Form C-404 Report of Building or Zoning Permits Issued for New Priv

Attachment A

DUE DATE:

C-404

OMB No. 0607-0094: Approval Expires 03/31/2013

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
REPORT OF BUILDING OR ZONING PERMITS
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
ISSUED FOR NEW PRIVATELY-OWNED HOUSING UNITS

FORM
(12-19-2011)

Please read instructions on
the back of this form.
For further assistance, call
1–800–845–8244,
or e-mail us at
[email protected]

Sample Form

How can I report?

Via Fax: 1–877–273–9501
Via Mail:
U.S. Census Bureau
1201 East 10th Street
Jeffersonville, IN 47132–0001
Via Internet or to get Help:

(Please correct any errors in name, address, and ZIP Code)

http://econhelp.census.gov/bps
Use your unique username and original password.

Username:

Password:

1. PERIOD IN WHICH PERMITS WERE ISSUED
2. GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE (For our latest information on your office’s coverage, see www.census.gov/construction/bps/pdf/footnote.pdf)
Did your permit system have a geographic coverage change?

Yes, continue.

No, skip to Section 3.

Mark an (X) in the appropriate box and enter the requested information. If more space is needed continue in Section 5.
051

Permits no longer required to build new residential buildings

Effective Date

052

Permit office has merged with another permit jurisdiction . .

Effective Date

053

Permit office has split into two or more jurisdictions . . . . . Effective Date

Name of additional jurisdiction(s) now issuing permit(s)

054

Extraterritorial jurisdiction(ETJ)/Annexation . . . . . . . . . . Effective Date

Define ETJ or annexation

Name of permit jurisdiction with which your office has merged

3. NEW HOUSING UNITS
a. Were there any building permits issued for new housing units during this period?
Yes, enter data below.
No, stop and return this form. Your report is important even if no permits were issued.
Total Valuation
Total Number of
of Construction
Type of Structure
Buildings Housing Units
($ value – omit cents)
(1)

101

b. Single-family houses, detached and attached (must meet the following criteria:
no unit above or below the other; wall extends from ground to roof; and,
separate utilities for each unit) [Exclude manufactured HUD-inspected homes.]

103

c. Two-unit buildings

104

d. Three- and four-unit buildings

105

e. Five-or-more unit buildings

(2)

(3)

4. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON INDIVIDUAL RESIDENTIAL PERMITS, FROM SECTION 3, VALUED AT $1,000,000 OR MORE
(If more space is needed, please attach a separate sheet.)
Number of
Description and Site Address

Owner or Builder

(1)

Buildings Housing Units

(2)

Kind of building

Name

Site address

Address

City, State, ZIP Code

City, State, ZIP Code

Kind of building

Name

Site address

Address

City, State, ZIP Code

City, State, ZIP Code

(3)

(4)

Valuation of Construction
($ value – omit cents)
(5)

5. COMMENTS (Continue on a separate sheet)

6. PERSON TO CONTACT REGARDING THIS REPORT

E-mail address

Name

Internet web address

Telephone

Fax
See instructions on reverse side.

Attachment A

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING FORM C-404,
"REPORT OF BUILDING OR ZONING PERMITS ISSUED
FOR NEW PRIVATELY-OWNED HOUSING UNITS"
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to
vary from 3 to 23 minutes per response. The average is 8 minutes per
response for those that report monthly and 23 minutes for those that
report annually. This includes time for reviewing instructions, searching
existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and
completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments
regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of

information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to:
Paperwork Project 0607-0094, U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road,
AMSD - 3K138, Washington, DC 20233. You may e-mail comments to
[email protected]; use "Paperwork Project 0607-0094" as the
subject. This agency may not collect this information, and you are not
required to complete this form, unless it displays a current valid Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR EACH SECTION
(Use your unique username and password provided to report via Internet:
http://econhelp.census.gov/bps)
(Answers to Frequently Asked Questions can be found at www.census.gov/permitsfaq)
1.

PERIOD IN WHICH PERMITS WERE ISSUED – Include all
privately-owned residential permits which were authorized during
the month or year shown.

2.

GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE – If there has been a change in the
area covered by your office, enter explanations in space provided
next to selections 051–054 as applicable. If more space is needed,
continue in Section 5. To review our latest information on your
office’s coverage, see
www.census.gov/construction/bps/pdf/footnote.pdf. Report
discrepancies by either entering in Section 5, calling
1–800–845–8244 with the information or e-mailing us at
[email protected].
051 (Discontinued) – Permits are no longer required, by law, to
build new residential buildings (i.e., new homes, new apartments).

3.

