US building permits fell 11.4% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.363 million in March 2026, below the preliminary estimate of 1.372 million, revised figures showed. The reading marked the lowest level since August 2025. In February, building permits rose 11%. Permits for buildings with five or more units dropped by 24.9% to an annualized rate of 419 thousand, while single-family permits decreased by 3.8% to 895 Thousand. Regionally, permits declined in the Northeast (-30.2% to 113 thousand), the Midwest (-3.2% to 212 thousand), in the South (-8% to 715 thousand), and in the West (-15% to 323 thousand). source: U.S. Census Bureau

Building Permits in the United States decreased to 1363 Thousand in March from 1538 Thousand in February of 2026. Building Permits in the United States averaged 1374.25 Thousand from 1960 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 2419.00 Thousand in December of 1972 and a record low of 513.00 Thousand in March of 2009. This page provides the latest reported value for - United States Building Permits - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. United States Building Permits - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on May of 2026.

Building Permits in the United States decreased to 1363 Thousand in March from 1538 Thousand in February of 2026. Building Permits in the United States is expected to be 1280.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United States Building Permits is projected to trend around 1300.00 Thousand in 2027 and 1280.00 Thousand in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-05-05 12:30 PM
Building Permits Final
Feb 1.538M 1.386M
2026-05-05 12:30 PM
Building Permits Final
Mar 1.363M 1.538M 1.35M
2026-05-21 12:30 PM
Building Permits Prel
Apr 1.363M 1.35M


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Building Permits 1363.00 1538.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Building Permits MoM -11.40 11.00 percent Mar 2026
Construction Spending MoM 0.60 -0.20 percent Mar 2026
Home Ownership Rate 65.30 65.70 percent Mar 2026
Housing Starts 1502.00 1356.00 Thousand units Mar 2026
Housing Starts MoM 10.80 -3.00 percent Mar 2026
Housing Starts Multi Family 446.00 407.00 Thousand units Mar 2026
Housing Starts Single Family 1032.00 941.00 Thousand units Mar 2026
New Home Sales 682.00 635.00 Thousand units Mar 2026
New Home Sales MoM 7.40 8.90 percent Mar 2026


United States Building Permits
Building Permits refer to the approvals given by a local jurisdictions before the construction of a new or existing building can legally occur. Not all areas of the United States require a permit for construction.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
1363.00 1538.00 2419.00 513.00 1960 - 2026 Thousand Monthly
Volume, SA

News Stream
US Building Permits Revised Down
US building permits fell 11.4% month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 1.363 million in March 2026, below the preliminary estimate of 1.372 million, revised figures showed. The reading marked the lowest level since August 2025. In February, building permits rose 11%. Permits for buildings with five or more units dropped by 24.9% to an annualized rate of 419 thousand, while single-family permits decreased by 3.8% to 895 Thousand. Regionally, permits declined in the Northeast (-30.2% to 113 thousand), the Midwest (-3.2% to 212 thousand), in the South (-8% to 715 thousand), and in the West (-15% to 323 thousand).
2026-05-05
US Building Permits Fall to 7-Month Low
US building permits fell 10.8% month-on-month in March 2026, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.372 million, the lowest since August 2025. In February, building permits rose 11%. Permits for buildings with five or more units dropped by 23.5% to an annualized rate of 427 thousand, while single-family permits decreased by 3.8% to 895 Thousand. Regionally, permits declined in the Northeast (-29% to 115 thousand), the Midwest (-2.3% to 214 thousand), in the South (-7.7% to 717 thousand), and in the West (-14.2% to 326 thousand). less
2026-04-29
US Building Permits Drop Less than Initially Thought in January
US building permits fell 4.7% month-on-month in January 2026, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.386 million, the lowest since August 2025, though the decline was less severe than the initial 5.4% estimate. Multi-unit permits plunged 12.4% to 458,000, while single-family permits edged down 0.6% to 876,000. Regionally, permits fell sharply in the West (-13.8% to 312,000), Northeast (-8.4% to 153,000), and South (-2.9% to 695,000), but rose 7.6% in the Midwest to 226,000.
2026-03-19