[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