March 1, 2022

After a slower start to the usual record-breaking pace of construction in Sioux Falls, building permits have jumped ahead in February.

City building permit valuation for February totaled $151.2 million, compared with $111.1 million last year and $53.3 million in 2020.

That jump was pushed by two projects for the Harrisburg School District in the Sioux Falls city limits: a ninth grade academy near 85th Street and Cliff Avenue for $29.1 million and a middle school near 69th Street and Southeastern Avenue for $26.1 million.

With the schools, commercial activity represents the majority of the new projects so far this year in the city. New commercial permits totaled $103.4 million, compared with $39.6 million for the first two months of 2021.

Apartments, which fall under the commercial category, are slightly behind last year’s pace at $22.4 million, compared with $27.7 million. Permits have been issued for 168 multifamily units, compared with 238 a year ago.

Permits have been issued for 56 single-family homes, compared with 83 a year ago. The total value of that construction is $19.7 million, compared with $28.4 million a year.