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June 11, 2026BUILDING PERMITS, APRIL 2026 Monthly (seasonally adjusted, April 2026 vs March 2026)
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 20.2% to $292.2 million, the second fastest gain among provinces after Prince Edward Island. Halifax permits grew 29.5% to $190.7 million while permits outside the city rose 6.0% to $101.5 million. National permits fell 7.6% to $12.5 billion with declines in five provinces. The fastest decline was reported in British Columbia.
Nova Scotia's residential building permits grew 5.3% to $215.9 million. Halifax residential permits increased 22.7% to $157.5 million. Outside the city, residential permit values fell 23.8% to $58.4 million. National residential building permit values fell 5.5% to $7.5 billion with declines in five provinces. Residential permit values were down most in British Columbia. Prince Edward Island reported the fastest gain.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permits rose 100.8% to $76.3 million, the fastest gain among provinces. Halifax non-residential permits rose 75.7% to $33.3 million. Outside the city, non-residential permit values increased 125.8% to $43.0 million. National non-residential building permit values dropped 10.5% to $5.0 billion with declines in five provinces. British Columbia reported the steepest decline.
Year-to-date (January-April 2026 vs January-April 2025)
Nova Scotia's total building permits (residential and non-residential) were down 23.3% in the first four months of 2026 comparing with the same period in 2025, the fastest decline among provinces. Halifax permits declined 12.9% and outside the city permit values decreased 34.8%. National permits were up 3.2%. Building permit values were up in five provinces. British Columbia reported the largest gain.
In the first four months of 2026, Nova Scotia's residential building permits edged down 0.1% compared to the same period in 2025. Halifax residential permits increased 7.0% and outside the city residential permit values decreased 10.7%. National residential building permit values decreased 1.2%. Residential permit values were down in seven provinces, with the fastest decline in Prince Edward Island. The largest gain was reported in Manitoba.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permits dropped 51.8% in the first four months of 2026 (compared with the same period in 2025), the fastest decline among provinces. Halifax permits declined 46.5% while non-residential permits outside the city fell 55.9%. National non-residential building permit values rose 10.9%, despite declines in six provinces. Prince Edward Island reported the fastest gain in year-to-date non-residential permit values.
Across the province, non-residential permits declined in January-April 2026 compared to January-April 2025. Halifax residential permit values rise offset the decline in the rest of the province.
Permit values for single dwelling units were down across the province. Halifax multiple unit permit values rise offset the slight decline in the rest of the province.
All categories of non-residential permit values were down across the province except a rise in commercial permits outside of Halifax.
Year-to-date building permit values declined across the province except multiple unit dwellings. Halifax building permit values declined across all categories except multiple unit dwellings. Outside the city, building permit values declined across all categories except commercial projects.
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.
Residential permits followed a stable trend in late 2023 and early 2024, and had trended upward through most of 2025 though declining in recent months.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permit values also reached a plateau from late 2023 through 2024. Non-residential permits have trended up through the first half of 2025 due to notable growth outside the city. In recent months, non-residential building permit values are declining.
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, single dwelling unit permits are more common than permits for multi-unit structures. In recent month, there has been a rebound in multi-unit building permits across the province, mostly pushed up by Halifax.
Non-residential building permits have lower values than residential permits. In Halifax, all categories of non-residential permits have decreased in recent months. Outside the city, permits had a rising trend in 2025 due to sharp growth in institutional/government permits though in recent months there has been a sharp decline in institutional/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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