Compared with October 2011, however, new building permits were up 13.5%, the data showed.
Residential constructions in rural areas made up for 64% of the new housing permits issued in October.
New permits for non-residential buildings, including administrative structures, stood at 698 units in October, up 4.6% from the previous month, and 13.4% more than in the same month of last year.
In January through October, Romanian housing permits reached 32,907 units, down 3% on the year.