The housing starts and building permits report is released three weeks after the reference month. Housing starts are divided into single-family and multi-family categories. A start is counted when the excavation begins. A single-family start counts as one, while each unit in a multi-family structure counts as one start.
Building permits data are collected along with housing starts from a monthly survey of 8,500 of a possible 19,000 permit users. The vast majority of permits relate to single-family units. Construction of housing units authorized by permits typically start during the month of issuance. The remainder typically begin within the next three months.
