[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 87 (Friday, May 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24584-24585]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09672]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 Census Bureau


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Report of Building or Zoning Permits Issues for New Privately-
Owned Housing Units (Building Permits Survey)

AGENCY: Census Bureau, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the 
proposed extension of the Report of Building or Zoning Permits Issues 
for New Privately-Owned Housing Units (Building Permits Survey), prior 
to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB 
for approval.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before July 6, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference the Building 
Permits Survey in the subject line of your comments. You may also 
submit comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2021-0013, to the 
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. All comments 
received are part of the public record. No comments will be posted to 
http://www.regulations.gov for public viewing until after the comment 
period has closed. Comments will generally be posted without change. 
All Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address) 
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do 
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information. You may submit attachments to electronic 
comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Aidan Smith, Construction Indicator Programs, Economic Indicators 
Division, U.S. Census Bureau, 301-763-2972, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau plans to request a three-year extension of Form 
C-404, ``Report of Building or Zoning Permits Issued for New Privately-
Owned Housing Units'', otherwise known as the Building Permits Survey. 
The Census Bureau uses this survey to produce statistics to monitor 
activity in the large and dynamic construction industry. 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 and local governments, the Federal 
Government, and private industry, analyze the housing and construction 
industry sector of the economy. Building permits for new private 
housing units also are a component of The Conference Board's Leading 
Economic Index.
    The Census Bureau uses Form C-404 to collect information on changes 
to the geographic coverage of permit-issuing places, the number and 
valuation of new residential housing units authorized by building 
permits, and additional information on residential permits valued at $2 
million or more, including, but not limited to, site address and type 
of building. The Census Bureau uses these data to estimate the number 
of housing units started, the number of housing units completed, the 
number of single-family houses sold, and to select samples for the 
Census Bureau's demographic surveys. The Building Permits Survey is the 
only source of statistics on residential construction for states and 
smaller geographic areas. The Census Bureau uses the detailed 
geographic data collected from state and local officials on new 
residential construction authorized by building permits in the 
development of annual population estimates that are used by government 
agencies to allocate funding and other resources to local areas. 
Policymakers, planners, businesses, and others also use the detailed 
geographic data to monitor growth, plan for local services, and to 
develop production and marketing plans.

II. Method of Collection

    Respondents may submit their data via internet or a mailed or faxed 
form. Some respondents choose to report over the phone or to send 
proprietary files containing permit information in lieu of returning 
the form.
    The survey universe is comprised of approximately 19,998 local 
governments that issue building permits. Due to resource availability 
and the time required to complete the data review and analysis, the 
Census Bureau collects data from a selection of permit-issuing 
jurisdictions monthly, and the remainder of the jurisdictions annually. 
We collect this information monthly for about 8,385 permit-issuing 
jurisdictions who respond via internet or who mail or fax the provided 
form. Another 228 jurisdictions have established reporting arrangements 
that allow them to submit their responses monthly via proprietary 
electronic files or mailed printouts using their own file format. We 
collect this information annually for about 10,509 permit-issuing 
jurisdictions who respond via internet or who mail or fax the provided 
form. Another 878 jurisdictions chose to submit their responses to the 
annual survey via telephone, proprietary electronic files or mailed 
printouts using their own file format.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0094.
    Form Number(s): C-404.
    Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for an Extension, 
without Change, of a Currently Approved Collection.
    Affected Public: State and Local governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 19,998.
    Estimated Time per Response: 8 minutes for monthly respondents who 
report via internet, mail or faxing the form, 23 minutes for annual 
respondents who report via internet, mail or faxing the form and 3 
minutes

[[Page 24585]]

for monthly and annual respondents who report by telephone or send 
electronic files or printouts.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 17,625.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0. (This is not the cost of 
respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for 
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to 
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services 
required specifically by the collection.)
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. Sections 131 and 182.

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden 
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our 
request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, 
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information 
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly 
available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold 
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2021-09672 Filed 5-6-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P