Building permits · May 2026

Illinois Building Permits

Monthly residential building permits for Illinois from the U.S. Census Building Permits Survey — 1,118 units authorized in May 2026, 20,047 over the last 12 months.

1,118
Units (latest month)
918
Single-family units
134
Multifamily (5+) units
$399,774,000
Reported value
Trailing 12 months: 20,047 units permitted · latest month -49% vs. a year earlier.
Total units permitted, by monthDec 2024May 2026
Dec 2024May 2026
Structure typeUnitsShare
Single-family (1-unit)91882.1%
2-unit structures282.5%
3–4 unit structures383.4%
Multifamily (5+ units)13412.0%
All units1,118100%

Building permits across the U.S.

Total housing units permittedMay 2026 · by state
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Illinois permits by county

Cook County5,615Will County2,045Kane County1,967Champaign County1,782McHenry County1,375DuPage County1,046Lake County975Kendall County790Madison County539St. Clair County438DeKalb County341Winnebago County322McLean County261Sangamon County206Rock Island County166Kankakee County138Williamson County138Tazewell County131Grundy County119Peoria County80Jersey County78Perry County73Monroe County72La Salle County68Lawrence County67Boone County60Christian County60Livingston County58Macoupin County57Ogle County57Adams County53Effingham County52Clinton County48Shelby County42Coles County38Jo Daviess County38Macon County37Lee County31Douglas County28Moultrie County28Woodford County28Bond County27Whiteside County25Piatt County24Bureau County22Henry County21Marion County21Carroll County20Fulton County20De Witt County19Logan County19Mercer County19Franklin County18Montgomery County17Washington County17Stephenson County16Clark County14Morgan County13Ford County12Union County12Pike County11Iroquois County10Warren County10Crawford County9Massac County9Calhoun County8Edgar County8Randolph County8Henderson County7Menard County7Vermilion County7Putnam County6Richland County6Marshall County5Brown County4Clay County4Jackson County3Jefferson County3Knox County3Wabash County3Greene County2Hancock County2Mason County2Stark County2Cass County1Fayette County1Jasper County1McDonough County1Wayne County1Alexander County0Cumberland County0Hardin County0Johnson County0Pope County0Pulaski County0Saline County0Schuyler County0White County0

Top cities in Illinois

By units permitted in the last 12 months.

Illinois building permits — FAQ

How many building permits were issued in Illinois?+

1,118 new residential housing units were authorized in Illinois in May 2026, and 20,047 over the trailing 12 months, per the U.S. Census Building Permits Survey.

Is homebuilding rising or falling in Illinois?+

In May 2026, Illinois permitted units were down 49% versus the same month a year earlier. Over the trailing 12 months, 20,047 units were authorized.

What share is multifamily?+

17.9% of Illinois's May 2026 permitted units were in multifamily (2+ unit) structures; 82.1% were single-family.

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