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July 11, 2025BUILDING PERMITS, MAY 2025 Monthly (seasonally adjusted, May 2025 vs April 2025)
Changes in monthly building permit values are typically very volatile, with large swings from one month to the next.
Nova Scotia's total building permits (residential and non-residential) rose 13.6% to $307.3 million. Halifax permits rose 25.3% to $188.8 million while permits outside the city dropped 1.1% to $118.5 million. National permits grew 12.0% to $13.11 billion. Total building permit values were up in seven provinces, led by Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Manitoba reported the fastest monthly decline in building permit values.
Nova Scotia's residential building permits grew 44.2% to $232.9 million. Halifax residential permits rose 79.6% to $147.4 million. Outside the city, residential permit values increased 7.6% to $85.5 million. National residential building permit values rose 2.3% to $7.54 billion. Residential permit values were up in five of ten provinces, led by British Columbia. Saskatchewan reported the fastest decline in residential permit values.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permits fell 31.7% to $74.3 million, the fastest monthly decline among provinces. Halifax permits dropped 39.7% to $41.4 million. Outside the city, non-residential permit values declined 18.1% to $33.0 million. National non-residential building permit values rose 28.4% to $5.57 billion. Non-residential permit values were up in seven of ten provinces, led by Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island.
Year-to-date (January-May 2025 vs January-May 2024)
Nova Scotia's total building permits (residential and non-residential) were up 2.6% in the first five months of the year comparing with the same period in 2024. Halifax permits declined 10.4% and outside the city permit values increased 23.8%. National permits were up 5.5%. Building permit values were up in seven provinces, with Saskatchewan and New Brunswick reporting the fastest increases. Manitoba reported the fastest decline.
In the first five months of 2025, Nova Scotia's residential building permits dropped 11.5% compared to the same period in 2024, the largest year-to-date decline among provinces. Halifax residential permits fell 16.2% and outside the city residential permit values fell 3.7%. National residential building permit values increased 10.6%. Residential permit values were up in eight provinces, with the fastest increases in Saskatchewan.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permits rose 41.4% in the first five months of 2025 (compared with the same period in 2024), the fastest rise in non-residential permit values among provinces. Halifax permits increased 6.4% while non-residential permits outside the city rose 92.5%. National non-residential building permit values declined 2.3%. Non-residential permit values were up in five provinces, led by Nova Scotia. Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island reported the steepest decline.
Higher non-residential permits were partially offset by lower residential permits across the province in the first five months of 2025 (compared with the same period in 2024), resulting in higher overall permits in Nova Scotia. Halifax permits were lower than during the same period last year as lower residential more than offset the rise in non-residential permits.
Permit values for single dwelling units were down slightly in Halifax and up in the rest of Nova Scotia. Multiple unit permits fell across the province.
Non-residential permit values were up due to notable growth in commercial permits across the province and institutional/government permits outside of Halifax. Industrial permit values were up in Halifax and down in the rest of Nova Scotia resulting in a slight decline in industrial permit value in Nova Scotia.
Trends
Overall building permit values have generally been on a rising trend for several years, though there have been periods of declining values over this period. Rising permit values are mostly driven by higher residential permits within Halifax, as well as outside the city, to a smaller degree.
After trending down in late 2022 and early 2023, residential permit values started to rise again in Halifax in the middle of 2023. Halifax residential permits reached a peak mid-2024 and trended down through the second half of the year. In recent months, Halifax residential permits have trended down.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permit values started to rise in early 2023 before reaching a plateau through the end of the year. Non-residential permit values reached a plateau in Halifax while declining in the rest of Nova Scotia, resulting in a continuation of flat trend for most of 2024. Non-residential permits have trended up in recent months due to notable growth outside the city.
Trends in residential permit values reflect the differences in housing markets for Halifax and the rest of the province. In Halifax, growth in permit values for multi-unit dwellings has outpaced growth in single-dwelling unit permits. Outside the city the situation is reversed, where single dwelling unit permits are more common than permits for multi-unit structures. Residential permits trended down in the second half of 2024 due to the decline among multiples in Halifax and lower permits for single unit dwellings. In recent months, residential permits are broadly flat as the multiples offset some decine among singles through 2025.
Non-residential building permits have lower values than residential permits. In Halifax, non-residential permits reached a trough and have been trending up in recent months. Institutional/governmental projects have been declining in recent months and commercial and industrial projects are trending up. Outside the city, permits have exhibited a rise in recent months due to growth in commercial and institutional and government permits.
Source: Statistics Canada. Table 34-10-0292-01 Building permits, by type of structure and type of work (x 1,000)
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