Permits for new home construction in Massachusetts rose 44 percent year-over-year in January, according to numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Bay State cities and towns issued 463 housing unit permits in January, compared to 321 for the same month in 2009. The pace was still lower than January 2008, when 538 units were granted.
Despite January’s increase, the number of permits issued for single-family homes, condominiums and apartment units has declined over the past two years. In 2009, there were 7,097 permits issued, down from 9,241 in 2008.
There were 293 permits obtained for single-family homes last month, compared to 233 in January 2009.





