Austin’s Small-Scale Housing Report: Houses and 2-/3-Unit Sites Permitted Each Month
Look beyond one month
The latest three complete months total 544 adjusted units, compared with 634 in the preceding three (down 14.2%). This short comparison is not seasonally adjusted. The twelve-month sum is 1,899; use the monthly rows to see whether a headline increase persists.
Latest complete month: September 2026
Adjusted citywide measure; use the same boundary for the prior-year comparison. Inspect issued records before treating activity as future competition.
| Measure | Count |
|---|---|
| Adjusted housing-unit count | 168 |
| Site groups (1–3 classified units) | 107 |
| — single houses (1-unit) | 89 |
| — 2-unit sites | 13 |
| — 3-unit sites | 5 |
The last twelve months
Open a count to inspect its available address records.
† Still settling: later related permits can move site classifications upward. Recent two- and three-unit group counts may understate the eventual mix; unit and group totals are separate measures.
Annual history: broader building series
For a longer view, the broader building series recorded 2,402 units in 2025 and 2,019 in 2024. These full years avoid comparing a partial current year with twelve completed months. The current-year row is year to date through 2026-10-05.
| Year | Broader building-series units |
|---|---|
| 2026 (year to date, through 2026-10-05) | 1,849 |
| 2025 | 2,402 |
| 2024 | 2,019 |
| 2023 | 1,953 |
| 2022 | 3,280 |
| 2021 | 4,066 |
| 2020 | 3,946 |
| 2019 | 4,381 |
| 2018 | 4,090 |
| 2017 | 4,217 |
| 2016 | 3,897 |
| 2015 | 3,143 |
| 2014 | 3,102 |
| 2013 | 2,988 |
| 2012 | 2,574 |
| 2011 | 1,797 |
| 2010 | 1,923 |
| 2009 | 2,214 |
| 2008 | 3,117 |
| 2007 | 4,119 |
| 2006 | 4,665 |
| 2005 | 3,642 |
| 2004 | 2,654 |
| 2003 | 2,017 |
| 2002 | 1,368 |
| 2001 | 795 |
| 2000 | 892 |
| 1999 | 3,538 |
| 1998 | 3,746 |
| 1997 | 2,814 |
| 1996 | 2,951 |
| 1995 | 2,236 |
| 1994 | 2,184 |
| 1993 | 2,269 |
| 1992 | 1,745 |
| 1991 | 1,284 |
| 1990 | 916 |
| 1989 | 854 |
| 1988 | 1,091 |
| 1987 | 821 |
| 1986 | 2,096 |
| 1985 | 2,031 |
| 1984 | 3,883 |
| 1983 | 3,927 |
| 1982 | 4,253 |
| 1981 | 3,879 |
This table retains the broader building totals, including four-unit building records. It is not the sum of the adjusted monthly column above. Compare report scopes.
Citywide: how many units per lot
This citywide history describes the total homes classified on each lot, including retained dwellings. It cannot be added to the authorization totals. † Recent categories remain provisional. Lot grouping and validation limits.
