According to the Orders of Engineers in Beirut and Tripoli, the number of construction permits declined by an annual 2.94%, to settle at 15,278 permits by November 2017. However, the Construction Area Authorized by Permits (CAP) rose by 14.73% year-on-year (y-o-y) to stand at 11.01M square meters (sqm).
The regional breakdown showed that the largest number of construction permits was issued in Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon and Nabatiyeh respective shares of 35.02%, 17.68%, and 13.12% of total permits, respectively. By November 2017, the number of issued construction permits reached 5,351 in Mount Lebanon, 2,701 in South Lebanon and 2,004 in Nabatiyeh, all declining by annual rates of 5.53%, 9.39% and 7.99%, respectively.
By November 2017, the construction area authorized by permits totaled 4.36 million square meters (sqm) in Mount Lebanon, 1.50 million sqm in South Lebanon and 1.03 million sqm in Bekaa, all down by yearly rates of 8.7%, 5.62% and 9.95%, respectively.
Construction Area and Permits by November of Each Year
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
| Construction Area Authorized by Permits (sqm) | 11,602,595 | 12,559,594 | 11,036,510 | 9,597,044 | 11,010,831 |
| Number of Construction Permits | 15,407 | 15,355 | 13,727 | 15,740 | 15,278 |
Source: Orders of Engineers in Beirut & Tripoli