US building permits fell 0.4% month-on-month in September 2026 to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.398 million, slightly below the preliminary estimate of 1.4 million. This marked a second consecutive monthly decline and the lowest level since June, highlighting continued weakness in the housing market as elevated mortgage rates and rising inventories of unsold new homes weighed on construction activity. Permits for multifamily buildings with five or more units declined 0.5% to 552,000, while single-family permits edged up 0.1% to 846,000. Regionally, permitting activity fell sharply in the West (-9.5% to 285,000) and remained unchanged in the Midwest at 212,000. In contrast, the South recorded a 1.1% increase to 756,000, while the Northeast saw permits surge 13.3% to 145,000. source: U.S. Census Bureau

Building Permits in the United States decreased to 1398 Thousand in September from 1403 Thousand in August of 2026. Building Permits in the United States averaged 1374.76 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 October of 2026.

Building Permits in the United States decreased to 1398 Thousand in September from 1403 Thousand in August of 2026. Building Permits in the United States is expected to be 1380.00 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
2026-10-20 12:30 PM
Building Permits Prel
Sep 1.4M 1.403M 1.39M 1.39M
2026-10-27 12:00 PM
Building Permits Final
Sep 1.398M 1.403M 1.4M 1.4M
2026-11-18 01:30 PM
Building Permits Prel
Oct 1.398M


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Building Permits 1398.00 1403.00 Thousand Sep 2026
Building Permits MoM -0.40 -2.10 percent Sep 2026
Construction Spending MoM 0.90 -0.10 percent Aug 2026
Home Ownership Rate 65.50 65.00 percent Sep 2026
Housing Starts 1221.00 1288.00 Thousand units Sep 2026
Housing Starts MoM -5.20 -5.90 percent Sep 2026
Housing Starts Multi Family 349.00 376.00 Thousand units Sep 2026
Housing Starts Single Family 859.00 900.00 Thousand units Sep 2026
New Home Sales 676.00 680.00 Thousand units Sep 2026
New Home Sales MoM -0.60 5.10 percent Sep 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
1398.00 1403.00 2419.00 513.00 1960 - 2026 Thousand Monthly
Volume, SA

News Stream
US Building Permits Fall for Second Consecutive Month
US building permits fell 0.4% month-on-month in September 2026 to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.398 million, slightly below the preliminary estimate of 1.4 million. This marked a second consecutive monthly decline and the lowest level since June, highlighting continued weakness in the housing market as elevated mortgage rates and rising inventories of unsold new homes weighed on construction activity. Permits for multifamily buildings with five or more units declined 0.5% to 552,000, while single-family permits edged up 0.1% to 846,000. Regionally, permitting activity fell sharply in the West (-9.5% to 285,000) and remained unchanged in the Midwest at 212,000. In contrast, the South recorded a 1.1% increase to 756,000, while the Northeast saw permits surge 13.3% to 145,000.
2026-10-27
US Building Permits Fall Less than Expected
Building Permits in the United States decreased 0.2% month-over-month to 1.400 million units in September 2026, marginally above market expectations of 1.390 million. Single-family permits fell 4% to 845,000, while permits for buildings with five or more units rose 5.9% to 503,000. Regionally, permits fell in the West (-10.2% to 283,000), but rose in the Northeast (13.3% to 145,000), the Midwest (0.5% to 213,000), and the South (1.5% to 759,000).
2026-10-20
US Building Permits Fall Less than Initially Thought
Building Permits in the United States decreased 2.1% month-over-month to 1.403 million units in August 2026, compared to initial estimates of a larger 2.7% fall to 1.394 million. Permits for buildings with five or more units fell 1.5% to 475,000, and single-family permits decreased 1.6% to 880,000. Regionally, permits fell in the Northeast (-15.8% to 128,000), and the Midwest (-5.8% to 212,000), but rose in the West (2.3% to 315,000) and were unchanged in the South (at 748,000).
2026-09-24