SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The U.S. Census Bureau plans to request a three-year extension of the current Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance of the Survey of Housing Starts, Sales and Completions, also known as the Survey of Construction (SOC). The SOC is co-sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The SOC collects monthly data on new residential construction from a sample of owners or builders. The Census Bureau uses the Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) electronic questionnaires SOC-QI/SF.1 and SOC-QI/MF.1 to collect data on start and completion dates of construction, physical characteristics of the structure (floor area, number of bathrooms, type of heating system, etc.), and if applicable, date of sale, sales price, and type of financing. The SOC provides widely used measures of construction activity, including the economic indicators Housing Starts and Housing Completions, which are from the New Residential Construction series, and New Residential Sales. The current clearance for this survey is scheduled to expire on March 31, 2027.

We sample approximately 1,613 new buildings each month (approximately 19,353 per year). We inquire about the progress of each building multiple times until it is completed (and a sales contract is signed, if it is a single-family house that is built for sale). For single-family buildings, we conduct an average of 9.6 interviews and for multifamily buildings, we conduct an average of 8.5 interviews. The total number of interviews conducted from 2023 through 2025 was averaged and for single-family buildings is approximately 120,312 and for multifamily buildings is about 57,390. Each interview takes 5 minutes on average. Therefore, the total annual burden is 14,809 hours. Compared to the period 2020-2022, sampled construction projects are taking longer to start, complete, and sell. Since projects are interviewed until the project is completed or sold for the single-family for sale category, this is leaving projects in sample for longer resulting in a higher average interview amount for 2023-2025. While the amount of sampled projects has decreased, the average interviews per case increasing results in a modest increase in total annual burden for this collection.

II. Method of Collection

The Census Bureau uses its field representatives to collect the data. The field representatives conduct interviews to obtain data.

III. Data

OMB Control Number: 0607-0110.

Form Number(s): SOC-QI.SF.1 and SOC-QI/MF.1.

Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for an Extension, without Change, of a Currently Approved Collection.

Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-profit organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents: We sample 19,353 new buildings each year. This results in an estimated 177,702 interviews per year.

Estimated Time per Response: 5 minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 14,809. ( printed page 45238)

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0. (This is not the cost of respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services required specifically by the collection.)

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 8(b), 131 and 182; Title 12 U.S.C., Sections 1701z-1 and 1701z-2g

IV. Request for Comments

We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

91 FR 45237