Data through September 2026 · updated 20 Oct 2026
15,936 building permits issued in unincorporated Polk County, October 2024 through September 2026: about 7,968 a year. The biggest kind of work is new homes, with 4,267. 7,614 permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), 9% fewer than the 8,322 in the 12 months before. 88% were permits for homes. The busiest month for permits is February.
What this file covers: The Property Appraiser's file holds only permits that can change a property's taxable value, so re-roofs, fences and most trade permits are missing.
Permits issued October 2024 through September 2026. Last 12 months is Oct 2025–Sep 2026; the 12 months before is Oct 2024–Sep 2025. Homes is the share issued as residential permits. Busiest month is the calendar month with the most permits on average.
| Kind of work | Permits | Share | Last 12 mo | 12 mo before | Change | Homes | Busiest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New homes | 4,267 | 27% | 2,240 | 2,027 | +11% | 100% | September |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 2,863 | 18% | 1,383 | 1,480 | −7% | 100% | February |
| Solar | 2,119 | 13% | 872 | 1,247 | −30% | 100% | October |
| Remodels & repairs | 2,000 | 13% | 1,001 | 999 | 0% | 100% | June |
| Electrical | 829 | 5% | 373 | 456 | −18% | 100% | May |
| Pools & spas | 673 | 4% | 301 | 372 | −19% | 100% | June |
| Demolition | 657 | 4% | 323 | 334 | −3% | 95% | August |
| Roofing | 278 | 2% | 89 | 189 | −53% | 100% | June |
| Additions | 198 | 1% | 104 | 94 | +11% | 100% | April |
| Other | 1,888 | 12% | 849 | 1,039 | −18% | under 1% | February |
Fewer than 100 permits, so no row: HVAC (76), ADUs & casitas (69), plumbing (19).
Permits issued in each calendar year of the window. Per year scales a part year to 12 months.
| Year | Months | Permits | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 (from October) | 3 | 1,708 | 6,832 |
| 2025 | 12 | 8,424 | 8,424 |
| 2026 (through September) | 9 | 5,804 | 7,739 |
Permits issued each month, October 2024 through September 2026. The tallest bar is the busiest month on file.
| Month | Permits |
|---|---|
| Oct 2024 | 624 |
| Nov 2024 | 486 |
| Dec 2024 | 598 |
| Jan 2025 | 722 |
| Feb 2025 | 798 |
| Mar 2025 | 669 |
| Apr 2025 | 686 |
| May 2025 | 765 |
| Jun 2025 | 754 |
| Jul 2025 | 767 |
| Aug 2025 | 739 |
| Sep 2025 | 714 |
| Oct 2025 | 660 |
| Nov 2025 | 526 |
| Dec 2025 | 624 |
| Jan 2026 | 578 |
| Feb 2026 | 670 |
| Mar 2026 | 674 |
| Apr 2026 | 726 |
| May 2026 | 654 |
| Jun 2026 | 679 |
| Jul 2026 | 522 |
| Aug 2026 | 568 |
| Sep 2026 | 733 |
Permits by calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line), October 2024 through September 2026. Kinds of work do not all peak together. Each month is counted twice (once a year), so one unusual month still moves these numbers.
4,267 permits · busiest September, quietest November
2,863 permits · busiest February, quietest November
2,119 permits · busiest October, quietest July
2,000 permits · busiest June, quietest November
829 permits · busiest May, quietest November
673 permits · busiest June, quietest November
657 permits · busiest August, quietest September
278 permits · busiest June, quietest December
| Kind of work | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New homes | 107 | 119 | 94 | 118 | 114 | 92 | 105 | 103 | 120 | 83 | 66 | 79 |
| Garages, sheds & shade structures | 109 | 118 | 100 | 101 | 95 | 104 | 109 | 96 | 108 | 98 | 68 | 94 |
| Solar | 95 | 89 | 87 | 92 | 87 | 119 | 71 | 91 | 96 | 142 | 99 | 132 |
| Remodels & repairs | 92 | 95 | 109 | 103 | 119 | 124 | 101 | 92 | 115 | 91 | 78 | 82 |
| Electrical | 74 | 72 | 94 | 110 | 146 | 124 | 109 | 107 | 117 | 104 | 65 | 77 |
| Pools & spas | 89 | 71 | 93 | 107 | 111 | 121 | 98 | 118 | 116 | 112 | 70 | 95 |
| Demolition | 80 | 113 | 133 | 130 | 77 | 84 | 73 | 152 | 68 | 77 | 82 | 132 |
| Roofing | 82 | 56 | 129 | 69 | 186 | 255 | 65 | 65 | 78 | 104 | 73 | 39 |
How the county classed each permit. Other covers commercial buildings, signs, towers and similar work.
| Permit class | Permits | Share | Last 12 mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes (residential) | 14,019 | 88% | 6,749 |
| Other | 1,917 | 12% | 865 |
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, so each has had at least 12 months to reach a final. Finished means the county recorded a final inspection or marked it complete. The file doesn't mark permits expired, so a lapsed permit still reads open.
| Status | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Finished | 7,500 | 90.1% |
| Still open | 822 | 9.9% |
The 10 ZIP codes with the most permits, counted at the property's ZIP code. A ZIP code can cross into a city that runs its own permit office; only the county's permits are counted.
| ZIP code | Permits | Share | Top kind of work |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33837 | 1,859 | 12% | New homes (816) |
| 34759 | 1,597 | 10% | Solar (540) |
| 33810 | 1,306 | 8% | New homes (536) |
| 33813 | 840 | 5% | Garages, sheds & shade structures (165) |
| 33898 | 824 | 5% | Garages, sheds & shade structures (213) |
| 33809 | 767 | 5% | New homes (229) |
| 33880 | 763 | 5% | Garages, sheds & shade structures (147) |
| 33844 | 752 | 5% | New homes (243) |
| 33897 | 745 | 5% | Solar (195) |
| 33811 | 622 | 4% | New homes (141) |
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
Source: Polk County Property Appraiser, public FTP permit file (ftp_permit.zip, Appraisal Data), read 20 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.
Permits the Polk County building division issues for unincorporated land only (Poinciana, Lakeland Highlands, Four Corners, Kathleen, Wahneta and similar places). Lakeland, Winter Haven, Haines City, Davenport, Bartow, Lake Wales and the other cities issue their own permits and are not counted here. The list comes from the Polk County Property Appraiser, which collects only permits that can change a property's taxable value.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:
Contractor Records, "Unincorporated Polk County, FL building permit statistics", https://contractorrecords.com/polk-county/permit-statistics, data through September 2026, from the Polk County Building Division building-permit records.Link to a table: By kind of work · By year · By month · When each kind of work is filed · Homes and everything else · How many get finished · By ZIP code.
Download the tables (CSV): Permits by kind of work · Permits by year · Permits by month · Permits by calendar month (index) · Homes and other permits · Finished, open and expired · Permits by ZIP code.