Local construction in Kamloops remains red hot, with the number of building permits issued well ahead of last year after five months.

The city issued 180 building permits last month, and 680 have been issued so far this year, as of May 31. As of May 31 of last year, there had been 564 permits issued for the year, and 113 issued in May of 2020.

Building and engineering development manager, Jason Dixon, says there’s fewer large permits going out this year.

And he says a lot of larger construction projects people are seeing right now are projects the city approved last year.

“Those were big projects, they often take a fair bit of time. From when they go through the beginning of the development process, sometimes the rezoning development permit, then you get your building permit, and then there’s often a year or more of construction. So I think a lot of the construction you’re seeing around town is permits that were issued last year.”

As of May 31, the 680 permits approved this year were worth more than $61.4 million.

Residential construction also continues to be a driver for new building, and Dixon says that construction activity is all over the city.

“If you look at the multi-family, three or more units, we had eight units in that category (issued last month). All eight of those units are on Dallas Drive, out by the (BC Wildlife Park). But when I looked at the other residential categories, they were kind of spread all over the community.”

Permits were approved for 46 new housing units in Kamloops last month, worth more than $11.7 million.

Also last month, the city issued 31 permits for home additions or renovations and 10 permits for hot tubs or pools. Those 41 permits were worth more than $2.08 million altogether.