_name": "Permitting Requirements",
    "items": [
      {
        "ahj": { "id": 1, "name": "City of Los Angeles", "geoid": "0644000" },
        "data_point_type": {
          "id": 10,
          "name": "Permit Required",
          "unit_of_measure": "boolean",
          "category_ids": [53]
        },
        "value": "Yes",
        "reference": "Los Angeles Municipal Code",
        "updated_at": "2025-01-10T08:30:00Z"
      }
    ],
    "pagination": {
      "page": 1,
      "page_size": 10,
      "total": 6,
      "total_pages": 1
    }
  }
}

The response includes only the data points defined in the collection, scoped to the AHJs you specified. Use collections to standardize the data you pull across projects — define once, run anywhere.

To see which collections your organization has set up, call GET /v1/collections. See the collections concept page for details.

Compare across jurisdictions

One of the most powerful features of Fordje Connect is comparing code requirements across multiple jurisdictions at once. Reports let you build a matrix — jurisdictions on one side, code requirements on the other.Quickly see where you can easily expand into or provide a full list of requirements for all current projects to your teams.

curl -X POST "https://connect.fordje.com/v1/reports/matrix" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "ahj_ids": [1, 2, 3],
    "data_point_type_ids": [10, 20, 30]
  }'

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://connect.fordje.com/v1/reports/matrix",
    headers={
        "X-API-Key": "your-api-key",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    json={
        "ahj_ids": [1, 2, 3],
        "data_point_type_ids": [10, 20, 30],
    },
)
data = response.json()
print(data)

const response = await fetch(
  "https://connect.fordje.com/v1/reports/matrix",
  {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "X-API-Key": "your-api-key",
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      ahj_ids: [1, 2, 3],
      data_point_type_ids: [10, 20, 30],
    }),
  }
);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

You’ll receive a response like this:

{
  "response_type": "success",
  "description": "Generated matrix for 3 AHJ(s)",
  "data": {
    "ahjs": [
      { "id": 1, "name": "City of Los Angeles", "state_code": "CA", "geoid": "0644000" },
      { "id": 2, "name": "City of Houston", "state_code": "TX", "geoid": "4835000" }
    ],
    "data_point_types": [
      { "id": 10, "name": "Permit Required" },
      { "id": 20, "name": "Inspection Frequency" },
      { "id": 30, "name": "Permit Fee" }
    ],
    "rows": [
      {
        "ahj": { "id": 1, "name": "City of Los Angeles", "geoid": "0644000" },
        "values": {
          "10": { "value": "Yes", "reference": "Los Angeles Municipal Code" },
          "20": { "value": "Annual" },
          "30": { "value": "$150.00" }
        }
      },
      {
        "ahj": { "id": 2, "name": "City of Houston", "geoid": "4835000" },
        "values": {
          "10": { "value": "Yes" },
          "20": { "value": "Biannual" },
          "30": { "value": "$125.00" }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Each row is an AHJ, and each key in values maps to a data point type ID. The cell object contains the published value and any available source metadata.

You can also export report data as CSV using the POST /v1/reports/export endpoint. See the reports concept page for details.

Next steps

Authentication

Learn how API keys work and how to keep them secure.

AHJs

How jurisdictions, access scoping, and laddering work.

Rate limiting

Usage limits and tips for efficient API calls.

API Reference

Full endpoint docs with request and response details.

Getting started

Core concepts

Guides

Prerequisites

Next steps

Authentication

AHJs

Rate limiting

API Reference

​Prerequisites

​Next steps

Authentication

AHJs

Rate limiting

API Reference

Prerequisites

Next steps