Construction equipment sits at a St. John's site. Building permits fell by 10.8 per cent across the country in May. (Canadian Press)

Canadian municipalities issued building permits worth $6 billion in May, a 10.8 per cent decline from April's level.

Statistics Canada reported Tuesday that nationally, municipalities approved 17,124 new dwellings in May, down 4.4 per cent from April.

The value of residential permits fell 5.3 per cent to $3.7 billion because of a decline in the single-family component. Municipalities issued $2.3 billion worth of permits for single-family dwellings in May, down 9.2 per cent from April.

Following an 11.4 per cent decline in April, the value of permits for multi-family dwellings increased 2.5 per cent to $1.3 billion in May.

Only three provinces saw increases: British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island. The total value of permits fell in 18 of the 34 census metropolitan areas during the month.

Despite the monthly dip, the value of permits in May was 13.9 per cent higher than the level in May 2009.