Building permit activity
How much building is happening in Cranbrook: permits and construction value by year, building type and type of work.
- $243M+permit value in the first three months of 2026, more than all of 2025
- $102.5Mpermit value in 2025, a record year, from 189 permits
- 200new homes permitted in 2025
- 148more new homes permitted in January and February 2026
Building in Cranbrook has picked up sharply. In 2025, permit values were nearly three times the 2024 total, led by new apartments and townhouses and a major institutional renovation. 2026 started even stronger: the first quarter set a new record, with the F.W. Green Home the largest single project. Large housing projects include the Wildstone apartments (252 units in two phases) and the KulKon townhouses (102 units).
Permit value by year
Show the chart as a table
| Year | Permits | Construction value |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | – | $93.0M |
| 2021 | – | $60.8M |
| 2022 | 231 | $55.7M |
| 2023 | 198 | $38.5M |
| 2024 | 198 | $37.4M |
| 2025 | 189 | $102.5M |
By building type
In 2025, multi-family housing and institutional projects drove the jump. Single-family homes stayed steady at about 100 to 120 permits a year since 2023.
| Building type | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permits | Value | Permits | Value | Permits | Value | Permits | Value | |
| Single-family homes | 160 | $34.0M | 118 | $21.2M | 117 | $25.2M | 101 | $26.9M |
| Multi-family homes | 5 | $1.1M | 4 | $0.3M | 0 | – | 21 | $38.8M |
| Commercial | 27 | $13.0M | 29 | $14.0M | 34 | $7.9M | 22 | $6.6M |
| Industrial | 10 | $5.1M | 3 | $1.8M | 4 | $1.4M | 5 | $2.0M |
| Institutional | 4 | $2.1M | 4 | $0.6M | 7 | $2.6M | 6 | $26.4M |
| Government | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 2 | $1.6M |
| Signs | 25 | $0.3M | 40 | $0.6M | 36 | $0.3M | 32 | $0.2M |
| Total | 231 | $55.7M | 198 | $38.5M | 198 | $37.4M | 189 | $102.5M |
By type of work, 2025
| Type of work | Permits | Value |
|---|---|---|
| New construction | 59 | $58.5M |
| Alterations and improvements | 46 | $35.1M |
| Interior renovations | 13 | $5.2M |
| Additions | 6 | $1.9M |
| Garages, carports, decks, sheds and pools | 26 | $0.6M |
| Mobile home foundations | 5 | $0.4M |
| Signs | 32 | $0.2M |
| Other | 2 | $0.5M |
How Cranbrook compares
In a 2020 survey of BC communities reported on the City’s data portal:
- Cranbrook added 18.3 housing units per 1,000 people, the highest rate of the communities surveyed.
- Cranbrook had the fastest turnaround on residential permits, tied with Salmon Arm.
- Cranbrook’s building inspectors issued the third-most permits per inspector, with the fewest inspectors per person.
Monthly reports
The City publishes a running report each month. Each report counts permits applied for that year; some are later cancelled, so totals can change between reports.
See monthly, quarterly and seasonal trends, updated daily, on the building permits dashboard on the City’s data portal.
Sources: City of Cranbrook building permit reports for 2022 to 2025 (2021 from the 2022 report); City economic development news for 2020 (“Record-breaking year”, $93 million), 2025 housing units and the first quarter of 2026 (“Momentum builds as Cranbrook hits new permit record”, May 19, 2026); 2020 survey results from data.choosecranbrook.ca. 2020 and 2021 permit counts aren’t available in a readable report.
Page updated .
Based on this page on cranbrook.ca, rewritten in plain language. Fees, dates and rules can change, so confirm with the City before you rely on them.