WASHINGTON — U.S. builders are betting that the housing market is finally on the path back to health.

They requested 5 percent more permits in February to build single-family homes and apartments in the coming months. That increased the annual rate to a seasonally adjusted 717,000 permits, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

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The construction company Lennar works on new single-family homes last week at the Aria at West Creek development in Santa Clarita, Calif. Compared with last year, 2012 is expected to be better for home construction. The Associated Press

While that’s still half the rate considered healthy by most economists, it’s the highest since October 2008.

“This report is one of the more encouraging new-construction reports we have seen in the last four years,” said Patrick Newport, an economist with IHS Global Insight.

Builders have grown more confident over the past six months after seeing more people express interest in buying a home. The rise in permits suggests builders see that interest translating into sales over the next 12 months.

Economists cautioned that construction levels remain depressed and the housing market has a long way to go before it is back to full health.

In an indication of that challenge, the government said builders broke ground on slightly fewer homes in February. The seasonally adjusted rate of 698,000 housing starts fell from January’s revised level of 706,000, which was the highest since October 2008.

“The key numbers in this report are the housing permits, not the starts,” said Newport. “The permits are better measured than starts, are less influenced by weather and are forward-looking.”

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