Privacy Policy

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Account Registration: When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, password, and geographic location preferences (such as address, ZIP code, or coordinates) for alert configuration.
• Communications: If you contact us for support or submit feedback, corrections, or other user-generated content, we collect the content of those communications.
• Payment Information: If you subscribe to a paid plan, payment details are collected and processed by our third-party payment processors. We do not store full payment card numbers.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Usage Data: We collect information about how you interact with the Service, including pages visited, features used, search queries, and clickstream data.
• Device and Technical Data: We collect your IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, and referring URLs.
• Location Data: With your permission, we may collect precise or approximate geographic location to provide localized planning proposal alerts.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to operate the Service, remember your preferences, and analyze usage. You may control cookies through your browser settings, though disabling them may affect functionality.

1.3 Information from Third Parties

• Public Government Sources: We aggregate publicly available planning data, permit applications, zoning notices, and related records from government portals and databases.
• Third-Party Data Providers: We may receive supplemental geographic or property data from third-party data providers.
• Google Sign-In (OAuth): If you choose to sign in using Google OAuth, we receive from Google only the data you authorize, which typically includes your name, email address, and profile picture. We use this Google-sourced data solely to create and manage your CountyWatch account. We do not use data obtained from Google OAuth for targeted advertising, sale to third parties, or any purpose other than providing and improving your CountyWatch account experience. We do not sell Google user data to any third party.

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

2.1 To Provide and Operate the Service

• Create and manage your account
• Deliver planning proposal notifications and alerts based on your location preferences
• Process payments and manage subscriptions
• Respond to your support requests and communications

2.2 To Improve and Develop the Service

• Analyze usage patterns and Service performance
• Debug technical issues and improve reliability
• Develop new features and enhancements

2.3 To Communicate With You

• Send transactional emails such as account confirmations, password resets, and subscription notices
• Send Service-related alerts and notifications you have opted into
• Notify you of changes to these terms or our policies
• Send Marketing Communications, including newsletters, product updates, feature announcements, and promotional offers, where you have consented to receive such communications in accordance with our Terms of Use (Section 21). You may opt out of Marketing Communications at any time as described in Section 6.2 below

2.4 To Comply With Legal Obligations

• Comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, or enforceable governmental requests
• Enforce our Terms of Use and protect the rights, property, and safety of CountyWatch, our users, and the public

We do not sell your personal information to any third party. We do not share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising or targeted advertising purposes. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

3.1 Service Providers: We share information with third-party vendors who perform services on our behalf, including cloud hosting providers, payment processors, email delivery services, and analytics providers. Each such vendor is contractually required to: (a) use your information only to provide the specific service they are performing for us; (b) not use your information for their own independent purposes; and (c) maintain reasonable data protection and security standards consistent with applicable law. These contractual obligations are typically established through the vendor's standard Data Processing Agreement or equivalent terms.

3.2 B2B Widget and API Licensees: Third-party platforms integrating CountyWatch data via our widget or API may have access to aggregate or anonymized usage data related to their integration. We do not provide such licensees with your personal account information unless you have explicitly authorized such sharing.

3.3 Legal Requirements and Safety: We may disclose your information if required by law, subpoena, or other legal process, or if we have a good-faith belief that disclosure is necessary to protect rights, property, or safety.

3.4 Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, asset sale, or bankruptcy, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

3.5 With Your Consent: We may share your information for other purposes with your explicit consent.

• Account data is retained for the duration of your account and for up to 3 years following account closure, unless a longer retention period is required by law.
• Notification and alert history is retained for up to 2 years.
• Payment transaction records are retained as required by applicable tax and financial regulations.

You may request deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting us at alerts@countywatch.co. We will honor deletion requests within 45 days, subject to legal retention requirements. Deletion of your account will terminate your access to the Service.

We implement commercially reasonable technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit using TLS (Transport Layer Security)
• Encryption of sensitive data at rest
• Access controls limiting employee access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
• Regular security assessments and monitoring

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data. In the event of a data breach required to be reported under applicable law, we will notify affected users as required.

6.1 Account Information: You may access, correct, or update your account information at any time through your account settings.

6.2 Notification Preferences: You may opt out of Marketing Communications (such as newsletters, promotional offers, and product updates) at any time by: (a) clicking the "unsubscribe" link included in any marketing email we send you; (b) adjusting your notification settings within your account; or (c) contacting us at alerts@countywatch.co with your name, the email address associated with your account, and a request to unsubscribe. We will process all opt-out requests within ten (10) business days. You may not opt out of transactional messages required for the operation of your account, such as account confirmations, password resets, subscription notices, and planning proposal alerts you have subscribed to.

6.3 California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA): California residents have the following rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

• Right to Know: You may request that we disclose what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and share about you.
• Right to Delete: You may request deletion of personal information we have collected about you, subject to certain legal exceptions.
• Right to Correct: You may request correction of inaccurate personal information we hold about you.
• Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing: We do not sell your personal information and do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. No opt-out action is required, but you may contact us to confirm this at any time.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA/CPRA rights.

To submit a privacy request, contact us at alerts@countywatch.co or (209) 859-1360. We will respond within 45 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

6.4 Users in Other States: This Privacy Policy is primarily designed for users in California and the United States generally. If you are located in another U.S. state that has enacted a consumer privacy law and believe you have additional rights not addressed here, please contact us at alerts@countywatch.co and we will work with you in good faith to address your request. We will update this policy as our user base grows and additional state law obligations apply to us.

The Service is not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, please contact us immediately at alerts@countywatch.co.

The Service may link to government websites or third-party platforms. This Privacy Policy applies only to the CountyWatch Service. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites.

The Service may include AI-powered summaries or tools to help you navigate planning proposals. These features process the content of public planning documents you view. We do not use your personal account data to train AI models without your explicit consent. AI-generated outputs are for informational convenience only and do not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you by email or prominent notice on the Service prior to the change becoming effective. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

CountyWatch LLC

Email: alerts@countywatch.co
Mailing Address: 1401 21st St, Ste R, Sacramento, CA 95811
Phone: (209) 859-1360

For California residents, you may also contact the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, CA 95834, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210.