Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995LaSalle County index 1977–2025
LaSalle County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is LaSalle County's FHFA index, with the national index rebased to the same start.
Census Bureau notes: building permit figures cover new privately owned housing units authorised by permit-issuing places; permits do not mean the units were started or completed, and places that report less often than monthly are imputed in monthly totals. FHFA notes: The FHFA HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The FHFA HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties.
In the 12 months to August 2026, building permits in Ottawa, Illinois, covered 24 housing units (+84.6% year on year); the place lies in LaSalle County.
16 of those units were single-family houses (67%), 8 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 0 in buildings of five or more units. That is 1.3 units per 1,000 residents, well above the county's 0.8 and below the state's 1.5.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 1,904 units, with the busiest year 2004 (156 units). LaSalle County's FHFA house price index rose +71.4% over the ten years to 2025.
24units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+84.6% on the previous 12 months
16single-family units67% of the total
0units in 5+ unit buildings0% of the total
1.3units per 1,000 residentsLaSalle County 0.8 · Illinois 1.5
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Ottawa by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Ottawa
LaSalle County
Illinois
United States
All housing units
24
81
19,157
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
16 (67%)
73 (90%)
10,712 (56%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
0
0
502
34,814
3–4 units
8
8
871
17,298
5 or more units
0 (0%)
0 (0%)
7,072 (37%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
1.3
0.8
1.5
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+84.6%
+14.1%
−5.7%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Ottawa by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
1,904 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2004. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in LaSalle County
FHFA's index for LaSalle County rose +71.4% over the ten years to 2025 (+5.5% a year) and +8.1% in the latest year, against +64.6% and +5.7% for Illinois. Full county page: decade table, peak-to-low declines, every ZIP code and every permit-issuing place in the county.
Questions and answers
How many homes are being built in Ottawa, IL?
24 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 13 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Ottawa?
16 single-family units, 0 in two-unit buildings, 8 in three- and four-unit buildings and 0 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Ottawa compare with its county and state?
1.3 units per 1,000 residents in Ottawa, 0.8 in LaSalle County and 1.5 in Illinois.
How have home prices moved in LaSalle County?
FHFA's index for LaSalle County rose +71.4% over the ten years to 2025 and +8.1% in the latest year; the county page has the full series.
What does a permit count?
A housing unit authorised by a building permit for new privately owned residential construction, as reported to the Census Bureau Building Permits Survey by the permit-issuing office. Permits are not completions; some permitted units are never built, and places that report only annually are imputed in monthly figures.
Provenance
Permits: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, place-level monthly and annual files through August 2026 (permit office 595300); county and state comparisons from the county and state files. Population: Census Bureau vintage 2025 estimates for incorporated places, matched on FIPS place code where the permit office is one. House price index: Federal Housing Finance Agency. Public domain. Corrections · Building Permits Survey.