Do I need an account with Cambridge MA Open Data?

No. The data is public, so there is nothing to sign up for and nothing to paste in.

How fresh is the data?

As fresh as your schedule: daily by default, or weekly or monthly. Schedules as often as every 15 minutes are on the Enterprise plan.

Will running it again create duplicate rows?

No. Each row is stored once, by its key: when a run reads a row that is already there, it replaces that copy instead of adding a second one.

Do I need to write code?

No. Ingest builds, runs and maintains the connector. Someone with access to your warehouse connects it once, following a short guide.

Cambridge MA Open Data

Public data

Ready to useNo account needed

Cambridge MA Open Data data, published as Cambridge MA Open Data publishes it. Ingest delivers this data to a data warehouse you own as 15 tables, and updates it on the schedule you choose. There is no code to write and nothing to install.

154,757rows as of October 2026
About 540new rows a week
15 tablesin your warehouse

What you get

Table	Each row is
building_permits_alterations `building_permits_alterations`	Building permits for additions and alterations since 2018: address, status, submit and issue dates, the work described, cost estimates by trade, and the reviews required. Applicant, licensed contractor and firm names land as the city publishes them. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.
building_permits_new_construction `building_permits_new_construction`	Building permits for new construction since 2018: address, status, submit and issue dates, proposed use, dwelling units, parking, cost estimates and the reviews required. The city publishes a permit once per matched address point, so a permit id can appear on more than one row. Applicant, architect and licensed contractor names and the contractor's license number land as the city publishes them. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.
contracts `contracts`	City contracts from the Purchasing Department: vendor, title, contract and requisition ids, term, status, start and end dates, renewals, department and type. Times are Cambridge local time, published without a time zone. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.
crash_log `crash_log`	Cambridge Police Department crash log: one row per reported motor vehicle crash since 2016, with the intersection or address, neighborhood, and the motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, injuries and hospitalizations involved. The city publishes those counts as decimals (1.0), so they are stored as double. Times are Cambridge local time, published without a time zone. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.
demolition_permits `demolition_permits`	Demolition permits since 2018: address, status, submit and issue dates, project dates, stories, units demolished, cost and debris removal. Applicant names and license numbers land as the city publishes them. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.
dispatch_calls `dispatch_calls`	Computer Aided Dispatch entries for police and fire calls since 2015: type and group, priority, primary agency, address or intersection, when each call was received and closed, alarm level, police sector and route, and fire box, engine and ladder districts. The dataset carries no call or incident number. Times are Cambridge local time, published without a time zone. The city republishes the whole dataset about once a month, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. By default it is read at most once every 7 days (a run that starts less than 6 days and 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing), and a setting on this table changes that. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.
electrical_permits `electrical_permits`	Electrical permits since 2018: address, status, submit and issue dates, estimated value, the fixtures, outlets and equipment counted, and service details. Applicant and licensee names land as the city publishes them. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.
excavation_permits `excavation_permits`	Excavation permits for street and sidewalk work since 2019: address, status, submit and issue dates, work dates, who performs the work, and the size of each street and sidewalk cut. Applicant and company names and Massachusetts hoisting license numbers land as the city publishes them. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.
housing_code_violations `housing_code_violations`	Housing code violations cited by Inspectional Services since 2021: address, code and description, corrective action, status and case dates. id is the case and repeats once per violation. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.
medical_events `medical_events`	Medical emergency calls in Cambridge since 2016: category, when each call was received and closed, and the reporting area and neighborhood. The dataset carries no call or incident number. Times are Cambridge local time, published without a time zone. The city republishes the whole dataset about once a month, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. By default it is read at most once every 7 days (a run that starts less than 6 days and 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing), and a setting on this table changes that. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.
sanitary_inspections `sanitary_inspections`	Sanitary (food) inspection violations since 2021: business, address, code and description, inspector comments, status, and when the case opened, closed and was corrected. unique_identifier is the city's own row key. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing.
service_requests `service_requests`	Cambridge MA Commonwealth Connect (311) service request records.
smart_rat_boxes `smart_rat_boxes`	The city's smart rat boxes: device, address and location, whether the site is active, and rodent counts since installation, by year and by month of the current year. serial_number is not unique. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.
street_occupancy_permits `street_occupancy_permits`	Street occupancy permits since 2020, all eight types the city issues in one table (moving van, special event, tool truck, moving container, other street occupancy, funeral and wake parking, traffic clearance, block party): address, status, issue date, days, parking meters and spaces affected. A permit id can appear on more than one row, notably for special events. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.
tow_log `tow_log`	Vehicles towed in Cambridge since 2015: classification, location, when the vehicle was towed, its state, year, make, model and color, the towing company and the reason. trackingnumber is not unique (about a quarter as many distinct values as rows). Times are Cambridge local time, published without a time zone. The city republishes the whole dataset about once a month, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. By default it is read at most once every 7 days (a run that starts less than 6 days and 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing), and a setting on this table changes that. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.

