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OMB Control No: 0607-0094	ICR Reference No: 202402-0607-002
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 202107-0607-002
Agency/Subagency: DOC/CENSUS	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Building Permits Survey Program
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 02/09/2024

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved	09/30/2024
Responses	115,710	114,743
Time Burden (Hours)	18,017	17,625
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

Abstract: Data collected from state and local officials on new residential construction authorized by building permits provide one of the few monthly measures of economic activity available for small geographic areas. The series, a component of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index, is also used to estimate the number of housing units started, completed, and sold, if single-family, and to select samples for the Census Bureau’s demographic surveys. 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.

Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 13 USC 131 and 182

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	88 FR 83898	12/01/2023
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	89 FR 9120	02/09/2024
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Request	Previously Approved	Change Due to Agency Discretion
Annual Number of Responses	115,710	114,743	967
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	18,017	17,625	392
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: Report of Building or Zoning Permits Issued for New Privately-Owned Housing Units (C-404): The total number of annual burden hours for the C-404 decreased from 17,625 in 2021 to 17,229. This is primarily due to the increase in the number of respondents that chose to send proprietary electronic files or mailed printouts instead of reporting to our questionnaire. Reporting via proprietary electronic files or mailed printouts has a lower average burden per response, resulting in a lower overall annual burden. Survey of Residential Building or Zoning Permit Systems (C-411): The total number of annual burden hours increased from 205 annual hours in the last submission to 787.5 annual hours. As mentioned in Section 1. Necessity of the Information Collection above, prior to 2022, the universe of permit issuing places was updated every 10 years. In 2012 and every ten years prior, we mailed the survey to approximately 20,000 jurisdictions. In processing the 2012 survey, it was determined that it was too burdensome to the Census Bureau’s staff to process all 20,000 jurisdictions in the same year. As a result, the process was spread out into 5-year intervals, starting with the mailing in 2017. In 2017, we mailed 3,500 priority jurisdictions of the potential 20,000. The previous burden estimate was based only on the 3,500 priority jurisdictions that we intended to collect during the 3-year clearance of that package. The current annual burden hour estimate is based on the updated collection strategy that allows us to attempt collection on all 20,000 jurisdictions approximately every seven years, on a rotating basis. This results in an increase in the annual burden estimate compared to the previous package, but results in a more consistent burden estimate over all years.

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $2,500,000

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? Yes Part B of Supporting Statement

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

Agency Contact: William Abriatis 301 763-3686

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