Government Websites Dataset API
Public records, regulatory filings, permit data, and government statistics for compliance and research.
Available Data
Here's what you can extract from Government Websites using AlterLab:
Business Use Cases
How businesses use Government Websites data to make better decisions:
- Regulatory compliance monitoring
- Public records research
- Government contract tracking
- Policy change monitoring
How It Works
Identify the target government databases or pages
Provide the URL of the specific government database, search portal, or document listing you want to monitor. Government sites range from simple HTML tables (many state permit portals) to complex search systems (SAM.gov, PACER).
AlterLab retrieves public records from government portals
Government sites vary in technical complexity — some serve plain HTML, others require JavaScript rendering for search results and document indexes. AlterLab handles both, rendering as needed to return the complete publicly available data.
Get structured public records data
Receive permits, licenses, regulatory filings, statistical tables, or procurement records in structured format — ready for compliance monitoring dashboards, research datasets, or competitive intelligence systems.
Key Insight
Government data is public by law but often poorly accessible — buried in search portals, inconsistent formats, and paginated across thousands of pages. This friction makes AlterLab especially valuable here: automated collection from government sources that would take weeks to gather manually can be completed in hours, creating meaningful data assets from technically public but practically inaccessible records.
Data Freshness
Government data update frequency varies widely by source. Regulatory filings (SEC, EPA) update daily as new submissions arrive. Permit databases update as permits are issued or modified — typically weekly batch updates. Statistical reports (BLS, Census) update on fixed schedules ranging from monthly to annually.
Quick Start
POST https://alterlab.io/api/v1/scrape
X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY
{
"url": "https://various (.gov)/...",
"advanced": { "render_js": true }
}Need an API key? — no credit card required. 5,000 requests included.
Pricing at Scale
AlterLab uses pay-as-you-go pricing — no monthly minimums, no contracts. Balance never expires.
| Volume | Static pages | JS-rendered pages |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 requests | $0.20 | $2.00 |
| 10,000 requests | $2.00 | $20.00 |
| 100,000 requests | $20.00 | $200.00 |
| 1,000,000 requests | $200.00 | $2,000.00 |
Static pages: $0.0002/request · JavaScript-rendered pages (like Government Websites): $0.002/request · First 5,000 requests free. Full pricing details →
Frequently Asked Questions
What government data can I access?
You can extract any publicly available government information including regulatory filings, public records, statistical reports, permit databases, and official announcements from .gov websites.
Is government data extraction legal?
Government websites publish information for public access. Extracting this publicly available data is generally permissible, though you should always check specific agency terms of service.
How do businesses use government data?
Businesses monitor regulatory changes, track competitor filings, research market opportunities from permit data, and stay compliant with evolving regulations.
Related Use Cases
Responsible Use
AlterLab is designed for extracting publicly available data. Always review the terms of service for any website you access, respect robots.txt directives, and ensure your use case complies with applicable laws in your jurisdiction.
Data Extraction Guides
Python Web Scraping API
Official Python SDK with async support and 5,000 free scrapes to start.
Anti-Bot Handling API
Automatic challenge handling for protected platforms — no extra configuration needed.
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Pricing
From $0.0002/request. No subscriptions. Balance never expires.
Your first scrape.
Sixty seconds.
$1 free credit — up to 5,000 scrapes. No credit card.
Just a POST request.
No credit card required · $1 free credit, up to 5,000 scrapes · Balance never expires