Housing permits in Seattle metro hit lowest level since 2011 as builders hesitate

New home construction has slowed in the Puget Sound region as market uncertainty and rising costs deter homebuyers and builders.

The 4,498 housing permits issued in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties between January and April is a 27.3% decline compared to the same period last year, according to figures tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau.

In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area, housing permits approved in the first quarter were at the lowest quarterly level since the second quarter of 2011.

Many homebuilders are balking at starting new projects due to President Donald Trump’s constantly shifting tariff plans, said Jennifer Tennyson, president of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties.

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2025/06/19/construction-housing-permits-down.html