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Dominican Republic Sets Record for Construction Permits in 2026
The Dominican Republic's Ministry of Housing, Habitat and Buildings (MIVHED) issued a record number of construction permits in July, pushing the total for the first seven months of 2026 beyond the full-year figure recorded in 2025 and highlighting continued growth in the country's construction sector.
The Ministry of Housing, Habitat and Buildings (MIVHED) reached a new milestone in July by issuing 201 construction permits, the highest monthly total since the institution was established. The result lifted the ministry’s cumulative permits for the first seven months of 2026 to 1,122, already exceeding the 953 permits granted during all of 2025.
Compared with the same period last year, permit activity increased sharply. Between January and July 2026, MIVHED issued 1,122 licenses, up from 605 during the corresponding months of 2025, representing an 85% year-over-year increase.
Institutional Modernization Drives Growth
Housing Minister Ito Bisonó attributed the results to the ministry’s ongoing institutional strengthening and modernization of the country’s construction permitting system.
“These results reflect an institution with greater capacity to process and respond while maintaining the technical standards required for every project,” Bisonó said. He added that the ministry is advancing toward a permitting system that is more transparent, standardized and easier to track, providing greater certainty for developers and investors in the Dominican Republic.
Historic Improvement in Permit Activity
The ministry’s data also show a sustained rise in average monthly permit approvals. During its first year of operation in 2021, MIVHED averaged 85 permits per month. That figure increased to 107 in 2022, 93 in 2023, 102 in 2024 and 79 in 2025. In the first seven months of 2026, the average climbed to a record 160 permits per month.
In July alone, Santo Domingo accounted for the largest number of permits with 103, followed by Santiago with 43, Punta Cana with 41 and San Francisco de Macorís with 14. Of the month’s total, 173 were final permits while 28 were issued under conditional approval.
Investment Value Surges
The increase in permits has also translated into significantly higher investment. Projects approved between January and July represent a combined investment of RD$406.715 billion, compared with RD$150.163 billion during the same period in 2025, an increase of 171%.
The 201 permits issued in July alone correspond to projects valued at more than RD$76.524 billion and are expected to generate approximately 56,684 direct jobs, according to MIVHED.
Bisonó said the ministry will continue expanding reforms to the permitting system by improving traceability, institutional coordination and administrative efficiency while maintaining rigorous technical evaluation standards. The initiative aims to support orderly growth in the Dominican Republic’s construction sector and provide greater confidence for property developers and investors.
