The number of new home started nationwide in December fell 4.1 percent from November, according to construction data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Still, builders are optimistic following the release because housing starts on single-family homes rose 4.4 percent from the previous month. [more]

While housing construction is slow now, a new report provides some hope for the struggling construction industry. Building permits in October rose 10.9 percent over September’s figure on a seasonally adjusted basis, and now stand 17.7 percent above the rate achieved in October 2010, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Commerce released today. Much of the gain can be attributed to permits for buildings of at least five units, which gained 29.5 percent over September and 62.9 percent compared to the same period a year ago. – Adam Fusfeld [more]

Building permit activity has fallen since the crash in 2007, but there are signs that builders have almost completely stopped activity in a number of states, where no one seems to want to buy a new home. At the top (or bottom) of the list is Rhode Island, where building permits have declined 70.81 percent in the last six years, and there are just 312 building permits so far this year. New York, which has one of the largest housing markets in the country, has seen 11,033 building permits in 2011, but that number is a 61.8 percent drop from 2005 — and less than half of the 28,921 permits taken out in 2005. Florida is not among the top 10. [MSNBC]
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The annual rate of building permits issued for new privately-owned U.S. housing units fell by another 8.2 percent in February to a record-low 517,000, according to the latest data from the Commerce Department, backing up analysts’ predictions that a sustained recovery in the housing market is still elusive. The permitting rate, which is indicative of future construction activity in the housing sector, was 20.5 percent below its level in February 2010, the figures show. Meanwhile, housing starts were at an annual rate of just 479,000, down 22.5 percent from January and 20.8 percent from the rate last year at this time. The country was also on pace for 581,000 annual housing completions last month, a 13.9 percent increase from January’s 510,000 completion rate but 13 percent below the rate recorded in February 2010. TRD

Housing starts declined in October, while predictions for future building permits rose, according to data released today by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Privately owned housing starts in October were at a rate of 519,000, 11.7 percent below the September estimate of 588,000, and 1.9 percent below the October 2009 rate of 529,000. Single-family housing starts in October were at a rate of 436,000, 1.1 percent below the September figure. Building permits in October 2010 were 550,000, up .5 percent from September but down 4.5 percent from October 2009. “While recent months have shown increases in housing activity, today’s
data reminds us that employment and incomes must continue to strengthen
before the housing market is likely to show sustainable growth,” said
Gary Locke, secretary of the commerce department. “The backlog of homes
under construction has been greatly reduced, however, which is a
positive sign for future construction growth.” TRD

Building permits were up but housing starts and housing completions dropped between November and December 2009, according to nationwide residential construction data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (see full report here). Year-over-year, it was dismal across the board. Privately owned homes that received building permits last month were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 653,000, nearly 11 percent over November’s 589,000, the statistics show. Housing starts month-over-month for privately owned homes were down a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 557,000, 4 percent below the revised November estimate of 580,000. And privately owned housing completions last month dropped a seasonally adjusted rate of 768,000 from 865,000 in November. Year-over-year, residential construction was in bad shape, the data show, with fewer building permits issued in 2009, fewer homes started and housing completions dropping. TRD [more]

Since 2008, Palm Beach County has paid the Army Corps of Engineers to
keep a full-time permit reviewer on staff for the review of county
building projects. But a majority of county commissioners this week
said they were not in favor of continuing the contract, since the
county faces serious budget cuts. But county administrators said
getting rid of the employee could stall county projects. Work that will
need permits from the corps includes expansion plans for the biotech
research area surrounding the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter. [more]

Building permit numbers plunged in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, where
filings fell 39 percent and 43 percent respectively from a year ago.
Permit activity in both cities has dipped below 2000 levels. Permit
fees put $300,000 in Delray Beach city coffers, though builders in the
area feel the permitting process remains onerous and expensive, even in
a more robust economy. [more]

Following the county commissioners’ recent extension of a Miami-Dade county freeze on building permits for mobile home park properties, some are worried that the county is exposing itself to lawsuits. The owner of Colonial Acres Mobile Home Park at 9674 NW 10th Avenue has filed a vested rights claim with the county asking for a zoning application to be processed, and some commissioners think the owner may file a lawsuit next. The owner had secured a land use amendment for the park property five days before commissioners began the freeze in 2007. [more]