How it works

Choose Cambridge MA Open Data. The data is public, so there is nothing to sign in to.
Pick where it goes. BigQuery, Snowflake, Databricks, Redshift and 10 more, in an account you own.
Pick a schedule. Daily is the default, and weekly and monthly are there too.
Ingest runs it from then on. If a run fails, your dashboard shows which table and why.

Questions

Do I need an account with Cambridge MA Open Data?: No. The data is public, so there is nothing to sign up for and nothing to paste in.
Which warehouses can Cambridge MA Open Data data go to?: Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob Storage, Apache Iceberg, Ingest Managed Lakehouse, MotherDuck, Postgres, Amazon Athena, Databricks, Redshift, BigQuery, ClickHouse, MySQL / generic SQL and Snowflake, in an account you own.
How fresh is the data?: As fresh as your schedule: daily by default, or weekly or monthly. Schedules as often as every 15 minutes are on the Enterprise plan.
Will running it again create duplicate rows?: No. Each row is stored once, by its key: when a run reads a row that is already there, it replaces that copy instead of adding a second one.
Do I need to write code?: No. Ingest builds, runs and maintains the connector. Someone with access to your warehouse connects it once, following a short guide.

For your data team: technical reference

Connector cambridgema, version 0.1.0, a REST source, status beta, authentication none.

Vendor documentation: https://data.cambridgema.gov/

Configuration

No configuration required.

