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Ashland County permit report: COVID spike followed by steady annual permits around 30 dwellings
Summary
County staff presented permit data showing a COVID-era jump to 55 dwelling permits in 2021, with an average near 30 per year since; members cited affordability and lumber-price pressures as factors in lower construction this year.
County staff presented a five-year summary of issued permits and revenue for rural parts of Ashland County, showing a COVID-era peak in dwelling permits and a return to lower totals thereafter.
The staff handout showed dwelling permits (outside municipality limits) of 35 in 2020, 55 in 2021, about 30 in 2022, 32 in 2023 and 29 in 2024. Staff reported that, halfway through the current year, approximately 13'15 dwelling permits had been issued, putting the county on pace for a lower-than-average year.
Committee members discussed likely causes for the 2021 spike and the subsequent decline: the pandemic bump in construction in 2021 and, more recently, affordability headwinds. One committee member attributed part of the cost pressure to tariffs and rising lumber prices, saying Canadian softwood lumber tariffs have pushed lumber prices up roughly 25 percent.
Members noted that most rural permits are for single-family dwellings and that RV and temporary-use permits appear in smaller numbers. Staff said they plan to refine the permit spreadsheet for clearer presentation in future months.
No formal action was taken on the permits report; members said the numbers are for information and that broader county-level strategies to attract development would require separate policy work.
