Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do stairs permits take in San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood?

In the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 49 stairs permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 7 days, down from 21 days a year earlier. Of the 54 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 208 days of being issued, down from 218 days the year before.

From the city’s permit records, by the quarter each permit was filed. Data as of 8 October 2026. How to cite this · How this is calculated

How long until a permit is issued, and until final sign-off?

How long stairs permits take in San Francisco's Bernal HeightsneighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge01002003004005006002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/bernal-heights/stairs · Data as of 8 October 2026By the quarter the permit was filed. A median counts only permits that finished the stage, so recent quarterslook faster than they will end up. Gaps: fewer than 5 permits.

This chart as an image (SVG), with its title, source and date, free to embed under CC BY 4.0.

At a glance

StagePermits filedPermits countedMedian daysCounted a year earlierMedian a year earlier
Filed to permit issuedOctober 2025 through September 202649 issued762 issued21
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202454 finished20839 finished218

“Counted” is the permits the median was taken over: those filed in the window that have been issued, or that have reached final sign-off. The first stage covers the last four complete quarters, since most permits are issued within the year. The second covers the last four quarters that ended two or more years ago, so that most of their permits have had time to finish. Citywide, the median was 7 days to issue and 175 days from issue to final over the same quarters.

Every quarter since 2000

Quarter filedFiledIssuedMedian days to issueSlowest 10%Reached finalMedian days issue to finalSlowest 10%Never finaledSettled
2026-Q43100too recent
2026-Q31761620too recent
2026-Q2201445040too recent
2026-Q11812208840too recent
2025-Q421171717981102080too recent
2025-Q318172912213892890too recent
2025-Q21513245982243240too recent
2025-Q1202024165111492670too recent
2024-Q41412834101224500too recent
2024-Q3191826139142706190yes
2024-Q222208236142083320yes
2024-Q119193081171435840yes
2023-Q414134224391252901yes
2023-Q318136510102804975yes
2023-Q2201911547141803954yes
2023-Q11310032582825823yes
2022-Q4141318449272267321yes
2022-Q3161350799111405131yes
2022-Q214134911181809412yes
2022-Q1181516362142888943yes
2021-Q4151536871122907433yes
2021-Q3181617244153087151yes
2021-Q2242014403153365013yes
2021-Q1201793844134371,0653yes
2020-Q42923114327172676204yes
2020-Q3181653203132286072yes
2020-Q23321yes
2020-Q115128178102838691yes
2019-Q4262319674153686588yes
2019-Q325237638162365903yes
2019-Q2333026580242541,0835yes
2019-Q1151516160145368691yes
2018-Q41211518783741,0391yes
2018-Q323218400202549420yes
2018-Q2242036274172384640yes
2018-Q1211822341141954016yes
2017-Q4252122161161716923yes
2017-Q321189351142433753yes
2017-Q228268413202388385yes
2017-Q116131431893007012yes
2016-Q4292714381212817535yes
2016-Q3222010402162826902yes
2016-Q229277345201204704yes
2016-Q114138110121783761yes
2015-Q4201943207153106293yes
2015-Q323215361191004473yes
2015-Q2201914334171987712yes
2015-Q126265145231974072yes
2014-Q4303016397263147514yes
2014-Q328255157212276234yes
2014-Q218155450112004844yes
2014-Q124238327202321,0713yes
2013-Q41919453152105834yes
2013-Q320202294121484127yes
2013-Q2272513153232497050yes
2013-Q1161687015942981yes
2012-Q4131116891262622yes
2012-Q334324176261624667yes
2012-Q2272411334172876757yes
2012-Q117152478141145181yes
2011-Q426252120211223443yes
2011-Q325231156181082473yes
2011-Q23129015624944903yes
2011-Q116157268131293471yes
2010-Q423215236212395190yes
2010-Q331291040422927875yes
2010-Q23030296251634874yes
2010-Q11615112121243571yes
2009-Q4131201819292492yes
2009-Q32726110221893312yes
2009-Q218184109141424040yes
2009-Q11110016291653151yes
2008-Q43431034211053193yes
2008-Q325202266172144361yes
2008-Q2403802828842002yes
2008-Q13330119420703475yes
2007-Q438351216222144533yes
2007-Q328270349201003042yes
2007-Q2312902041112625910yes
2007-Q11616031681302663yes
2006-Q419190175141163111yes
2006-Q3262500131312540yes
2006-Q224240438142664531yes
2006-Q118180192152113710yes
2005-Q423220445142363862yes
2005-Q31919027315612442yes
2005-Q21615019911882580yes
2005-Q11313042111062270yes
2004-Q41916031781233211yes
2004-Q318160304131453261yes
2004-Q218180324111193541yes
2004-Q11818032191076853yes
2003-Q499011151853622yes
2003-Q3212100131324422yes
2003-Q21717010113592090yes
2003-Q1201909113944590yes
2002-Q423220172131333133yes
2002-Q33636022126782940yes
2002-Q226230147181082982yes
2002-Q11816660121363271yes
2001-Q41817041991522722yes
2001-Q319190132101593120yes
2001-Q2151301606921540yes
2001-Q112120227282530yes
2000-Q4131306561191880yes
2000-Q32624015121482890yes
2000-Q21817080122766310yes
2000-Q115150357751,3820yes

