{
  "id": "multi-unit-permit-days",
  "parent": "new-homes-approved",
  "category": "Housing",
  "title": "Days to issue a building permit for larger (complex) buildings",
  "geography": "City of Victoria (municipality)",
  "scope": "city",
  "levels": [
    "Municipal (permits issued by the City)",
    "Applicants and builders"
  ],
  "plain_question": "For larger buildings such as apartment and mixed-use projects, how many days does it typically take from the permit file being opened to the permit being issued?",
  "value": 160.0,
  "display_value": "160",
  "unit": "days (median)",
  "period": "Permits issued in 2025",
  "period_start": "2025-01-01",
  "period_end": "2025-12-31",
  "comparison": {
    "previous_period": "2024",
    "previous_value": 112.0,
    "change_percent": 42.9
  },
  "since_text": "Was 112 days in 2024 and 95 in 2019. 2026 so far: 156 days",
  "trend": "worsening",
  "trend_basis": "Median of 160 days for the 104 complex building permits issued in 2025, compared with 112 days for 88 permits in 2024 (+43%). For 2026 up to Nov 9: 156 days (76 permits).",
  "direction_good": "down",
  "right_direction": "A lower number means permits for larger buildings are issued faster. Speed is only one part of a permit process; this page does not measure quality or safety review.",
  "caveats": [
    "Calculated here from the City's building permit file: for each permit of the type the City labels “complex” (larger buildings, including most apartment and mixed-use projects), days from the date the file was created to the date the permit was issued; the middle value (median) for permits issued in each year.",
    "The file creation date may be when an application was first opened rather than when it was complete, and some projects are issued in phases. Treat this as an estimate of the City process, not an official processing time.",
    "Rezoning and development permits come before a building permit and are not included.",
    "Cancelled permits are excluded. Each permit number is counted once.",
    "The City's type labels changed over time; years before 2018 used different labels and are not shown."
  ],
  "charts": [
    {
      "title": "Median days from file creation to permit issued (complex buildings)",
      "fmt": "int",
      "unit": "days",
      "lines": [
        {
          "name": "City of Victoria",
          "area": "city",
          "series": [
            {
              "period": "2018",
              "value": 68
            },
            {
              "period": "2019",
              "value": 95.0
            },
            {
              "period": "2020",
              "value": 88
            },
            {
              "period": "2021",
              "value": 77
            },
            {
              "period": "2022",
              "value": 137.0
            },
            {
              "period": "2023",
              "value": 85
            },
            {
              "period": "2024",
              "value": 112.0
            },
            {
              "period": "2025",
              "value": 160.0
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "calc": {
    "formula": "For each complex building permit: days = issue date − file creation date. Yearly figure = median of those days for permits issued that year.",
    "steps": [
      "2022: 128 permits, median 137 days.",
      "2023: 105 permits, median 85 days.",
      "2024: 88 permits, median 112 days.",
      "2025: 104 permits, median 160 days."
    ],
    "inputs": [
      {
        "name": "Building Permits (since they went digital in 1994): permit type, status, file creation date and issue date",
        "agency": "City of Victoria",
        "url": "https://maps.victoria.ca/CustomMaps/OpenData/BuildingPermits.csv",
        "dataset_url": "https://opendata.victoria.ca/datasets/96207097159742f8af47216bc09fe1dd",
        "licence": {
          "name": "Open Government Licence - City of Victoria",
          "url": "https://opendata.victoria.ca/pages/open-data-licence"
        },
        "period": "2018 to Nov 9, 2026",
        "data_published": "2026-11-09",
        "attribution": "Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - City of Victoria."
      }
    ]
  },
  "refresh_frequency": "Daily (City file); shown by calendar year",
  "source": {
    "name": "Calculated here from City of Victoria data",
    "url": "https://maps.victoria.ca/CustomMaps/OpenData/BuildingPermits.csv",
    "dataset_url": "https://opendata.victoria.ca/datasets/96207097159742f8af47216bc09fe1dd"
  },
  "licence": {
    "name": "Open Government Licence - City of Victoria",
    "url": "https://opendata.victoria.ca/pages/open-data-licence"
  },
  "derived": true,
  "retrieved_at": "2026-11-11T08:10:47Z",
  "data_published": "2026-11-09",
  "attribution": "Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - City of Victoria.",
  "series": [
    {
      "period": "2018",
      "value": 68
    },
    {
      "period": "2019",
      "value": 95.0
    },
    {
      "period": "2020",
      "value": 88
    },
    {
      "period": "2021",
      "value": 77
    },
    {
      "period": "2022",
      "value": 137.0
    },
    {
      "period": "2023",
      "value": 85
    },
    {
      "period": "2024",
      "value": 112.0
    },
    {
      "period": "2025",
      "value": 160.0
    }
  ],
  "licence_type": "open"
}