Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

cite.codes ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and share information when you use our building code compliance document generation service at cite.codes (the "Service").

By using our Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

When you request a compliance document, we collect:

• ZIP Code (required) - Used to resolve jurisdiction and applicable building codes
• Email Address (optional) - For order confirmation and document delivery
• Customer Name (optional) - For document personalization
• Company Name (optional) - For contractor business records
• Property Address (optional) - For document reference
• Work Scopes (required) - To determine applicable code sections

2.2 Storm Proof Report Information

When you request a Storm Proof Report, we collect:

• ZIP Code (required) - Used to identify the search area center
• Property Address (optional) - For geocoding and distance calculations
• Date Range (required) - Start and end dates for the storm event search
• Search Radius (required) - Distance in miles from property location
• Event Type Filters (optional) - Hail, wind, tornado, etc.

Note: We query the NOAA Storm Events Database using this information. Your search parameters are used only for retrieving relevant storm data and generating your report. We do not share your location data with NOAA or any third party beyond what is necessary to generate your report.

2.3 Automatically Collected Information

We automatically collect certain information when you use our Service:

• IP Address - For fraud prevention and rate limiting
• User Agent - To understand which browsers and devices access our service
• Referrer URL - To understand how users find our service
• Usage Analytics - Pageviews, navigation patterns, and conversion tracking

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• Document Generation - To resolve jurisdiction and generate your compliance document
• Payment Processing - To process your payment through Stripe
• Document Delivery - To provide you with download access to your PDF
• Customer Support - To respond to your inquiries and troubleshoot issues
• Service Improvement - To analyze usage patterns and improve our service
• Fraud Prevention - To detect and prevent fraudulent transactions
• Legal Compliance - To comply with applicable laws and regulations

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate our platform:

5. Data Retention

We retain your information as follows:

• Payment Records - Retained for 7 years for tax and accounting purposes
• Generated Documents - Stored indefinitely to allow re-download access
• Storm Proof Reports - Stored indefinitely to allow re-download access
• Storm Search Parameters - Retained with the purchase record for report regeneration if needed
• Analytics Data - Aggregated data retained indefinitely; individual session data purged after 90 days
• Error Logs - Retained for 30 days via Sentry.io

6. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:

• Access - Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction - Request correction of inaccurate information
• Deletion - Request deletion of your personal information
• Data Portability - Request a copy of your data in a structured format
• Opt-Out - Opt out of marketing communications (if applicable)

To exercise these rights, contact us at support@cite.codes. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

7. Security Measures

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:

• TLS/SSL encryption for all data in transit
• Encryption at rest for database and file storage
• Secure payment processing via PCI-DSS compliant Stripe
• Regular security audits and updates
• Access controls and authentication for internal systems
• Automated error monitoring and alerting

8. Cookies

Our Service does not currently use cookies for tracking or advertising. We use only essential session storage for the checkout process. Third-party services (Stripe, Vercel) may set their own cookies as described in their respective privacy policies.

9. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold
• Right to delete personal information held by us
• Right to opt-out of sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your CCPA rights

To exercise these rights, email us at support@cite.codes with "CCPA Request" in the subject line.

10. International Data Transfers

Our Service is hosted in the United States. If you access our Service from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. By using our Service, you consent to this transfer.

11. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: