CT homebuilding permits more than double in May

New housing construction in Connecticut heated up in May, as the number of home permits issued during the month more than doubled compared to a year ago, despite economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 health pandemic, new data shows.

There were 535 single- and multifamily permits issued last month in 104 towns and cities, up from 260 permits issued in May 2019, according to the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), citing U.S. Census Bureau data. 

That represents the largest number of homebuilding permits approved during the month of May since 2015, data shows. It also reverses April’s sharp decline, when the state experienced a 65% reduction in new permits compared to a year earlier.

Prior to April’s report, new housing permits in Connecticut had increased year-over-year for eight consecutive months.
 
Most of the new permits issued in May — 398 — were for new apartments, while 125 permits were for single-family homes, data shows. 

Among communities sampled in May, the most permits were issued in New Haven (307 permits issued), Norwich (60) and Milford (11).

For the year, there have been 1,903 housing permits issued, up 7.4% from 1,772 issued at this time in 2019. New Haven has had the largest number of permits issued with 688.

The housing permit report surfaced a week after the Greater Hartford Association of Realtors said that home and condo sales in the area continued to slow in May as prospective sellers were likely reluctant to list their homes as cases of COVID-19 mounted nationwide. The good news, however, is that median home prices for homes continue to rise across the Hartford area.