Clermont County signed off on a record 6,156 building permits in 2025, the county reported on March 5, 2026, marking the third straight annual high as construction keeps rolling east of Cincinnati. It is the first time the county has cleared the 6,000-permit mark in a single year. County leaders say the spike reflects both new residential subdivisions and sizable commercial projects that have moved into the area.
According to Clermont County, residential permits accounted for 3,986 of 2025's permits, up 90 from 3,896 in 2024, while commercial and industrial permits totaled 2,170, an increase of 206 from 1,964 the prior year. The county's breakdown shows builders kept a heavy focus on single-family homes while larger industrial and commercial work picked up speed. Officials are framing the tally as a milestone for a county that has been steadily growing.
"Hitting and exceeding 6,000 permits is a significant milestone for us," Kris McClintick, director of the county's Department of Community and Economic Development, wrote in a Clermont County update. McClintick said the figure reflects both private investment and public infrastructure work that have arrived in recent years, and he pointed to fast-growing pockets of activity in Miami, Goshen and Union townships and in the Village of Batavia.
Records and the month-by-month trend
A Clermont County annual report shows 5,869 permits were issued in 2024 and 5,780 in 2023, underscoring a consecutive upswing in building activity. The pace accelerated early in 2025, with 3,212 permits issued from January through June compared with 2,238 in the first half of 2024, per Clermont County economic development notes. Monthly permit logs and downloadable activity reports are published by Permit Central for readers who want project-level detail.
Big projects behind the spike
Several large projects have driven much of the county's construction volume, including the new Nestlé Purina pet-food plant in Williamsburg Township and the planned Liberty Landing riverfront redevelopment in New Richmond. Industry coverage has tracked milestones at Purina's multi-hundred-million-dollar plant and the site's construction progress; see reporting by PetfoodIndustry and by MarinaWorld on Liberty Landing. Those private investments, together with expanding single-family subdivisions, account for a large share of the county's commercial and residential permits.
Policy shifts that may be fueling permits
County commissioners amended subdivision regulations to allow building permit applications to move forward once an approved performance bond is accepted, while keeping certificates of occupancy tied to completed infrastructure, according to Clermont County. The text spells out bonding thresholds, timing and the rule that certificates of occupancy will not be issued until utilities are finished. Officials say the tweak is designed to help builders keep schedules without short-changing water, sewer or road work, and a Clermont County annual report notes ARPA and other infrastructure investments intended to support that growth.
Full monthly permit listings and PDFs are posted on Permit Central, and the county's March 5 announcement summarizes the year's totals and breakdown. Local planners warn that keeping up with roads, sewer and water needs will be the next big test as the county's building totals continue to climb.
