[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 189 (Friday, September 28, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49062-49063]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-21168]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act.
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: Report of Building or Zoning Permits Issued for New 
Privately-Owned Housing Units.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0094.
    Form Number(s): C-404.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Number of Respondents: 20,325.
    Average Hours per Response: Ranges from 3 to 23 minutes.
    Burden Hours: 17,263.
    Needs and Uses: The Census Bureau is requesting a three-year 
extension of the Report of Building or Zoning Permits Issued for New 
Privately-Owned Housing Units, otherwise known as the Building Permits 
Survey (BPS). The Census Bureau conducts this survey to collect data on 
new residential buildings from state and local permit-issuing offices. 
The key estimates from the survey are the numbers of new housing units 
authorized by building permits; data are also collected on the 
valuation of the housing units. The BPS specifically collects 
information on changes to the geographic coverage of the permit-issuing 
place, the number and valuation of new residential housing units 
authorized by building permits, and additional information on 
residential permits valued at $1 million or more, including, but not 
limited to, site address and type of building.
    The Census Bureau produces statistics used to monitor activity in 
the large and dynamic construction industry. Given the importance of 
this industry, several of the statistical series have been designated 
by the Office of Management and Budget as Principal Economic 
Indicators. Two such indicators are directly dependent on the key 
estimates from the BPS. For New Residential Construction (which 
includes Housing Units Authorized by Building Permits, Housing Starts, 
and Housing Completions), form C-404 is used to collect the estimate 
for Housing Units Authorized by Building Permits. For New Residential 
Construction and Sales, the number of housing units authorized by 
building permits is a key component utilized in the estimation of 
housing units started, completed, and sold.
    These statistics help state, local, and federal governments, as 
well as private industry, analyze this important sector of the economy. 
The building permit series are available monthly based on a sample of 
building permit offices, and annually based on the entire universe of 
permit offices. Published data from the survey can be found on the 
Census Bureau's website at www.census.gov/permits.
    The Census Bureau collects these data primarily by mail or online 
using an online version of the same questionnaire. Some data are also 
collected via receipt of proprietary electronic files or mailed 
printouts for jurisdictions who have established reporting arrangements 
which allow them to submit their responses using their own file format.
    We use the data, a component of The Conference Board Leading 
Economic Index, to estimate the number of housing units authorized, 
started, completed, and sold (single-family only). In addition, the 
Census Bureau uses the detailed geographic data in the development of 
annual population

[[Page 49063]]

estimates; those population estimates are used by government agencies 
to allocate funding and other resources to local areas, inform policy, 
and aid in city planning. Policymakers, planners, businesses, and 
others use the detailed geographic data to monitor growth and plan for 
local services, and to develop production and marketing plans. The BPS 
is the only source of statistics on residential construction for 
states, counties, and smaller geographic areas. Because building 
permits are public records, we can release data for individual 
jurisdictions, and annual data are published for every permit-issuing 
jurisdiction.
    Affected Public: State, local or Tribal governments.
    Frequency: Monthly and annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 131 and 182.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce 
collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to [email protected] or fax to (202) 395-5806.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-21168 Filed 9-27-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P