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May 14, 2025BUILDING PERMITS, MARCH 2025 Monthly (seasonally adjusted, March 2025 vs February 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) grew 0.7% to $325.3 million. Halifax permits fell 33.7% to $130.2 million while permits outside the city rose 54.0% to $195.1 million. National permits dropped 4.1% to $12.88 billion. Total building permit values were down in six provinces, led by Saskatchewan. Newfoundland and Labrador reported the largest monthly gain in building permit values.
Nova Scotia's residential building permits rose 0.8% to $198.6 million. Halifax residential permits dropped 36.4% to $90.5 million. Outside the city, residential permit values rose 97.2% to $108.1 million. National residential building permit values grew 2.0% to $8.65 billion. Residential permit values were up in six of ten provinces, led by Saskatchewan. New Brunswick and Manitoba reported the fastest declines in residential permit values.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permits rose 0.5% to $126.7 million. Halifax permits declined 26.7% to $39.7 million. Outside the city, non-residential permit values rose 21.0% to $87.0 million. National non-residential building permit values fell 14.5% to $4.23 billion. Non-residential permit values were up in five of ten provinces, led by Newfoundland and Labrador. Saskatchewan reported the fastest decline in non-residential permit values.
Year-to-date (January-March 2025 vs January-March 2024)
Nova Scotia's total building permits (residential and non-residential) were up 12.7% in the first three months of the year comparing with the same period in 2024. Halifax permits declined 0.6% and outside the city permit values increased 31.4%. National permits were up 13.9%. Building permit values were up in every province except Manitoba, with Saskatchewan and New Brunswick reporting the fastest increases.
In the first three months of 2025, Nova Scotia's residential building permits dropped 9.5% compared to the same period in 2024. Halifax residential permits fell 5.4% and outside the city residential permit values fell 15.3%. National residential building permit values increased 27.6%. Residential permit values were up in every province except Nova Scotia, with the fastest increases in Saskatchewan.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permits rose 80.1% in the first three months of 2025 (compared with the same period in 2024). Halifax permits increased 14.0% while non-residential permits outside the city rose 173.5%. National non-residential building permit values declined 5.9%. Non-residential permit values were up in six provinces, led by Nova Scotia. Prince Edward Island reported the largest decline.
Higher non-residential permits were partially offset by lower residential permits across the province in the first three months of 2025 (compared with the same period in 2024), resulting in higher overall permits in Nova Scotia. Halifax permits were slightly 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 essentially unchanged across the province. 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 fell across the province.
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 up.
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 have trended up due to the increase among multiples in Halifax.
Non-residential building permits have lower values than residential permits. In Halifax, non-residential permits reached a peak and have been trending down for several months. Institutional/governmental projects have been declining in recent months and commercial projects are trending up. After rising in early 2023, Halifax values for industrial building permits subsequently declined and remained flat since the second half of 2024. 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 34-10-0285-01 Building permits, by type of structure and type of work (x 1,000)
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