Resources

Resource	Status	Plan	Write	Primary key	Overrides
`building_permits_alterations` Building permits for additions and alterations since 2018: address, status, submit and issue dates, the work described, cost estimates by trade, and the reviews required. Applicant, licensed contractor and firm names land as the city publishes them. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.	beta	staleness	replace	`socrata_row_id`	-
`building_permits_new_construction` Building permits for new construction since 2018: address, status, submit and issue dates, proposed use, dwelling units, parking, cost estimates and the reviews required. The city publishes a permit once per matched address point, so a permit id can appear on more than one row. Applicant, architect and licensed contractor names and the contractor's license number land as the city publishes them. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.	beta	staleness	replace	`socrata_row_id`	-
`contracts` City contracts from the Purchasing Department: vendor, title, contract and requisition ids, term, status, start and end dates, renewals, department and type. Times are Cambridge local time, published without a time zone. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.	beta	staleness	replace	`socrata_row_id`	-
`crash_log` Cambridge Police Department crash log: one row per reported motor vehicle crash since 2016, with the intersection or address, neighborhood, and the motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, injuries and hospitalizations involved. The city publishes those counts as decimals (1.0), so they are stored as double. Times are Cambridge local time, published without a time zone. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.	beta	staleness	replace	`socrata_row_id`	-
`demolition_permits` Demolition permits since 2018: address, status, submit and issue dates, project dates, stories, units demolished, cost and debris removal. Applicant names and license numbers land as the city publishes them. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.	beta	staleness	replace	`socrata_row_id`	-
`dispatch_calls` Computer Aided Dispatch entries for police and fire calls since 2015: type and group, priority, primary agency, address or intersection, when each call was received and closed, alarm level, police sector and route, and fire box, engine and ladder districts. The dataset carries no call or incident number. Times are Cambridge local time, published without a time zone. The city republishes the whole dataset about once a month, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. By default it is read at most once every 7 days (a run that starts less than 6 days and 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing), and a setting on this table changes that. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.	beta	staleness	replace	`socrata_row_id`	staleness_days
`electrical_permits` Electrical permits since 2018: address, status, submit and issue dates, estimated value, the fixtures, outlets and equipment counted, and service details. Applicant and licensee names land as the city publishes them. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.	beta	staleness	replace	`socrata_row_id`	-
`excavation_permits` Excavation permits for street and sidewalk work since 2019: address, status, submit and issue dates, work dates, who performs the work, and the size of each street and sidewalk cut. Applicant and company names and Massachusetts hoisting license numbers land as the city publishes them. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.	beta	staleness	replace	`socrata_row_id`	-
`housing_code_violations` Housing code violations cited by Inspectional Services since 2021: address, code and description, corrective action, status and case dates. id is the case and repeats once per violation. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.	beta	staleness	replace	`socrata_row_id`	-
`medical_events` Medical emergency calls in Cambridge since 2016: category, when each call was received and closed, and the reporting area and neighborhood. The dataset carries no call or incident number. Times are Cambridge local time, published without a time zone. The city republishes the whole dataset about once a month, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. By default it is read at most once every 7 days (a run that starts less than 6 days and 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing), and a setting on this table changes that. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.	beta	staleness	replace	`socrata_row_id`	staleness_days
`sanitary_inspections` Sanitary (food) inspection violations since 2021: business, address, code and description, inspector comments, status, and when the case opened, closed and was corrected. unique_identifier is the city's own row key. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing.	beta	staleness	replace	`unique_identifier`	-
`service_requests` Cambridge MA Commonwealth Connect (311) service request records.	beta	watermark	merge	`ticket_id`	backfill_days
`smart_rat_boxes` The city's smart rat boxes: device, address and location, whether the site is active, and rodent counts since installation, by year and by month of the current year. serial_number is not unique. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.	beta	staleness	replace	`socrata_row_id`	-
`street_occupancy_permits` Street occupancy permits since 2020, all eight types the city issues in one table (moving van, special event, tool truck, moving container, other street occupancy, funeral and wake parking, traffic clearance, block party): address, status, issue date, days, parking meters and spaces affected. A permit id can appear on more than one row, notably for special events. The city republishes the whole dataset each time it updates it, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. It is read at most once a day: a run that starts less than 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.	beta	staleness	replace	`socrata_row_id`	-
`tow_log` Vehicles towed in Cambridge since 2015: classification, location, when the vehicle was towed, its state, year, make, model and color, the towing company and the reason. trackingnumber is not unique (about a quarter as many distinct values as rows). Times are Cambridge local time, published without a time zone. The city republishes the whole dataset about once a month, so each sync replaces this table with the current snapshot. By default it is read at most once every 7 days (a run that starts less than 6 days and 23.5 hours after the last complete read began reads nothing), and a setting on this table changes that. socrata_row_id is the portal's internal row id: unique within one snapshot and reassigned whenever the city republishes, so it is not a key to join on across syncs.	beta	staleness	replace	`socrata_row_id`	staleness_days

Setting up the destination is its own short guide, one per warehouse or lake: Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob Storage, Apache Iceberg, Ingest Managed Lakehouse, MotherDuck, Postgres, Amazon Athena, Databricks, Redshift, BigQuery, ClickHouse, MySQL / generic SQL, Snowflake.

Other sources Ingest connects for government teams: Abilene TX 311, Albany NY 311, Ann Arbor MI 311, Anne Arundel County MD 311, Auburn WA 311, Aurora IL 311.

Get Cambridge MA Open Data data into your warehouse

Last updated 2026-10-02.