By year
| Year | 1-unit lots | 2-unit lots | 3-unit lots | 1-, 2- and 3-unit lots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 † | 955 | 129 | 57 | 1,141 |
| 2025 | 904 | 181 | 98 | 1,183 |
| 2024 | 909 | 234 | 39 | 1,182 |
| 2023 | 1,038 | 197 | 10 | 1,245 |
| 2022 | 2,223 | 224 | 13 | 2,460 |
| 2021 | 2,637 | 220 | 9 | 2,866 |
| 2020 | 2,699 | 154 | 8 | 2,861 |
| 2019 | 2,959 | 218 | 10 | 3,187 |
| 2018 | 2,677 | 158 | 10 | 2,845 |
| 2017 | 2,762 | 210 | 9 | 2,981 |
| 2016 | 2,642 | 213 | 12 | 2,867 |
| 2015 | 1,890 | 186 | 34 | 2,110 |
| 2014 | 1,947 | 181 | 15 | 2,143 |
| 2013 | 2,028 | 156 | 14 | 2,198 |
| 2012 | 1,618 | 149 | 13 | 1,780 |
| 2011 | 1,191 | 73 | 11 | 1,275 |
| 2010 | 1,152 | 82 | 5 | 1,239 |
| 2009 | 1,564 | 82 | 2 | 1,648 |
| 2008 | 1,958 | 265 | 20 | 2,243 |
| 2007 | 2,584 | 283 | 18 | 2,885 |
| 2006 | 3,454 | 357 | 21 | 3,832 |
| 2005 | 2,740 | 207 | 31 | 2,978 |
| 2004 | 1,896 | 136 | 19 | 2,051 |
| 2003 | 1,435 | 112 | 14 | 1,561 |
| 2002 | 806 | 101 | 9 | 916 |
| 2001 | 499 | 41 | 3 | 543 |
| 2000 | 667 | 33 | 1 | 701 |
| 1999 | 2,915 | 78 | 10 | 3,003 |
| 1998 | 3,232 | 89 | 3 | 3,324 |
| 1997 | 2,331 | 100 | 4 | 2,435 |
| 1996 | 2,509 | 117 | 6 | 2,632 |
| 1995 | 2,008 | 46 | 3 | 2,057 |
| 1994 | 1,931 | 69 | 11 | 2,011 |
| 1993 | 2,073 | 47 | 8 | 2,128 |
| 1992 | 1,583 | 16 | 2 | 1,601 |
| 1991 | 1,168 | 13 | 2 | 1,183 |
| 1990 | 820 | 17 | 1 | 838 |
| 1989 | 773 | 16 | 0 | 789 |
| 1988 | 990 | 33 | 0 | 1,023 |
| 1987 | 612 | 51 | 1 | 664 |
| 1986 | 1,656 | 140 | 10 | 1,806 |
| 1985 | 1,334 | 164 | 7 | 1,505 |
| 1984 | 2,312 | 584 | 14 | 2,910 |
| 1983 | 2,454 | 599 | 7 | 3,060 |
| 1982 | 2,385 | 509 | 3 | 2,897 |
| 1981 | 2,331 | 564 | 28 | 2,923 |
Recent months
| Month | 1-unit lots | 2-unit lots | 3-unit lots | 1-, 2- and 3-unit lots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 † | 89 | 13 | 5 | 107 |
| August 2026 † | 117 | 7 | 5 | 129 |
| July 2026 † | 123 | 16 | 10 | 149 |
| June 2026 † | 126 | 15 | 7 | 148 |
| May 2026 † | 97 | 22 | 4 | 123 |
| April 2026 † | 141 | 10 | 4 | 155 |
| March 2026 | 108 | 12 | 11 | 131 |
| February 2026 | 68 | 20 | 7 | 95 |
| January 2026 | 67 | 12 | 4 | 83 |
| December 2025 | 55 | 16 | 5 | 76 |
| November 2025 | 45 | 10 | 6 | 61 |
| October 2025 | 40 | 16 | 9 | 65 |
| 12-month total † | 1,076 | 169 | 77 | 1,322 |
Choose the report for the question
Permits by ZIP compares where authorizations concentrate. The infill report compares the ZIPs selected by redevelopment signals. Individual monthly issues preserve their recorded revisions.
Definitions, source coverage and validation are collected in the permit-report reference.
Send us an address and we will tell you what we find
We do this research ourselves on every project we take on — zoning, floodplain, watershed, trees, whether it is a legal lot. Send us an address and we will run it and tell you what we find. It works the same whether you own a vacant lot, a house you are thinking of adding a unit to, or a house you are thinking of replacing. No charge and no strings, and if it is a bad lot we will say so.
Send us an addressWe are homebuilders, not the City of Austin. This page explains how we read the code in practice — it is not legal advice and it is not an official determination. Always confirm with Austin Development Services before you rely on it for a project. The authoritative text is the Austin Land Development Code; permitting questions go to Austin Development Services Department.