Pittsburgh permits — week of 2026-05-18

Someone is dropping $2.48 million on a single-family home in Squirrel Hill, which would be the headline any other week — but the real story is infrastructure. A $3.6 million electrical permit for a new pump building on Lock Way signals serious utility-scale construction quietly underway in Pittsburgh's eastern corridor. Volume fell sharply this week, down 23% from last week, but the dollars are concentrated in projects that suggest long-term commitments: office fit-outs in the Strip District, a hospital clinic expansion in Bloomfield, and a downtown tower converting to apartments.