US Single-Family Building Permits Decline Through April While Multifamily Permits Rise

Year-to-date through April, residential construction permitting remained uneven across housing sectors, according to a National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) review of US Census Bureau data.

Single-family permits totaled 299,642 over the first four months of the year, down 6.4% year-over-year from 320,259 in the same period last year. Multifamily permits totaled 166,252, up 7.5% year-over-year.

Single-family permitting declined in all four regions. The Midwest was essentially flat, while the South fell 6.3%, the West dropped 8.3%, and the Northeast declined 13.8%.

Multifamily permitting increased in three of the four regions, led by the Northeast, up 33.5%, followed by the West, up 20.0%, and the Midwest, up 19.3%. The South was the only region to post a decline, falling 8.4%, driven largely by reductions in large metro areas across Southern states.

At the state level, 13 states and the District of Columbia recorded year-over-year increases in single-family permits through April, with gains ranging from 28.0% in the District of Columbia to 0.6% in Nebraska and Minnesota. The remaining 37 states reported declines, led by Hawaii, down 27.1%.