SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - University of Utah researchers say permits to build new homes have increased 24 percent statewide while non-residential numbers are down 43 percent.
The university's Bureau of Economic and Business Research shows new oil and gas field jobs in the Uintah Basin may be spurring the largest demands for homes.
The figures are for the first four months of 2012 compared to the same period last year.
Figures released nationally show builders are putting up more new houses than they have in four years.
In Utah, Washington County's home permits are up 21 percent - its best performance since the recent housing bubble collapsed.
Davis County shows the most improvement in housing permits for heavily-populated areas.
Morgan, Sanpete, Garfield, and Box Elder counties also show strong residential gains.
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