[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 56 (Tuesday, March 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15570-15571]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-06597]
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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 (44
U.S.C. chapter 35).
Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
Title: Survey of Residential Building or Zoning Permit Systems.
OMB Control Number: 0607-0350.
Form Number(s): C-411(V), C-411(M), C-411(C).
Type of Request: Reinstatement, without change, of an expired
collection.
Number of Respondents: 2,000.
Average Hours per Response: 15 minutes.
Burden Hours: 500.
Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau is requesting reinstatement
of the recently expired Form C-411, ``Survey of Residential Building or
Zoning Permit Systems.'' The Census Bureau produces statistics used to
monitor activity in the large and dynamic construction industry. These
statistics help state and local governments and the federal government,
as well as private industry, to analyze this important sector of the
economy. The accuracy of the Census Bureau statistics regarding the
amount of construction authorized depends on data supplied by building
and zoning officials throughout the country. The Census Bureau uses
Form C-411 to obtain information from state and local building permit
officials needed for updating the universe of permit-issuing places
which serves as the sampling frame for the Report of Privately-Owned
Residential Building or Zoning Permits Issued (OMB number 0607-0094),
also known as the Building Permits Survey (BPS), and the Survey of
Housing Starts, Sales, and Completions (OMB number 0607-0110), also
known as Survey of Construction (SOC). These two sample surveys provide
widely used measures of construction activity, including the principal
economic indicators New Residential Construction and New Home Sales.
Data from the BPS and SOC are also used by the Bureau of Economic
Analysis (BEA) in the calculation of estimates of the Residential Fixed
Investment portion of the Nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In
addition, data from the BPS are used by the Census Bureau in the
calculation of annual population estimates; these estimates are widely
used by government agencies to allocate funding and other resources to
local governments.
The questions on Form C-411 pertain to the legal requirements for
issuing building or zoning permits in the local jurisdictions.
Information is obtained on such items as geographic coverage and types
of construction for which permits are issued.
No changes are planned to the C-411(V) form. We have updated the
form layouts of forms C-411(M) and C-411(C) to provide clarification
and improve questionnaire flow.
The appropriate form is sent to a jurisdiction when the
Manufacturing and Construction Division (MCD) has reason to believe
that a new permit system has been established or an existing one has
changed. This is based on information from a variety of sources
including survey respondents, regional councils and the Census Bureau's
Geography Division which keeps abreast of changes in corporate status.
Responses typically approach 85 percent.
We use the information to verify the existence of new permit
systems or changes to existing systems. Based on the information, we
add new permit-issuing places to the universe, delete places no longer
issuing permits, and
[[Page 15571]]
make changes to the universe to reflect those places that have merged.
Failure to maintain the universe of permit-issuing places would
result in deficient samples and inaccurate statistics. This in turn
jeopardizes the accuracy of the above mentioned economic indicators.
These indicators are closely monitored by the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System and other economic policy makers because of the
sensitivity of the housing industry to changes in interest rates.
Affected Public: State, local or Tribal government.
Frequency: On occasion.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 9(b), 161,
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.
Dated: March 18, 2015.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-06597 Filed 3-23-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P