Compared with August 2012, new building permits were down 4%, the data showed.
Residential constructions in rural areas made up for 64.4% of the new housing permits issued in August.
New permits for non-residential buildings, including administrative structures, stood at 627 units in August, compared with 687 permits issued in the previous month.
In January to August, Romanian housing permits reached 25,344 units, down 2.8% on the year.