Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995York County index 1979–2025
York County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is York 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.
Sanford, Maine (York County), authorised 64 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, −40.7% on the previous 12 months.
25 of those units were single-family houses (39%), 4 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 35 in buildings of five or more units. That is 2.8 units per 1,000 residents, well below the county's 6.2 and well below the state's 4.8.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 1,745 units, with the busiest year 2023 (147 units). York County's FHFA house price index rose +115.7% over the ten years to 2025.
64units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−40.7% on the previous 12 months
25single-family units39% of the total
35units in 5+ unit buildings55% of the total
2.8units per 1,000 residentsYork County 6.2 · Maine 4.8
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Sanford by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Sanford
York County
Maine
United States
All housing units
64
1,372
6,830
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
25 (39%)
914 (67%)
4,503 (66%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
4
38
244
34,814
3–4 units
0
9
104
17,298
5 or more units
35 (55%)
411 (30%)
1,979 (29%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
2.8
6.2
4.8
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−40.7%
+2.0%
+8.4%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Sanford by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
1,745 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2023. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in York County
FHFA's index for York County rose +115.7% over the ten years to 2025 (+8.0% a year) and +5.7% in the latest year, against +112.4% and +4.7% for Maine. 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 Sanford, ME?
64 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 108 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Sanford?
25 single-family units, 4 in two-unit buildings, 0 in three- and four-unit buildings and 35 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Sanford compare with its county and state?
2.8 units per 1,000 residents in Sanford, 6.2 in York County and 4.8 in Maine.
How have home prices moved in York County?
FHFA's index for York County rose +115.7% over the ten years to 2025 and +5.7% 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 389000); 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.