Permits & units · Building Permits Survey
Building permit
A local government's authorization to begin residential construction.
A building permit is the official approval a local government issues before residential construction can legally begin. The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counts new privately-owned residential permits from roughly 20,000 permit-issuing jurisdictions across the country.
Because a permit is granted at the very start of the construction pipeline — before ground is broken and long before anyone moves in — permits are the earliest, most forward-looking indicator of new housing supply. A permit authorizes construction; it does not guarantee a home was built.
Also known as: residential building permit, housing permit.
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Building permit — FAQ
What is building permit in building permits data?+
A local government's authorization to begin residential construction. A building permit is the official approval a local government issues before residential construction can legally begin. The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counts new privately-owned residential permits from roughly 20,000 permit-issuing jurisdictions across the country.
Why does building permit matter?+
Because a permit is granted at the very start of the construction pipeline — before ground is broken and long before anyone moves in — permits are the earliest, most forward-looking indicator of new housing supply. A permit authorizes construction; it does not guarantee a home was built.
Where does this building-permit data come from?+
All figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey (BPS), a monthly census of permit-issuing jurisdictions. PUMSdata is an independent product that makes it easy to map and compare, and is not affiliated with the Census Bureau.