Who issues building permits in San Francisco?

The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI) issues building permits in San Francisco.

How long does a commercial building permit take in San Francisco?

In the 90 days to October 29, 2026, the median commercial or multifamily building permit in San Francisco was issued 5 days after the application was filed, across 1,868 permits with an application date. Half took between 0 days and 29 days. Simple trade permits are usually faster than new construction.

How do I look up building permits in San Francisco?

Search the city's records at https://dbiweb02.sfgov.org/dbipts/ by address or permit number. US Permit Search groups every commercial and multifamily permit at an address into one project page, with the contractor and declared value.

How much does a building permit cost in San Francisco?

Plan review and permit issuance fees for new construction and alterations come from SF Building Code Table 1A-A and are based on the total valuation of the project. The official schedule: https://www.sf.gov/resource--fees-department-building-inspection.

How to Get a Building Permit in San Francisco, CA (2026)

Where to apply and look up permits in San Francisco

Apply for a permitWhere to apply for a permit (SF.gov) ↗www.sf.gov/where-to-apply-for-your-permit
Look up a permitDBI permit tracking ↗dbiweb02.sfgov.org/dbipts/
FeesOfficial fee schedule ↗www.sf.gov/resource--fees-department-building-inspection
Open dataSan Francisco building permit dataset ↗data.sf.gov/Housing-and-Buildings/Building-Permits/i98e-djp9

DBI says you must have a building permit to do construction. Only work listed in SF Building Code §106A.2 is exempt, such as painting, small sheds, and short fences and retaining walls.

Projects that every department can review in under an hour get Over-the-Counter (OTC) review at the Permit Center. Everything else goes through In-House Review with electronic plan review, and large site permits are completed through addenda. Simple no-plan permits (in-kind windows, doors, siding, reroofing, trade work) are filed in the PermitSF portal (https://sanfranciscoca.portal.opengov.com/).

Trade	Permits	Median days to issue	Median declared value
Building	1,868	5	$44.6K
Signs	14	128	$2.5K

How to get a building permit in San Francisco, California

Where to apply and look up permits in San Francisco

How to get a building permit in San Francisco, California

Where to apply and look up permits in San Francisco

How long commercial permits take in San Francisco, by trade

Most common commercial permit types

Commercial permits per month

Questions and answers