While residential building permitting has cooled across much of the country from its pandemic-era highs, Sarasota County stands out as an exception—a growth market where migration and available land continue to translate into thousands of permits for housing annually. The figures below reflect housing units authorized by residential building permits in Sarasota County. This includes single-family, duplex and multifamily units. 

No. 1

The North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton Metropolitan Statistical Area ranking among large U.S. metros for per-capita multifamily permitting

4,532

Housing units approved in Sarasota County from January through August 2025—exceeding the county’s total housing approvals for all of 2020

76 Percent

Year-over-year percentage increase between 2020 and 2021 was due to pandemic-era slowdown and big rebound in Sarasota County’s annual housing permit total (an increase of approximately 3,368 housing units)

Approved Housing Units by Year in Sarasota County 

These figures include single-family homes, condos and apartments—authorized by building permits. 

2025 (Jan.-Aug.)*: 4,532

2024: 7,466

2023: 7,822

2022: 7,323

2021: 7,805

2020: 4,437

*This number reflects the most recent Census data available at press time (Jan.-Aug. 2025)

Editor’s note: “Approved” refers to housing units authorized through residential building permits, the standard federal measure used by the U.S. Census Bureau. Figures reflect permits issued, not homes started or completed.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS); Annual data disseminated via the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED); Redfin.