Residential building permits in 4 largest cities dropped 10.3% last year; Centerton up 32%

After rebounding in 2021, residential building permits in Northwest Arkansas’ four largest cities took a step back in 2022.

According to data from each city collected by the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, there were 1,582 residential permits issued last year in Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale. That’s down 10.3% from 2021 (1,764).

The double-digit decrease was a big turnaround from a year ago, when permit activity increased 16.5% compared with 2020. Residential permit activity in those four cities declined by 2.8% from 2019 to 2020 and 5.9% from 2018 to 2019.

Residential building permit values in 2022 were down 15.4% from $578.61 million in 2021 to $489.17 million last year.

The annual report comparison for each city was:

• Fayetteville: 686 permits, $260.10 million (2022); 657 permits, $181.41 million (2021).
• Bentonville: 425 permits, $215.82 million (2022); 411 permits, $158.77 million (2021).
• Rogers: 263 permits, $100.41 million (2022); 470 permits, $161.66 million (2021)
• Springdale: 208 permits, $84.70 million (2022); 226 permits, $76.77 million (2021)

Among other cities, Centerton ended the year as the hottest spot for residential building activity. Building officials there issued 770 single-family permits last year. That’s up 32% compared with 583 permits in 2021. The city does not separate the values of single-family and multifamily permits.

Bella Vista planners issued 539 permits valued at $182.4 million in 2022. That’s down 7.7% from 584 permits issued in 2021, with a combined value of $140 million.