Form C-404 REPORT OF BUILDING OR ZONING PERMITS ISSUED FOR NEW PRIV

DUE DATE:

C-404

FORM
(11-7-2019)

OMB No. 0607-0094: Approval Expires 12/31/2021
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

REPORT OF BUILDING OR ZONING
PERMITS ISSUED FOR NEW
PRIVATELY-OWNED
HOUSING UNITS

Title 13, United States Code, Sections 131 and 182, authorizes the Census Bureau to conduct this collection and to request your
voluntary assistance. These data are subject to provisions of Title 13, United States Code, Section 9(b) exempting data that are
customarily provided in public records from rules of confidentiality. This collection has been approved by the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB). The eight-digit OMB approval number is 0607-0094 and appears at the upper right of this page. Without this
approval we could not conduct this survey. We estimate this survey will take an average of 8 minutes per response for those that
report monthly and 23 minutes for those that report annually to complete. More information about this estimate and an address
where you may write with comments is on the back of this form.

IMPORTANT:
Please see the back of this form for more
information and instructions for completing
the survey.
For further assistance, call 1–800–845–8244, or
e-mail us at EID.RCB.BPS@census.gov

E
L
P
M
SA

Other Reporting Options:

Via Mail:
U.S. Census Bureau
1201 East 10th Street
Jeffersonville, IN 47132 0001

M
R
FO

(Please correct any errors in name, address, and ZIP Code)

Via Fax: 1–877–273–9501

Please report online at econhelp.census.gov/bps
Username:

Password:

1. PERIOD IN WHICH PERMITS WERE ISSUED
2. GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE (For our latest information on your office’s coverage, see www.census.gov/construction/bps/pdf/footnote.pdf)
Did your permit system have a geographic coverage change?

Yes, continue.

No, skip to Section 3.

Mark an (X) in the appropriate box and enter the requested information. If more space is needed continue in Section 5.
051

Permits no longer required to build new residential buildings . . . . Effective Date

052

Permit office has merged with another permit jurisdiction . . . . . . Effective Date

Name of permit jurisdiction with which your office has merged

053

Permit office has split into two or more jurisdictions . . . . . . . . . Effective Date

Name of additional jurisdiction(s) now issuing permit(s)

054

Extraterritorial jurisdiction(ETJ)/Annexation . . . . . . . . . . . . . Effective Date

Define ETJ or annexation

3. NEW HOUSING UNITS
a. Were there any building permits issued for new housing units during this period?
Yes, enter data below.
No, stop and return this form. Your report is important even if no permits were issued.
Total Valuation
Total Number of
of Construction
Type of Structure
Buildings Housing Units
($ value omit cents)
(1)

101

b. Single-family houses, detached and attached (must meet the following criteria:
no unit above or below the other; wall extends from ground to roof; and,
separate utilities for each unit) [Exclude manufactured HUD-inspected homes.]

103

c. Two-unit buildings

104

d. Three- and four-unit buildings

105

e. Five-or-more unit buildings

(2)

(3)

4. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON INDIVIDUAL RESIDENTIAL PERMITS, FROM SECTION 3, VALUED AT $1,000,000 OR MORE
(If more space is needed, please attach a separate sheet.)
Description and Site Address

Number of

Owner or Builder

(1)

(2)

Kind of building

Name

Site address

Address

City, State, ZIP Code

City, State, ZIP Code

Kind of building

Name

Site address

Address

City, State, ZIP Code

City, State, ZIP Code

Buildings

Housing Units

(3)

(4)

Valuation of Construction
($ value omit cents)
(5)

5. COMMENTS (Continue on a separate sheet)

6. PERSON TO CONTACT REGARDING THIS REPORT

E-mail address

Name

Internet web address

Telephone

Fax
See instructions on reverse side.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING FORM C-404,
"REPORT OF BUILDING OR ZONING PERMITS ISSUED
FOR NEW PRIVATELY-OWNED HOUSING UNITS"
We estimate this survey will take an average of 8 minutes per response for those
that report monthly and 23 minutes for those that report annually to complete,
including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources,
gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the
collection of information.

Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this
collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden,
to: EID Survey Comments 0607-0094, U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver
Hill Road, Room EID-7K181, Washington, DC 20233. You may e-mail
comments to eid.rcb.customer.service@census.gov; use EID Survey
Comments 0607-0094 as the subject.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR EACH SECTION
(Use your unique username and password provided to report via Internet:
econhelp.census.gov/bps)
(Answers to Frequently Asked Questions can be found at www.census.gov/permitsfaq)
1. PERIOD IN WHICH PERMITS WERE ISSUED – Include all privately-owned
residential permits which were authorized during the month or year shown.

3a. No permits issued – Return your form even if no permits were
issued, after marking the box next to "No" in this section.

2. GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE – If there has been a change in the area covered
by your office, enter explanations in space provided next to selections 051–054
as applicable. If more space is needed, continue in Section 5. To review our
latest information on your office’s coverage, see
www.census.gov/construction/bps/pdf/footnote.pdf. Report
discrepancies by either entering in Section 5, calling 1–800–845–8244 with the
information or e-mailing us at EID.RCB.BPS@census.gov.

3b. Single-family houses, detached and attached – Include all new
privately-owned detached and attached single-family houses. Include
attached single-family houses, known commonly as townhouses or row
houses, where: (1) each unit is separated from adjoining units by a wall
that extends from ground to roof, (2) no unit is above or below another unit,
and (3) each unit has separate heating and separate utility meters.

