[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 240 (Tuesday, December 15, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 77603]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31415]
[[Page 77603]]
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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: Report of Building or Zoning Permits Issued for New
Privately-Owned Housing Units (Building Permits Survey).
OMB Control Number: 0607-0094.
Form Number(s): C-404.
Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Number of Respondents: 19,875.
Average Hours per Response: 9.34 minutes.
Burden Hours: 16,918.
Needs and Uses: The Census Bureau requests a three-year extension
of a currently approved collection of the Form C-404, otherwise known
as the Building Permits Survey (BPS). This survey collects data on new
residential buildings from state and local permit-issuing offices. The
key estimates from the survey are the numbers of new housing units
authorized by building permits; data are also collected on the
valuation of the housing units.
The Census Bureau produces statistics used to monitor activity in
the large and dynamic construction industry. Given the importance of
this industry, several of the statistical series have been designated
by the Office of Management and Budget as Principal Economic
Indicators. Two such indicators are directly dependent on the key
estimates from the BPS: (1) New Residential Construction (which
includes Housing Units Authorized by Building Permits, Housing Starts,
and Housing Completions), and (2) New Residential Sales. These
statistics help state, local, and federal governments, as well as
private industry, analyze this important sector of the economy. The
building permit series are available monthly based on a sample of
building permit offices, and annually based on the entire universe of
permit offices. Published data from the survey can be found on the
Census Bureau's Web site at www.census.gov/permits.
The Census Bureau collects these data primarily by mail using the
Form C-404 or online using an online version of the same questionnaire.
Some data are also collected via receipt of electronic files. Form C-
404 collects information on changes to the geographic coverage of the
permit-issuing place, the number, and valuation of new residential
housing units authorized by building permits, and additional
information on residential permits valued at $1 million or more. The
form is titled ``Report of Building or Zoning Permits Issued for New
Privately-Owned Housing Units.''
The Census Bureau uses the Form C-404 to collect data that provide
estimates of the number and valuation of new residential housing units
authorized by building permits. About one-half of the permit offices
are requested to report monthly. The remaining offices are surveyed
once per year. We use the data, a component of the Conference Board's
Index of Leading Economic Indicators, to estimate the number of housing
units authorized, started, completed, and sold (single-family only). In
addition, the Census Bureau uses the detailed geographic data in the
development of annual population estimates that are used by government
agencies to allocate funding and other resources to local areas, inform
policy, and aid in city planning. Policymakers, planners, businesses,
and others use the detailed geographic data to monitor growth and plan
for local services, and to develop production and marketing plans. The
BPS is the only source of statistics on residential construction for
states, counties, and smaller geographic areas. Because building
permits are public records, we can release data for individual
jurisdictions, and annual data are published for every permit-issuing
jurisdiction.
Affected Public: State, local, or Tribal governments.
Frequency: Monthly and annually.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 131 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.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Lead, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-31415 Filed 12-14-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P