One Baltimore resident had to beg her council member to intervene to secure a permit to fix a leaky roof. A developer tackling a long-vacant building has lost $10,000 a month as he waits for permits requested in February. A restaurant owner must seek an extension from the city’s Liquor License Board due to a six-month delay on a permit to install electrical outlets.

Weeks after Baltimore leaders sounded the alarm about massive backlogs in the city’s newly instituted permitting system, housing and building permits issued by the city continue to lag well behind previous years.

A Baltimore Banner analysis in early June found that about half as many permits were issued from January to May as in the same time period last year. By the end of June, the average number of permits issued each month remained lower — by more than 800 permits — than any year on record since 2015.

Baltimore City has struggled to issue housing and building permits in 2025

The average number of permits issued per months are at historic lows this year.

Source: Open Baltimore, Housing and Building Permits 2019-Present • Greg Morton/The Baltimore Banner