052 (Merged) – Another jurisdiction has taken over the
responsibility of issuing permits for your office; OR Your office
has taken over the responsibility of issuing permits for another
office.
053 (Split) – Permit office no longer covers a particular
jurisdiction because: (1) that area now issues its own building
permits; (2) another jurisdiction issues the permits for that area;
or (3) that area no longer requires permits.
054 (Extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ)/Annexation) – Permit
office is now responsible for additional land area outside of its
original boundaries.
Also report in Section 5, if your permit office officially changed its
name, had a spelling correction, or political description change
(i.e., from town to city, city to village, etc.)
NEW HOUSING UNITS – Summarize information for number of
buildings, number of housing units, and valuation of construction
as shown on the building or zoning permit. Enter the valuation as
shown on the permit. If no valuation is listed, enter your best
estimated value. If no value is required, annotate in Section 5.
When the acronym "NVR" (No Value Required) appears in the
address label area, comments referencing value are no longer
necessary.

3a. No permits issued – Return your form even if no permits were
issued, after marking the box next to "No" in this section.
3b. Single-family houses, detached and attached – Include all
new privately-owned detached and attached single-family
houses. Include attached single-family houses, known commonly
as townhouses or row houses, where: (1) each unit is separated
from adjoining units by a wall that extends from ground to roof,
(2) no unit is above or below another unit, and (3) each unit has
separate heating and separate utility meters.
3c. Two-unit buildings – Include all new privately-owned
residential buildings that contain two housing units, and do
not meet all criteria of attached single-family as shown under
Section 3b.
3d. Three- and four-unit buildings – Include all new
privately-owned residential buildings that contain three or four
housing units, and do not meet all criteria of attached
single-family as shown under Section 3b.
3e. Five-or-more unit buildings – Include all new privately-owned
residential buildings that contain five or more housing units, and
do not meet all criteria of attached single-family as shown under
Section 3b.
4. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON INDIVIDUAL
RESIDENTIAL PERMITS, FROM SECTION 3, VALUED AT
$1,000,000 OR MORE – Enter additional data from individual
permits valued at $1,000,000 or more included in Section 3. If
more than two such permits were issued, attach a separate sheet.
5. COMMENTS – Enter any explanations, miscellaneous notes or
questions. Include any revisions to data entered on previous
forms, identifying the applicable survey period, the type of
structure (Section 3b–e) and corrected entries.
6. PERSON TO CONTACT REGARDING THIS REPORT – Please
fill in any blank areas or make any corrections to information
already entered in these fields.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CLASSIFYING RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
Residential buildings are buildings containing one or more housing
units. A housing unit is a house, an apartment, a group of
rooms or a single room intended for occupancy as separate
living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the
occupants live separately from any other individuals in the building
and which have a direct access from the outside of the building or
through a common hall.
Some jurisdictions issue separate permits for individual units of a
multifamily building. In this case, report the total number of units
expected in a multifamily building when the first units are authorized.
If the total number of buildings, units and valuation for the entire
project is unknown, indicate in Section 5 or call our staff. Do NOT
report permits for individual units in multifamily buildings separately.
Some jurisdictions issue building permits for residential
construction in phases: foundation, shell or superstructure, and
interior finishing. In this case, include the number of buildings,
housing units and valuation for the intended building when the shell
or superstructure permit is issued. Include foundation and interior
finishing permits only when issued separately and a valuation of construction is available. In these two cases, enter the valuation in
Section 3b–e, depending on the number of housing units in the
intended superstructure, and zero for the buildings and units.
PERMITS TO INCLUDE
• privately-owned residential buildings, which include all residential
buildings owned or partially owned by a private company or an
individual during the period of construction
• housing for the elderly, such as assisted living facilities, that do not
have 24-hour skilled nursing care
• "turnkey" housing, which is housing that will be sold to a local public
housing authority when completed
• all housing built by nonprofit organizations
• buildings manufactured partially off-site and transported and
assembled at the construction site, such as prefabricated, panelized,
precut, sectional and modular (these do not include manufactured
(mobile) HUD-inspected homes)
• residential permits issued in phases, as described above
• permits for multifamily housing units issued as commercial
• reissued expired permits with significant changes to construction
plans
FORM C-404 (12-19-2011)

PERMITS TO EXCLUDE
• publicly-owned buildings
• nonresidential buildings
• moved or relocated buildings
• farm buildings, such as silos, barns, etc.
• manufactured (mobile) HUD-inspected homes including related
foundations and placement pads
• group quarters, such as dormitories, jails, nursing homes, etc.
• hotels/motels
• other structures on residential property, such as sheds, garages,
pools, etc., when permitted separately
• landscaping
• demolitions
• maintenance and repair, which are expenses to keep a
property in ordinary working condition
• residential additions, alterations, renovations and conversions
• inspections
• certificates of occupancy for residential construction
• separate permits issued for mechanical, electrical or plumbing
work
• reissued expired permits if construction plans have not
changed
MISCELLANEOUS CLASSIFICATION INSTRUCTIONS
• Enter a building in only one category in Section 3. If you cannot
determine a category, please call our staff.
• If a building has mixed residential and nonresidential use,
enter the housing units based on the residential portion of the
building. Please estimate the valuation based on the residential
portion of the building only.
• Classify all buildings that are being totally rebuilt on an
existing foundation as new construction.
• Type of ownership (e.g. condominium, cooperative, timeshare,
etc.) is NOT considered when classifying a building.