Home-construction permits in the Indianapolis metropolitan area climbed in August thanks to a surge of activity in suburban counties.

In the nine-county area, the number of permits filed last month rose to 357, an increase of 23 percent from the same month in 2010, according to the latest permit data from the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis.

Only 39 single-family building permits were filed in Marion County last month, a  41-percent drop from August 2010, but Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson and Boone counties all saw big increases in permits filed.

The 122 permits filed in Hamilton County in August were the most of any county in the metropolitan area, up 24 percent from a year ago.

Permits filed in Hendricks doubled from a year ago in August, from 33 to 66. They rose 58 percent in Boone, from 26 to 41, and 30 percent in Johnson, from 37 to 48.

The area's August increase is the second largest monthly jump this year, following a 29-percent spike in permits in May. The number of permits in July fell 3 percent from the same time in 2010.

The year got off to a rocky start as the first three months of 2010 saw double-digit decreases in permits filed.

Through August, 2,588 building permits have been filed in the area, a 5-percent drop compared with the first eight months of 2010.