A new report from UNLV’s Lied Center for Real Estate ranks Nevada 49th of 51 (the 50 states plus D.C.) for its pipeline of new housing. Permits fell 29% from January through August, the steepest one-year drop in the country, as This Is Reno reported.
That headline doesn’t describe what’s happening around Reno. The UNLV report looks at states only, so we went to the county numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau, which now run through September. Washoe County’s permits are up, not down. The mix behind that increase matters, though, especially if you’re hoping to buy a single-family home.
What the State Report Found
- The drop: Nevada permitted 8,986 housing units from January through August, down from 12,662 a year earlier.
- Household growth: Nevada averaged about 1,123 permitted units a month, against about 1,245 new households a month projected through 2027. Only Nevada and North Dakota are permitting below that pace.
- A note on that gap: UNLV says projected household growth is a benchmark for comparing states, not a measure of how much housing is needed.
Las Vegas Drove the Decline
Adding September, the statewide drop is 26%. Here’s how the first nine months break down, in units permitted:
| Units, Jan–Sept | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 13,759 | 10,146 | -26% |
| Clark County | 10,664 | 6,780 | -36% |
| Washoe, all units | 1,938 | 2,518 | +30%* |
| Washoe, single-family | 1,243 | 1,046 | -16%* |
| Washoe, 5+ unit buildings | 645 | 1,418 | +120%* |
*Washoe’s 2025 figures are partly Census Bureau estimates. See “How Solid Are These Numbers?” below.
Clark County lost 3,884 units, more than the entire statewide decline of 3,613. Nevada’s other counties combined were down too, from 1,157 units to 848, but those are much smaller numbers.
In Washoe County, Apartments Are Up and Single-Family Is Down
- Single-family: 1,046 units so far this year, the lowest for these nine months of any year since at least 2023.
- Apartments and other larger buildings: 1,418 units, split between Reno (762) and Sparks (656). That’s in line with the same months of 2023 (1,571) and 2024 (1,225), so this looks more like a rebound from a weak 2025 than a new boom.
- The bigger picture: total permits are still about 20% below the same months of 2023 and 2024.
How Solid Are These Numbers?
Comparing years takes some care here. The Census Bureau’s file shows the City of Reno reported all nine months in 2026 but only five in 2025, and fewer before that. The Bureau estimates the missing months, including all of the 453 apartment units it shows for Reno in 2025. So Washoe’s direction is more reliable than the exact percentages.
Sparks reported every month in all four years, which makes it a useful check. Its numbers show the same pattern: single-family permits fell from 306 to 229 between 2025 and 2026, while units in larger buildings rose from 192 to 656.
Apartment counts also swing widely because a few large projects can move the total. Census figures can be revised, and a permit is an early signal: not every permitted project gets built, and those that do take time to finish.
What It Means If You’re Buying, Selling or Renting
- Single-family buyers: more apartment permits don’t add options if you want a detached home. Our September market report showed just 2.3 months of supply for Reno/Sparks single-family homes and a $640,000 median price, up 10.3% from a year earlier.
- Renters: this year’s permits could mean more apartments in the next few years, if those projects move forward.
- Sellers and owners: permits are only one piece of the market. Rates, incomes and resale inventory also shape prices, so we wouldn’t read this data as a price forecast.
- Homeowners and small investors: small-scale additions are another way housing gets built. See our guide to ADU rules in Reno, Sparks and Washoe County.