canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/accela.com

# Accela APIs

Accela runs a civic platform that local and state government agencies use for permitting, licensing, code enforcement, inspections, and service requests. Its APIs read and update agency case records, schedule inspections, look up addresses and parcels, manage contacts, and attach documents. On Jentic, Accela is exposed as two APIs: the full 86-endpoint Accela Civic Platform API and a leaner 30-endpoint subset, both authenticated with OAuth 2.0 and scoped to an agency through the X-Accela-Agency header.

## For AI agents

Across Accela's APIs, an agent can search and retrieve agency records such as permits, licenses, and code enforcement cases, schedule and update inspections, look up addresses and parcels, manage contacts, and attach or fetch documents, all scoped to a single government agency. It picks between a full 86-endpoint surface and a 30-endpoint subset depending on how many operations it needs to expose.

## Scope

Use for: Reading and updating a government agency's Accela records, inspections, addresses, parcels, contacts, and documents for permitting, licensing, and code enforcement

Not supported:
- card payment capture
- GIS map rendering
- identity verification
- webhook notifications
- cross-agency data

## APIs

| API | Category | Endpoints | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Accela Civic Platform API | productivity | 86 | Read and update Accela civic records, inspections, contacts, parcels, and documents on behalf of a government agency so agents can automate permitting, licensing, and inspection workflows. |
| Accela API | productivity | 30 | Manage Accela civic records, inspections, addresses, parcels, and documents through a streamlined 30-endpoint surface so agents can automate permit lookups and inspection scheduling. |

## Which API to use

| Need | API | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full civic surface including workflows, payment records, professionals search, and agency reference data | accela-civic-platform-api | The 86-endpoint Civic Platform API exposes the complete feature set beyond core record and inspection operations. |
| Core record, inspection, address, contact, and parcel operations with a smaller tool set | main | The 30-endpoint subset covers the most common civic operations while keeping the agent's tool surface lean. |
| Create and update permit records | main | Both APIs cover records, but the leaner subset is the simpler choice when write operations on records are the main task. |

## Cross-API use cases

### Contractor permit dashboard across two API sizes

A contractor tool uses the leaner subset to submit and update permit records, then reaches into the full platform API for the extra detail it does not cover, such as payment records and professionals search. The agent starts on the small surface for everyday writes and only loads the larger surface when a task needs the full feature set.

Example prompt: Create a permit record via POST /v4/records on the subset API, then read its payment records and associated professionals through the full Civic Platform API

### Inspection scheduling with full workflow context

A field app schedules and updates inspections through whichever API is loaded, using the subset for routine result capture and the full platform API when the case needs workflow status or agency reference data. Both operate on the same records, so an inspection created on one surface is visible on the other.

Example prompt: Schedule a rough-in inspection on a record via the subset API and read the record's workflow status and agency settings through the full Civic Platform API

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring Accela by hand means brokering its OAuth flow, minting agency-scoped tokens, and threading the X-Accela-Agency header through every record and inspection call on both APIs. With Jentic One installed you add either Accela API from the Jentic directory, store the OAuth client credentials once, and your agent calls both.
- **Permission scoping:** Accela puts the record id in the URL path, so a rule in your own Jentic One instance can pin an agent to specific records and let it read or update only those across either API. You choose which operations are allowed, so writes such as creating a record stay unavailable unless you add them.
- **Credential handling:** Your Accela OAuth client credentials and agency scopes are stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. They cover both APIs and never enter the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search the Jentic directory by intent such as 'look up a building permit by address', and Jentic returns the matching Accela operation with its filter parameters and the required X-Accela-Agency header so the agent calls the right endpoint on the right API without browsing reference docs.

## Related vendors

- **Data.gov** — Federal open data for cross-jurisdiction reference layers alongside an agency's own Accela case records.
- **Stripe** — Captures the card payment for a civic fee that is then recorded back on the Accela record.
- **DocuSign** — Collects signatures on permit and licensing documents that attach to Accela records.

## FAQ

### What is the difference between the two Accela APIs offered here?

The Accela Civic Platform API is the full 86-endpoint surface that adds workflows, payment record detail, agency settings, and broader search. The other API is a 30-endpoint subset focused on the most common record, inspection, address, contact, and parcel operations. Pick the subset when a smaller agent tool surface is preferable and the full API when you need the extra breadth.

### Do both Accela APIs share the same authentication?

Yes. Both authenticate with OAuth 2.0 against auth.accela.com and require an X-Accela-Agency header to scope requests to a specific agency. One set of agency-scoped OAuth client credentials works for either API, so you do not need separate credentials to switch between them.

### Can an agent work across both Accela APIs in the same task?

Yes. Both operate on the same underlying agency data, so a record created or updated through one is visible through the other. An agent can do routine record and inspection work on the leaner subset and reach into the full platform API only when a task needs workflows, payment records, or agency reference data.

### What kinds of government work do these APIs cover?

They cover permitting, licensing, planning applications, code enforcement, and service requests. Common tasks include looking up a permit by address, scheduling and updating inspections, searching parcels by APN, managing the contacts on a record, and attaching documents such as site plans and photos.

### Do the Accela APIs process payments?

No. They expose fee and payment record data tied to permits and licenses, but they do not capture card payments themselves. Agencies typically take the payment through a separate gateway and then post the resulting payment record back into Accela through these APIs.

### How do these APIs handle multiple agencies?

Each request is scoped to a single agency through the X-Accela-Agency header, and record types and reference data are configured per agency. A tool serving several cities supplies the matching agency header per call rather than querying across agencies at once.

### Can I restrict what my agent does with Accela?

Yes. Because the record id sits in the URL path, your own rules can pin an agent to specific records and let it read or update only those. You choose which operations it may call, so writes such as creating a record or scheduling an inspection stay out of reach unless you add them.