The total number of building permits issued by Webster County tripled from 2019 to 2020, according to a presentation from Planning and Zoning Administrator Jeff Johnson.

After a steady decline from 2015 to 2019, Johnson told Webster County Supervisors Tuesday that permits issued went from 24 in 2019 to 73 in 2020. At 73, the county issued more permits than the last highest year — 67 in 2015.

With the increase in 2020, revenue from permits nearly doubled from $11,700 to just over $22,000.

Johnson attributed the increase in permits to historically low interest rates.

Single family residential permits issued saw the largest increase, particularly for homes over 2,500 square feet — from three permits in 2019 to 10 in 2020. Residential accessory permits issued for structures between 200 and 2,499 square feet went from 13 to 42 in the same year.

The only decline was in non-residential permits, which fell from 10 to six, the lowest in five years.

“Anyone who constructs a single family home or structure needs a permit,” Johnson said. “Farm structures are exempt … but we check for zoning requirements on those to be sure they’re consistent with zoning requirements.”