Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do building permits take in San Francisco's Castro/Upper Market neighborhood?

In the Castro/Upper Market neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 692 building permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 0 days, the same as a year earlier. Of the 621 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 103 days of being issued, down from 132 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 building permits take in San Francisco's Castro/UpperMarket neighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge0501001502002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/castro-upper-market · 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 2026692 issued0784 issued0
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 2024621 finished103619 finished132

“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 0 days to issue and 98 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-Q41450200too recent
2026-Q31441090123511600too recent
2026-Q220117604674361090too recent
2026-Q1226209028132421580too recent
2025-Q4221198089127642500too recent
2025-Q3241228073166682340too recent
2025-Q2204194058145802610too recent
2025-Q1185177097129793000too recent
2024-Q4192185092132783020too recent
2024-Q3205197076151942760yes
2024-Q22512330461801003540yes
2024-Q12162060571741024070yes
2023-Q416014601751161124263yes
2023-Q323920809315413146761yes
2023-Q222620119515611241242yes
2023-Q120618908615214450737yes
2022-Q4231203130715715553233yes
2022-Q3201182013313312256338yes
2022-Q2239217115817119965337yes
2022-Q122421307016317260342yes
2021-Q4201187115914716776433yes
2021-Q3233215010915614463351yes
2021-Q221219609015919261635yes
2021-Q1180169019612612865130yes
2020-Q4238212020115716170644yes
2020-Q3247219518715215778276yes
2020-Q2989061895015275941yes
2020-Q13072850154143147762130yes
2019-Q43363150106156132664154yes
2019-Q3391368078193116819169yes
2019-Q2376359077192110591160yes
2019-Q1337322077172102515140yes
2018-Q4321299070168118454126yes
2018-Q3355341045177138540154yes
2018-Q2362335068179147463153yes
2018-Q13323130135178122668128yes
2017-Q4361335076181144615149yes
2017-Q34464230377248156645162yes
2017-Q2365347096212100718124yes
2017-Q1346332057203130590127yes
2016-Q43393190126152114510154yes
2016-Q33763560102186162613152yes
2016-Q2377360065200128443145yes
2016-Q1337320056175127419125yes
2015-Q4312300057164156530125yes
2015-Q3349333048180153713147yes
2015-Q2379362053203133523153yes
2015-Q1396372054213126505148yes
2014-Q4336316052196124565113yes
2014-Q3387370050206140610153yes
2014-Q2376366070217121776136yes
2014-Q132631403817390441129yes
2013-Q43203040133182141493114yes
2013-Q336334702918396550148yes
2013-Q2347338020197100463129yes
2013-Q1324319036198111451101yes
2012-Q4297286028172112413102yes
2012-Q33633510452369341395yes
2012-Q234934103222791372105yes
2012-Q12862780131818835084yes
2011-Q42682600231708437182yes
2011-Q32992890291978445777yes
2011-Q23223140152138747392yes
2011-Q12292180271378336564yes
2010-Q426425602516610756378yes
2010-Q3329319021183105465121yes
2010-Q234032901620276410111yes
2010-Q1247239081458435684yes
2009-Q4268261061569950691yes
2009-Q33613510922680464108yes
2009-Q234633201618095392117yes
2009-Q127226101914312750499yes
2008-Q432732005179100354105yes
2008-Q333332801116568452135yes
2008-Q2363354031178101352143yes
2008-Q132130202714486295116yes
2007-Q433232209144123347129yes
2007-Q33963840317886341157yes
2007-Q23733640820586348122yes
2007-Q13353310317883363107yes
2006-Q43243190113885221133yes
2006-Q334734200169101352113yes
2006-Q23593510017565361113yes
2006-Q132632001917595377101yes
2005-Q433532802165120457110yes
2005-Q33613520116799478143yes
2005-Q233332507417678460100yes
2005-Q13113050015779358116yes
2004-Q4305293001528928196yes
2004-Q33423340015696336138yes
2004-Q23273160521678024095yes
2004-Q130830602115792325106yes
2003-Q42852810231348134399yes
2003-Q3316312028135112346127yes
2003-Q227926703714812637987yes
2003-Q12592550461358936792yes
2002-Q42892800641568636198yes
2002-Q3360349043184104438118yes
2002-Q22932860511408336544yes
2002-Q12982930341556932515yes
2001-Q42602530751348827614yes
2001-Q33022930441571153476yes
2001-Q2310300077152912566yes
2001-Q12822730501651163903yes
2000-Q42692580451371264004yes
2000-Q33213150123174974783yes
2000-Q23353230561551085225yes
2000-Q12902860531291785914yes

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

9,264 of the 32,060 building permits filed since 2000 (29%) 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. Citywide, 798 of 801,386 permits since 2000 (0%) name no neighborhood and count in the city's figures only. 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 Castro/Upper Market neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (4,510 filed, 3,216 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (3,859 filed, 2,761 finished; contractors); stairs (2,478 filed, 1,664 finished; contractors); deck (1,649 filed, 1,111 finished; contractors); roof deck (322 filed, 187 finished; contractors). Other types: 22,946 permits.

Nearby neighborhoods

Haight Ashbury, Twin Peaks, Noe Valley; 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.