Compared with May 2012, new building permits declined 22.1%, the data showed.
Residential constructions in rural areas made up for 66.1% of the new housing permits issued in May.
New permits for non-residential buildings, including administrative structures, stood at 570 units in May, a decline of 10.1% from the previous month and of 28.1% from the same month of last year.
In January through May, Romanian housing permits reached 13,832 units, down 3.2% on the year.