The University of Utah's Bureau recently released preliminary home permit data for June 2010. Just how are the counties of central Utah performing in the post-bubble era?
Both Wayne (up 113 percent) and Sanpete (up 50 percent) counties both show a dramatic increase in the number of new dwelling units approved for the first six months of 2010 compared with the same time period in 2009. Of course, for most counties 2009 marked the worst year of the housing bubble collapse. On the other hand, permits in both Millard and Sevier counties are down compared to last year. In Sevier County, the declines are less pronounced--a drop of 16 percent. However, Millard County home permits are down 80 percent from last year. Statewide home permits dropped by 6 percent--a relatively small decline in the volatile world on construction permitting.
When it comes to new nonresidential approved construction, the story is basically the same. Both Wayne and Sanpete counties show notable increases in permit values for the first half of 2010 while Sevier and Millard counties show a decline in nonresidential permit values. Statewide, new nonresidential construction is up slightly. Keep in mind that public projects are typically not permitted.
For more information on construction permitting data see the Utah Bureau of Economic and Business website.
