Checked
Building Permits in California
New housing units authorized, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
- Units, last 12 months
- 111,538
- +13.8% from a year earlier
- Single-family homes
- 55,792
- In buildings with 5+ units
- 50,381
- 2 to 4 unit buildings
- 5,365
New housing units authorized in California
New housing units authorized each month (not seasonally adjusted)
By building type, last 12 months
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| Building type | Buildings | Housing units | Construction value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family | 55,792 | 55,792 | $18.17B |
| 2 units | 2,086 | 4,172 | $800M |
| 3 and 4 units | 352 | 1,193 | $245M |
| 5 or more units | 1,516 | 50,381 | $9.25B |
Year by year
Final annual totals
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| Year | All units | Single-family | 5+ units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 103,856 | 57,739 | 41,484 |
| 2024 | 101,545 | 61,143 | 36,085 |
| 2023 | 111,760 | 58,534 | 49,324 |
| 2022 | 120,780 | 63,628 | 52,772 |
| 2021 | 119,436 | 65,890 | 49,507 |
| 2020 | 106,075 | 59,043 | 43,215 |
Building permits by county
Counties with a permit office in the survey
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Frequently asked questions
- How many building permits were issued in California?
- 111,538 new housing units were authorized in California in the 12 months through Aug 2026, up 13.8% from the 12 months before.
- Which California counties authorize the most new homes?
- In the last 12 months the most units were authorized in Los Angeles County (29,499), San Diego County (10,538), Riverside County (7,421).
- What does a building permit count mean?
- The Census Bureau counts new privately owned housing units authorized by building permits. A permit is not a finished home: some projects start months later and a few never start. Remodels and nonresidential buildings are not included.
- Why are some counties missing?
- Places without a local permit office are not covered, and some areas report only once a year. Census fills in estimates for permit offices that did not report in a given month.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey ยท Through Aug 2026