Southern California is enjoying a bit of a homebuilding renaissance with residential construction permits running near a 19-year high.
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My trusty spreadsheet peeked at building permits in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties – for renting or owning – and found that developers in the 12 months ending in March had plans approved for the most housing since August 2007.
But the past year’s 59,900 Southern California permits were not the result of uniform swings in homebuilding across the region, or in the types of housing being planned.
L.A.-O.C.’s boom
When you eyeball the three big metropolitan areas, the region comprising Los Angeles and Orange counties is permitting’s hotspot.
The 33,800 units approved in the past year were the fastest pace since July 2018. And they were 15% above the previous four years’ average, a period considered a building boom in many parts of the nation.
And ponder permits for multifamily units, primarily housing in apartment complexes. It’s the developer’s current favorite.
L.A.-Orange County’s 21,300 multifamily permits filed over the past year equaled 63% of all housing construction.
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This represented the swiftest construction clip for multifamily units since November 2021, equaling 17% growth above the 2021-25 average.
Single-family permits increased by 11% in the same timeframe.
Inland chill
The Inland Empire’s 14,200 permits in the past year were 12% below the previous four years and the lowest since February 2021.
The 5,700 multifamily permits in Riverside and San Bernardino counties equaled 40% of all housing construction. It’s multifamily’s second-fastest pace since March 2024, and it’s 24% above the 2021-25 average.
Quite the contrast to the 26% drop in single-family permitting.
San Diego upswing
San Diego County’s 11,900 permits in the past year were a 16% boost from 2021-25 and the highest since September 2025.
The 8,500 multifamily permits equaled 71% of all housing construction. This represented multifamily’s largest construction effort since September 2025, and it’s 21% above the 2021-25 average.
Meanwhile, single-family permitting rose only 6%.
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at [email protected].
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