Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – The Dominican Republic’s construction sector is seeing explosive growth in private investment, driven by sweeping government reforms to streamline and modernize the building permit approval process. New data released by the country’s Ministry of Housing, Habitat and Buildings (Mivhed) shows that total approved private construction projects reached more than RD$330.2 billion in the first half of 2026, marking a staggering 157% jump compared to the same six-month period in 2025.
Beyond the massive increase in total project value, Mivhed’s half-year report highlights broad-based growth across the sector. Between January and June 2026, the ministry issued 921 formal building permits, an 80% increase from the 512 permits granted one year prior. The number of new permit applications also climbed 13% year-over-year to 878, a clear indicator that construction activity will continue expanding in the coming months.
Housing Minister Víctor “Ito” Bisonó emphasized that these strong results confirm the effectiveness of the government’s regulatory modernization push. Bisonó noted that faster, more transparent approval processes are not only attracting greater private capital to the sector but also supporting more organized, sustainable urban and infrastructure development across the country.
As part of its ongoing modernization agenda, Mivhed is currently developing a new state-run digital permitting platform, which was designed in close collaboration with private sector stakeholders including real estate developers, civil engineers, licensed architects, and other industry representatives. The new digital system is on track to enter a pilot testing phase in the near future, with core goals that include improving real-time application tracking for applicants, cutting down overall processing wait times, and delivering more consistent, predictable timelines for investors planning new projects.
Mivhed officials reiterated that the broader regulatory reforms are targeted at unlocking long-term potential for the Dominican Republic’s construction industry: by removing bureaucratic barriers to private investment, upgrading public service delivery for industry participants, and creating a more welcoming operating environment, the government aims to position the sector as a key driver of sustained national economic growth.