Most "construction trends" articles are written from press releases. We watch a few thousand permits a day across 15+ US cities, so when we say something is up or down, it's because it's actually showing up in the filings. Here's what 2025 looks like in the data, and what it means if you're trying to sell into it.
ADUs are still the standout
Of every category we track, ADU permits have the highest year-over-year growth. Los Angeles is on pace for another 10,000+ filings. Bay Area suburbs that loosened ADU rules in 2023-2024 are seeing volume catch up to the headlines a year later — Berkeley, Oakland, and San Jose are all up triple digits over 2024.
If you're not already pitching ADU work, this is the easiest growth area to enter. The permit data tells you exactly which neighborhoods are going through the boom in real time.
Office is still flat — but TI work isn't
New office construction is essentially gone in most metros. Tenant improvement (TI) permits, on the other hand, are running well above 2023-2024 levels in cities with active downtown leasing — Seattle, Boston, Manhattan. Companies are reshaping space rather than building new.
For TI subs (electrical, mechanical, drywall, finishes), the work is there if you can get on a few GCs' preferred-sub lists. The deals close fast — usually 30-60 days from permit to start.
Roofing is still storm-driven
Re-roofing volume tracks weather more than any other variable. Two patterns are showing up cleanly in the data:
- Hailstorm clusters. A single major hailstorm in a metro can produce 500-2,000 roofing permits in the following 6 weeks. Roofers who watch storm-damage permits in real time — not the weekly export — own these cycles.
- Aging-stock ZIPs. Neighborhoods built in the 1990s housing boom are now 25-30 years in. Re-roof permit density in those ZIPs is consistently elevated regardless of weather.
Solar is leveling out
After several years of explosive growth, residential solar permit volume is roughly flat in most metros vs. 2024. The narrative of "solar boom" hasn't fully caught up to the data. What's growing instead:
- Battery / storage permits, often filed alongside solar.
- EV charger permits, which are running 2-3× last year in California metros.
- Service upgrade permits (200-amp panels), the leading indicator for both of the above.
If you're a solar installer, the smart pivot in 2025 is into solar+storage and EV charging. Installers selling solar-only are losing bids to installers selling integrated systems.
Multifamily is mixed
National narrative: multifamily is collapsing because rates are up. Permit data: it depends entirely on the metro.
- Sun Belt (Austin, Phoenix, Atlanta, Tampa) — multifamily filings down sharply from 2023 peaks.
- Coastal supply-constrained (San Francisco, Seattle, Boston) — multifamily filings holding up; very high cost per unit but still happening.
- Secondary markets (Columbus, Pittsburgh) — quietly up year over year.
If you sub into multifamily, the playbook changed: chase secondary metros, not the markets that were hot in 2022.
What's not showing up but should
Two trends every press release talks about but the permit data doesn't really support:
- Modular / prefab. Lots of coverage, low permit volume. The category exists but it's a sliver of activity.
- 3D-printed homes. Effectively zero permits in 2025. Watch the headlines, ignore the trend.
What this means for you
If you take three things from a year of permit data:
- Specialize in ADUs if you do residential. Demand-supply gap is widest there.
- If you do commercial, focus on TIs, not ground-up. That's where the actual project pipeline is.
- For trade subs (electrical, HVAC, roofing), service upgrades and replacements are bigger than the new-construction press makes them sound. Always have been; especially now.
If you want to watch this stuff yourself instead of reading other people's summaries, set up a permit alert for your trade and city. The data tells you more about your market than any trend report will.