Key findingsActive permits by year issuedPermits active on October 22, 2026. 19 active permits issued before 2020 are not shown.
Active permits by community (top 10)
Active permits by how many permits the same name holdsNames are grouped exactly as the register spells them; they are not published here.
What the numbers say
- The county's register listed 4,917 active permits on October 22, 2026. 1,072 were in the Big Bear Lake area, 1,046 in Joshua Tree and 821 in Lake Arrowhead.
- The desert side is almost as big as the mountains. Joshua Tree alone has 1,046 permits, close to the 1,072 in the Big Bear Lake area, and Landers, Yucca Valley area and other high-desert communities add more.
- The permits on the list are young. 1,609 of the active permits (33%) were issued in 2025 or 2026, and 854 in 2021 alone. Only 19 date from before 2020.
- The list moves fast. Between July 6 and October 22, 2026, 369 new permits appeared on it and 411 dropped off: a net change of −42 in under four months.
- Larger operators matter here more than in most cities. 27 names each appear on 10 or more active permits and together hold 767 (16% of the list); the largest single name holds 82.
369permits added to the register, July 6 to October 22, 2026
411permits that left the register in the same period
60%of active permits in three communities
2020
8542021
2022
2023
2024
2025
8042026
Show the numbers
| Year | Permits |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 478 |
| 2021 | 854 |
| 2022 | 588 |
| 2023 | 780 |
| 2024 | 589 |
| 2025 | 805 |
| 2026 | 804 |
Show the numbers
| Permits | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Big Bear Lake area | 1,072 | 21.8% |
| Joshua Tree | 1,046 | 21.3% |
| Lake Arrowhead | 821 | 16.7% |
| Sugarloaf | 353 | 7.2% |
| Crestline | 219 | 4.5% |
| Landers | 188 | 3.8% |
| Yucca Valley area | 139 | 2.8% |
| Running Springs | 136 | 2.8% |
| Twin Peaks | 115 | 2.3% |
| Fawnskin | 100 | 2.0% |
Show the numbers
| Permits | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Name holds 1 | 3,346 | 68.0% |
| Name holds 2 to 4 | 634 | 12.9% |
| Name holds 5 to 9 | 170 | 3.5% |
| Name holds 10 or more | 767 | 15.6% |
