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October 14, 2025BUILDING PERMITS, AUGUST 2025 Monthly (seasonally adjusted, August 2025 vs July 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) declined 32.1% to $252.3 million, the largest decline among provinces. Halifax permits declined 20.2% to $154.5 million while permits outside the city fell 45.0% to $97.8 million. National permits fell 1.2% to $11.6 billion. Total building permit values were up in five provinces, led by Manitoba and British Columbia.
Nova Scotia's residential building permits fell 9.9% to $193.9 million. Halifax residential permits dropped 8.1% to $126.4 million. Outside the city, residential permit values fell 13.1% to $67.5 million. National residential building permit values fell 2.4% to $7.0 billion despite gains in seven provinces. Residential permit values were up most in Prince Edward Island. Alberta reported the fastest decline in residential permit values.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permits declined 62.6% to $58.4million, the second fastest decline among provinces. Halifax permits fell 49.8% to $28.2 million. Outside the city, non-residential permit values dropped 69.8% to $30.2 million. Despite declines in seven provinces, national non-residential building permit values grew 0.8% to $4.6 billion. The decline in non-residential building permits was led by Newfoundland and Labrador. Manitoba reported the fastest increase in non-residential permit values in August.
Year-to-date (January-August 2025 vs January-August 2024)
Nova Scotia's total building permits (residential and non-residential) were up 11.4% in the first eight months of the year comparing with the same period in 2024. Halifax permits declined 0.8% and outside the city permit values increased 30.9%. National permits were up 3.5%. Building permit values were up in six provinces, with Saskatchewan reporting the fastest increase. Prince Edward Island reported the fastest decline.
In the first eight months of 2025, Nova Scotia's residential building permits rose 4.4% compared to the same period in 2024. Halifax residential permits rose 4.3% and outside the city residential permit values increased 4.5%. National residential building permit values increased 5.1%. Residential permit values were up in all provinces except Ontario, with the fastest increases in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.
Nova Scotia's non-residential building permits rose 28.5% in the first eight months of 2025 (compared with the same period in 2024), the second fastest rise in non-residential permit values among provinces. Halifax permits declined 12.8% while non-residential permits outside the city almost doubled (+98.9%). National non-residential building permit values rose 0.8%. Non-residential permit values were down in six provinces, led by Prince Edward Island. Alberta reported the fastest gain in non-residential permit values.
Growth in total permits in the first eight months of the year was concentrated outside of Halifax. Residential permits rose across the province. Higher non-residential permits outside of Halifax were partially offset by lower non-residential permits in Halifax.
Permit values for single dwelling units and multiple unit permits were up across the province.
Non-residential permit values were up due to notable growth in commercial 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 (due to growth in Halifax) in the middle of 2023. Residential permits then grew at a slower pace through the first half of 2024 before declining in the second half of the year. In recent months, residential permits have trended modestly upward as contributions from outside the city offset declines in Halifax.
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 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 modestly upward on fluctuating permits for multiples in Halifax and higher overall residential permits outside of Halifax.
Non-residential building permits have lower values than residential permits. In Halifax, non-residential permits have started to decline on lower commercial and industrial projects. Outside the city, permits have exhibited a rise in recent months due to growth 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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