Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Chesapeake city index 1975–2025
Chesapeake city (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Chesapeake city'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 Chesapeake, Virginia, covered 1,479 housing units (+113.1% year on year); the place lies in Chesapeake city.
688 of those units were single-family houses (47%), 4 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 787 in buildings of five or more units. That is 5.8 units per 1,000 residents, close to the county's 5.8 and above the state's 4.2.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 37,184 units, with the busiest year 2005 (2,089 units). Chesapeake city's FHFA house price index rose +69.6% over the ten years to 2025.
1,479units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+113.1% on the previous 12 months
688single-family units47% of the total
787units in 5+ unit buildings53% of the total
5.8units per 1,000 residentsChesapeake city 5.8 · Virginia 4.2
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Chesapeake by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Chesapeake
Chesapeake city
Virginia
United States
All housing units
1,479
1,479
37,520
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
688 (47%)
688 (47%)
20,665 (55%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
0
0
448
34,814
3–4 units
4
4
130
17,298
5 or more units
787 (53%)
787 (53%)
16,277 (43%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
5.8
5.8
4.2
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+113.1%
+113.1%
+12.1%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Chesapeake by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
37,184 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2005. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Chesapeake city
FHFA's index for Chesapeake city rose +69.6% over the ten years to 2025 (+5.4% a year) and +3.5% in the latest year, against +74.6% and +3.7% for Virginia. 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 Chesapeake, VA?
1,479 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 694 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Chesapeake?
688 single-family units, 0 in two-unit buildings, 4 in three- and four-unit buildings and 787 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Chesapeake compare with its county and state?
5.8 units per 1,000 residents in Chesapeake, 5.8 in Chesapeake city and 4.2 in Virginia.
How have home prices moved in Chesapeake city?
FHFA's index for Chesapeake city rose +69.6% over the ten years to 2025 and +3.5% 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 011000); 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.