The State of East End Building, Mid-2026
Digging up what’s being built, from Westhampton to Montauk.
Compiled from the Town of Southampton’s public permit record, 1990 to present. 180,015 filings analyzed. Figures through July 13, 2026.
The headlines
- 2026 is pacing to be the biggest building year in Southampton Town’s modern record. 5,219 permits filed by July 13. Annualized, that is roughly 9,700, ahead of 2025’s record 8,627 and nearly triple the post-crash trough.
- The teardown wave hit a decade high in 2024. 188 demolition filings, up about 50 percent from the 2019 to 2023 norm. 2026 is tracking right at that pace.
- Spec building has fully reheated. New-house filings fell to 57 in 2020, then climbed every year since: 110, 99, 135, 160, and 159 last year. 2026 is pacing near 200.
- The pool boom never ended. Pool and spa permits ran about 150 a year through the 2010s. Then: 291, 423, 454, 490, and 628 in 2025. A four-times re-rating of the old normal, and 2026 is pacing higher still.
- Pickleball has entered the permit record. Zero mentions before 2023. Then 4, then 13, then 17, and 12 already by mid-2026. The backyard court is the new tennis court.
The long arc
| Year | Filings | Era |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 3,069 | pre-boom baseline |
| 2000 | 5,021 | dot-com wealth arrives |
| 2005 | 6,710 | housing-bubble peak |
| 2010 | 3,561 | post-crash crater |
| 2015 | 4,429 | slow recovery |
| 2020 | 5,942 | the exodus begins |
| 2024 | 7,857 | new record |
| 2025 | 8,627 | record again |
| 2026 | 5,219 thru Jul 13 | pacing ~9,700 |
The 2005 bubble peak took 19 years to beat. It has now been beaten three years running.
Where the teardowns are (2016 to present)
| Hamlet | Demolition filings |
|---|---|
| Bridgehampton | 255 |
| Water Mill | 216 |
| Hampton Bays | 209 |
| North Sea | 153 |
| Noyac | 129 |
| East Quogue | 95 |
Bridgehampton is the teardown capital of the town. It also leads new-house filings with 185, which confirms the pattern: the same lots, recycled into bigger houses. Hampton Bays’ 209 teardowns on far cheaper land signal the value frontier moving west.
Method, honestly
Southampton Town public permit records, all departments, categorized by our own reading of the town’s permit types. Counts are filings and issuances of all permit types, not unique construction projects. Pre-2000 digital coverage may be incomplete. East Hampton Town is excluded from the historical series because its digital record begins in 2025; by state filings it adds roughly 2,000 permits a year to the East End total. Every underlying filing is public record, checkable against the Town’s own system.
The East End Dig reads every permit filed in both towns, weekly. Subscribe free at theeastenddig.com.
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