US Construction Permits by Metro, 2026: New York, Miami-Dade, Austin, Nashville, Chicago and Seattle Compared
In the first half of 2026, New York City issued 53,624 permits (February to June), Miami-Dade 20,481 worth $9.9B, Austin 14,914, Nashville 4,287, Chicago 3,667 and Seattle 3,012. Chicago's declared value rose 74% on H1 2025 and Seattle's 27%; Nashville's fell 6%. From each city's public permit record, screened for data-entry errors.
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Permits and value, H1 2026
| Metro | Permits, H1 2026 | vs H1 2025 | Declared value, H1 2026 | Value vs H1 2025 | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | 53,624 | partial year | $17,138M | – | H1 2026 New York City report |
| Miami-Dade | 20,481 | +0% | $9,881M | +6% | H1 2026 Miami-Dade report |
| Austin | 14,914 | -2% | not published | – | H1 2026 Austin report |
| Nashville | 4,287 | -1% | $1,688M | -6% | H1 2026 Nashville report |
| Chicago | 3,667 | -1% | $4,883M | +74% | H1 2026 Chicago report |
| Seattle | 3,012 | -1% | $1,806M | +27% | H1 2026 Seattle report |
Builders active in the last 12 months
| Metro | Builders with a new-build permit | With a phone on file | With a website on file |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Dade | 1,797 | 1,468 | 1,270 |
| Austin | 1,589 | 1,235 | 1,226 |
| New York | 1,272 | 1,117 | 980 |
| Nashville | 973 | 645 | 601 |
| Chicago | 587 | 415 | 438 |
Projects open for each trade
| Metro | Electrical | Plumbing | HVAC | Drywall | Flooring |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 21,956 | 20,956 | 22,078 | 20,909 | 17,020 |
| Austin | 7,093 | 7,091 | 7,093 | 8,481 | 7,277 |
| Miami-Dade | 4,938 | 4,564 | 4,980 | 4,444 | 3,725 |
| Nashville | 1,540 | 1,482 | 1,545 | 1,411 | 1,133 |
| Chicago | 1,092 | 1,075 | 1,092 | 1,110 | 1,013 |
| Seattle | 764 | 730 | 770 | 734 | 601 |
Read October 1, 2026 from Builtie's permit data. A project counts when its permit was issued in the last four years, its stage sits inside the trade's award window, and the trade's share of the project clears the smallest contract the trade usually takes. Miami-Dade is the county feed (unincorporated Miami-Dade plus many of its cities). New York's feed starts in February 2026. Austin states a construction cost on 7% of permits, so its counts are the least filtered by job size and its median is not published.
Search the permits yourself: Building permit lookup: Austin, Building permit lookup: Miami-Dade, Building permit lookup: New York City, Building permit lookup: Nashville, Building permit lookup: Chicago, Building permit lookup: Seattle.
Plans and coverage
Builtie's Starter plan is $79 per seat per month (CAD) for 20 projects; Growth is $99 for 50 projects and adds the LinkedIn and email outreach you run yourself. Opening a project spends one credit, and the decision makers, emails, phones and AI call script inside it are included. Your monthly credits reset at each renewal, and extra credit packs are valid for 30 days. The free trial runs 7 days with 10 projects. Custom, where Builtie's team runs the outreach for you, starts from CAD $1,500 a month on top of a Growth seat.
Builtie covers North America, with its deepest permit and contact data in the Greater Toronto Area, where it started. How much a city yields depends on what that municipality publishes, so ask for live sample projects in your own city before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Which US city issues the most building permits?
Of the six metros Builtie tracks at permit level, New York City: 53,624 in February to June 2026, ahead of Miami-Dade's 20,481 for the full half.
Where is US construction growing in 2026?
By declared value in H1 2026: Chicago up 74% and Seattle up 27% on H1 2025; Miami-Dade up 6%; Nashville down 6%.
How much does Builtie cost?
Starter is $79 per seat per month (CAD) for 20 projects; Growth is $99 for 50 projects plus LinkedIn and email outreach; 7-day free trial with 10 projects. Billed monthly.