Canadian builders took out their third highest number of permits ever in September, though fewer did so than in August, Statistics Canada reported today.

Builders took out $5.7 billion worth of permits, down 2.5% from the $5.8 billion worth acquired in August, the second highest level on record, StatsCan said.

The record high occurred in December 2005.

In the housing sector, municipalities issued $3.5 billion worth of permits in September, down 3.8% from August as intentions fell in both single- and multi-family components.

In the non-residential sector, the value of permits slipped a marginal 0.3% to $2.2 billion, offsetting gains in the institutional and industrial components.

The value of building permits fell in six provinces, with the biggest dollar declines in Ontario and British Columbia, while the value of permits in the three Prairie provinces and in Prince Edward Island advanced.

The largest dollar gain occurred in Alberta, where municipalities approved $1.3 billion worth of permits in September, another record high.