The total value of building permits issued in the city of Spokane declined significantly from January to September 2025 from a year earlier, according to permit data provided by the city of Spokane. 

Total building permits, which include new buildings, additions and alterations, and demolitions, issued in the first nine months in 2025 had a total construction value of $362 million, down 44.3% compared with a value of $650.5 million between January and September 2024.

The city issued a total of 4,366 construction permits in that timeframe, down 2.7% from 4,485 permits that were issued the previous year. A majority of building permits issued were for existing additions and alterations, data shows. 

A total of 572 housing units were permitted through September 2025, down 52.8% from 1,211 units permitted the previous year. The decrease in housing units permitted by the city is attributed to both a decline in single-family homes and multifamily units permitted in this year.

Only 115 single-family homes were permitted, with a total value of $41.7 million through September 2025, down from 214 single-family homes permitted in 2024, which were valued at $83.6 million. Two single-family townhomes were permitted year-to-date through September, a 93.5% decrease from the prior year.

A total of 424 residential units have been permitted in multifamily projects in 2025, down from 817 units permitted in the year earlier period. The total construction value of multifamily projects in the city is $91.6 million through September, down from $138.7 million through the first nine months of 2024. 

Fifty-two duplex units, valued at $10.9 million, have been permitted, up 36.8%, from 38 units, valued at $9.1 million, in the year-earlier period.

No mixed-use projects have been permitted in the city of Spokane through September, a stark difference compared to 119 units in 2024, permit information shows.