Permits and Completions
Residential Building Permits and Estimated Completions by Type
Any analysis of housing markets and development activity must consider new housing supply. Housing strategies revolve around issues such as having enough housing in the pipeline being developed of a certain type. Since demand for housing can change quickly and supply is slow to respond, planning responses should be based up knowing what types of construction are being proposed and what has recently been completed. When housing affordability issues arise, these supply considerations take on greater importance.
The links below provide data on residential building permits obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau and data on housing completions estimated by the Washington State Office of Financial Management. The residential completions data are provided annually for years starting April 1 each year (this is because they are based in part on the decennial census that occurs on that date). The first link below provides completions data for 2016/17 through 2020/21 and annual permit data for 2016 through 2020, while the second link provides updated numbers for 2020/21 through the most recent year available. The most recent building permit data (third and fourth links) are monthly starting with January 2019 (in most cases) and updated on a quarterly basis.
Annual Residential Building Permit Data (2016-2020) and Completions Data (2016/17-2020/21)
Annual Housing Completions Report (from 2020/21)
Monthly Residential Building Permit Data for Cities, Towns, and Unincorporated Areas
