The number of single-family home building permits increased in August after four months of decline, according to the Northeast Florida Builders Association.
A total of 1,180 permits were issued in Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties in August. In July, 940 permits were issued.
The year began with 1,457 permits in January but began to show slight decreases beginning in April, with 1,208 issued. There were 1,195 permits issued in May and 1,193 in June.
The pace of building permits is trailing 2021 by 11%. Through August, 9,942 permits have been issued compared to 11,183 for the same period last year.
Last year, a total of 16,138 permits were granted.
The August rebound reflects the end of vacations and a continued confidence in the local market, said NEFBA Executive Officer Jessie Spradley.
“I reached out to a couple of builders and they are feeling good about our market,” he said.
“One told me that people are back from vacation and he is getting qualified traffic in his models that can buy. Locally, there are buyers out shopping.”
This year remains 25% ahead of the precoronavirus pandemic numbers of 2019.
Spradley said supply chain problems, especially with asphalt and transformers, are holding back permits until the inventory of basic materials returns to normal.
Three of the four counties showed increases in August. Duval had its best month of 2022 with 576 compared to 301 in July, Nassau had 140, up from 99, St. Johns increased to 355 from 321. Clay fell to 109 after issuing 210 in July.
