Grant County sees considerable building permit activity

EPHRATA — The construction industry was strong in Grant County in late 2020, as seen in building permit applications in the unincorporated areas.

Grant County Development Services Director Damian Hooper said Jan. 5 the county received 131 building permit applications in December, the highest monthly total for the year. County officials received 953 permit applications for the year, Hooper said.

The flood of applications led to some delays in issuing permits, Hooper said. In addition, the office suffered from some staffing issues in November and December after some staff members were exposed to the coronavirus.

The coronavirus outbreak prompted state officials to order the suspension of many activities, including construction. Private construction projects were shut down for six to eight weeks, from mid-March to mid-May.

Projects already in the works were allowed to resume in late April, and other construction resumed in May in some counties.