A blank median means fewer than 5 permits behind it: issued permits for the first stage, and for the second, finished permits whose final is dated after their issue (a permit never issued has no span). “Slowest 10%” is the 90th percentile: one permit in ten took at least this long. Download the table as CSV or JSON; both carry the source, license and data date.

What the numbers leave out

219 of the 2,249 stairs permits filed since 2000 (10%) have no final sign-off 3 years after they were issued or, if never issued, filed. A median over finished permits understates the real wait: the permits that never finish are not in it. Inspection records are not yet included: “final sign-off” is the city’s own completion date on the permit.

Project types in San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (3,696 filed, 2,606 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (2,991 filed, 2,081 finished; contractors); stairs (2,249 filed, 1,508 finished; contractors); deck (1,270 filed, 821 finished; contractors); roof deck (214 filed, 133 finished; contractors). Other types: 17,957 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Glen Park, Noe Valley, Portola; all of San Francisco; every neighborhood compared.

How this is calculated

Approved means the city issued the permit: the permit’s issue date. The first stage counts days from the filing date to the issue date, over permits issued on or after they were filed. Final sign-off means the city’s own status for the permit is “complete”, with its completion date; this site does not yet read inspection records, so the inspection date is not a separate stage. The second stage counts days from the issue date to the completion date, over permits that have reached it.

Permits are grouped by the quarter they were filed. A quarter’s median counts only its permits that have finished the stage, so recent quarters look faster than they will end up: their slow permits have not finished yet. Quarters that ended two or more years ago are marked settled; the rest are shaded in the chart. The headline’s first stage uses the last four complete quarters; its second uses the last four settled quarters.

The median is the middle permit: half took less, half more. The slowest 10% is the 90th percentile. A median needs at least 5 permits behind it, or it is left out. A project type is shown apart within a neighborhood only when it has 30 or more finished permits there; the rest are “other types”.

Never finaled means no final sign-off three years after the permit was issued (or filed, if never issued), and not expired, cancelled, withdrawn, revoked, disapproved, denied or suspended (the site’s “expired or cancelled” outcome). About a quarter of permits citywide end this way; often the work was done and nobody called for the final inspection. These permits are in the counts and not in the medians.

A permit’s neighborhood is the Analysis Neighborhood the city writes on the permit record (the official set of 41). Permits with none are counted citywide only; the page says how many. “Nearby” neighborhoods are the three nearest by the center of their permits. The site reloads the city’s data every night; permits filed since 1 January 2000 are included. The placement of a permit, its dates and its status are the city’s; the grouping and the words are this site’s. How to read these records.