Visalia building permits for all of 2025 seem to reflect a strong economy in the city as we go into the new year. The numbers have just been published.
The total value of all building permits hit $525 million compared to $343 million in 2024. New home permits numbered 562 compared to 270 the year before. By contrast, multifamily permits were down at 142 compared to 327 permits in 2024.
More than 1.1 million square feet of new single-family homes were permitted in Visalia last year with an average dwelling cost of $363,600 ,up from $326,349 in 2024.Compared to most cities in the state, the average cost to buy a new home here is attractive.
Visalians spent more $40 million fixing up their existing homes last year.
If new home construction was humming, so were permits for commercial alterations as businesses set a record pace fixing up their stores and buildings. They spent $108 million on projects last year,up 140% from the year before.
New commercial permits added up to $151 million in 2025 compared to just $63 million in 2024 but down from 2023 when new commercial permits added up to $191 million, boosted by industrial park construction.
Construction in the Visalia Industrial Park slowed last year compared to the record pace in 2020 to 2023 when total square footage all over the city hit over 3 million sf each year. In 2025 it added up to 2 million sf compared to just 1.1milliion sf in 2024.
The strong pace will likely benefit the city’s 2026 revenue stream that counts on performance in residential and commercial activity for sales and property tax monies.