Tauranga City Council's manager of building services, Patrick Schofield, said the city's development hotspots were centred around the Lakes subdivision and the Golden Sands area in Papamoa.
Other notable housing developments included apartment blocks in Mount Maunganui and high-end house rebuilds.
Clive Tomsett, a contracts manager for Guild and Spence Electrical in Mount Maunganui, said the firm had been busy but perhaps less so than during a previous boom eight years ago when "we were flat-tack".
The work was mixture of new homes and renovations.
Mr Tomsett said the firm employed 50 staff and it was hard to find replacement electricians who could work to the expected standards. One option was to take on apprentices.
Tauranga's growth might suggest that builders and tradesmen must be flocking from Rotorua to their larger neighbour, but such is not the case.
The Bay of Plenty Times spoke to several Rotorua tradesmen who said they preferred to work locally, and some were able to charge higher rates there than they would be able to in Tauranga.
None were able to think of any builders, electricians or plumbers commuting to Tauranga.
Roy Peden, owner of Dial a Builder in Rotorua, said Tauranga did not tempt him because it was too far for him to commute. However, before the current building boom, Tauranga tradesmen used to come over to his city to work.
"I've been very busy - especially towards the end of last year," he said. "I don't have any new builds on at the moment, but I've been doing a lot of renovations and alterations."
Sefton Electrical owner David Sefton said Rotorua tradespeople were busy, and some were able to charge $2 to $3 an hour more locally than they could in Tauranga.
"A lot of guys have woken up to that and have increased their rates," he said.
Approvals for new homes 2016
Tauranga city: 1395 consents, for 1641 dwellings
Population: 128,200
Dwellings: 50,000
Rotorua district: 107 consents, for 115 dwellings
Population: 70,500
Dwellings: 27,600