With reports nationally that the housing industry is seeing more sales and starts and may actually be beginning to turn around, a report from the city of Bonney Lake indicates that the same trend may be occurring locally.

Through October of this year, the city of Bonney Lake has issued more single family home building permits that it issued in all of 2012.

By the end of October, the city had issued 84 single family permits compared to a total of 74 in 2011.

Compared just to the same time period last year, January through October, the city has experienced an increase of 35 percent.

“It appears we’ve turned a corner, certainly as far as single family,” said Community Development Director John Vodopich.

Vodopich said the city has seen a gradual, steady increase in permits over the year and is encouraged the housing sector is starting to rebound. Vodopich said he attends a developer’s forum every month and right now most cities are seeing an uptick in building.

The 19 total building permits issued in October brought in a combined $28,295 to city coffers.

So far this year, the city has collected $431,034 from permit fees, with two full months left in the year, a 42 percent increase over the $303,000 collected in the same period last year.

In fact, through all of 2011, the city collected just $350,625 in building permit revenue.

In total, permit and fee revenue, which includes building permits, water permits, sewer permits, and others is up 97 percent over the same period in 2011.

November numbers, however, are expected to be lower because incentives such as reduced traffic and water fees kick in next month and Vodopich said most builders planning projects have waited for those to take effect.

But he also said several of the bank-owned plats in the city have been purchased and he expects a surge in permits next year, including 17 lots near Church Lake, 20 lots at the Orchard Grove II plat and 54 homes at the GMG lots on West Tapps Highway.

Though the reduced fees mean each home will not generate as much money next year, Vodopich said he expected the increase in numbers to make up the difference in 2013.

This story has been corrected.