Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Hamilton County index 1975–2025
Hamilton County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Hamilton 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.
Chattanooga, Tennessee (Hamilton County), authorised 966 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, +1.0% on the previous 12 months.
625 of those units were single-family houses (65%), 121 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 220 in buildings of five or more units. That is 5.0 units per 1,000 residents, close to the county's 5.2 and close to the state's 5.7.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 23,737 units, with the busiest year 2022 (1,271 units). Hamilton County's FHFA house price index rose +116.5% over the ten years to 2025.
966units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+1.0% on the previous 12 months
625single-family units65% of the total
220units in 5+ unit buildings23% of the total
5.0units per 1,000 residentsHamilton County 5.2 · Tennessee 5.7
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Chattanooga by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Chattanooga
Hamilton County
Tennessee
United States
All housing units
966
2,021
41,556
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
625 (65%)
1,600 (79%)
30,956 (74%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
100
110
508
34,814
3–4 units
21
68
481
17,298
5 or more units
220 (23%)
243 (12%)
9,611 (23%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
5.0
5.2
5.7
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+1.0%
+2.8%
−4.5%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Chattanooga by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
23,737 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2022. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Hamilton County
FHFA's index for Hamilton County rose +116.5% over the ten years to 2025 (+8.0% a year) and +1.8% in the latest year, against +113.5% and +2.4% for Tennessee. 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 Chattanooga, TN?
966 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 956 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Chattanooga?
625 single-family units, 100 in two-unit buildings, 21 in three- and four-unit buildings and 220 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Chattanooga compare with its county and state?
5.0 units per 1,000 residents in Chattanooga, 5.2 in Hamilton County and 5.7 in Tennessee.
How have home prices moved in Hamilton County?
FHFA's index for Hamilton County rose +116.5% over the ten years to 2025 and +1.8% 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 127000); 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.