051 (Discontinued) – Permits are no longer required, by law, to
build new residential buildings (i.e., new homes, new apartments).
052 (Merged) – Another jurisdiction has taken over the responsibility of
issuing permits for your office; OR your office has taken over the
responsibility of issuing permits for another office.
053 (Split) – Permit office no longer covers a particular jurisdiction because:
(1) that area now issues its own building permits; (2) another jurisdiction issues
the permits for that area; or (3) that area no longer requires permits.
054 (Extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ)/Annexation) – Permit office is
now responsible for additional land area outside of its original boundaries.
Also report in Section 5, if your permit office officially changed its name, had a
spelling correction, or political description change (i.e., from town to city, city to
village, etc.)
3. NEW HOUSING UNITS – Summarize information for number of buildings,
number of housing units, and valuation of construction as shown on the building
or zoning permit. Enter the valuation as shown on the permit. If no valuation is
listed, enter your best estimated value. If no value is required, annotate in
Section 5. When the acronym "NVR" (No Value Required) appears in the
address label area, comments referencing value are no longer necessary.

3c. Two-unit buildings – Include all new privately-owned residential
buildings that contain two housing units, and do not meetall criteria of
attached single-family as shown under Section 3b.
3d. Three- and four-unit buildings – Include all new privately-owned
residential buildings that contain three or four housing units, and do not
meet all criteria of attached single-family as shown under Section 3b.
3e. Five-or-more unit buildings – Include all new privately-owned
residential buildings that contain five or more housing units, and do not
meet all criteria of attached single-family as shown under Section 3b.
4. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON INDIVIDUAL RESIDENTIAL PERMITS,
FROM SECTION 3, VALUED AT $1,000,000 OR MORE – Enter
additional data from individual permits valued at $1,000,000 or more
included in Section 3. If more than two such permits were issued, attach a
separate sheet.
5. COMMENTS – Enter any explanations, miscellaneous notes or questions.
Include any revisions to data entered on previous forms, identifying the
applicable survey period, the type of structure
(Section 3b–e) and corrected entries.
6. PERSON TO CONTACT REGARDING THIS REPORT – Please fill in any
blank areas or make any corrections to information already entered in
these fields.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CLASSIFYING RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
Residential buildings are buildings containing one or more housing units. A housing
unit is a house, an apartment, a group of rooms or a single room intended for
occupancy as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the
occupants live separately from any other individuals in the building and which have a
direct access from the outside of the building or through a common hall.
Some jurisdictions issue separate permits for individual units of a multifamily
building. In this case, report the total number of units expected in a multifamily
building when the first units are authorized. If the total number of buildings, units and
valuation for the entire project is unknown, indicate in Section 5 or call our staff. Do
NOT report permits for individual units in multifamily buildings separately.
Some jurisdictions issue building permits for residential construction in phases:
foundation, shell or superstructure, and interior finishing. In this case, include the
number of buildings, housing units and valuation for the intended building when the
shell or superstructure permit is issued. Include foundation and interior finishing
permits only when issued separately and a valuation of construction is available. In
these two cases, enter the valuation in Section 3b–e, depending on the number of
housing units in the intended superstructure, and zero for the buildings and units.
PERMITS TO INCLUDE
• privately-owned residential buildings, which include all residential buildings
owned or partially owned by a private company or an individual during the
period of construction
• housing for the elderly, such as assisted living facilities, that do not have
24-hour skilled nursing care
• "turnkey" housing, which is housing that will be sold to a local public housing
authority when completed
• all housing built by nonprofit organizations
• buildings manufactured partially off-site and transported and assembled at
the construction site, such as prefabricated, panelized, precut, sectional and
modular (these do not include manufactured (mobile) HUD-inspected homes)
• residential permits issued in phases, as described above
• permits for multifamily housing units issued as commercial
• reissued expired permits with significant changes to construction plans
• accessory dwelling units (ADU) that are new structures. An ADU is a room
or set of rooms designed for separate living. Include if ADU is:
> detached and built on same lot as existing main structure
> attached and built at the same time the main structure is being
constructed
> attached to main structure via a walkway
> detached from existing structure but share utilities with main structure
> built over an existing detached garage - using the detached garage as
the foundation for the ADU

FORM C-404 (11-7-2019)

PERMITS TO EXCLUDE
• publicly-owned buildings
• nonresidential buildings
• moved or relocated buildings
• farm buildings, such as silos, barns, etc.
• manufactured (mobile) HUD-inspected homes including related
foundations and placement pads
• group quarters, such as dormitories, jails, nursing homes, etc.
• hotels/motels
• other structures on residential property, such as sheds, garages,
pools, etc., when permitted separately
• landscaping
• demolitions
• maintenance and repair, which are expenses to keep a
property in ordinary working condition
• residential additions, alterations, renovations and conversions
• inspections
• certificates of occupancy for residential construction
• separate permits issued for mechanical, electrical or plumbing work
• reissued expired permits if construction plans have not changed
• ADU, if:
> an addition
> an alteration – i.e., changed roof line to accommodate ADU
> a conversion
MISCELLANEOUS CLASSIFICATION INSTRUCTIONS
• Enter a building in only one category in Section 3. If you cannot determine
a category, please call our staff.
• If a building has mixed residential and nonresidential use, enter the
housing units based on the residential portion of the building. Please
estimate the valuation based on the residential portion of the building only.
• Classify all buildings that are being totally rebuilt on an existing foundation
as new construction.
• Type of ownership (e.g. condominium, cooperative, timeshare, etc.)
is NOT considered when classifying a building.