Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

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

In the Castro/Upper Market neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 100 kitchen remodel 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 86 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 181 days of being issued, down from 202 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 kitchen remodel permits take in San Francisco'sCastro/Upper Market neighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge01002003004002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: 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/kitchen · 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 2026100 issued0128 issued0
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202486 finished18188 finished202

“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 176 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-Q41100too recent
2026-Q3221401240too recent
2026-Q22724030757990too recent
2026-Q132320103171261990too recent
2025-Q432304206151223310too recent
2025-Q34141160271402840too recent
2025-Q237360106271272590too recent
2025-Q12927068181643020too recent
2024-Q424244187181893850too recent
2024-Q326241184151723870yes
2024-Q23232084261583160yes
2024-Q135340100322445520yes
2023-Q416151307132204710yes
2023-Q33331277251875504yes
2023-Q23231048211664317yes
2023-Q13127133222064942yes
2022-Q4302610384203147624yes
2022-Q33433188261806175yes
2022-Q241382105342627422yes
2022-Q15046264372195055yes
2021-Q441381276332941,0494yes
2021-Q346453272353088856yes
2021-Q24542040372547125yes
2021-Q138350211282016766yes
2020-Q450500195361846499yes
2020-Q341398109332044126yes
2020-Q211114110111938070yes
2020-Q140370192292177608yes
2019-Q448474723419657012yes
2019-Q33330278282229981yes
2019-Q245430123311738349yes
2019-Q146440152371544464yes
2018-Q433310182261444933yes
2018-Q34643052341283395yes
2018-Q249430155371556223yes
2018-Q12726167211264253yes
2017-Q430280165231941,1155yes
2017-Q33131074212485627yes
2017-Q247450304331935747yes
2017-Q158551111461564348yes
2016-Q44139029281624905yes
2016-Q34948047321695368yes
2016-Q251490101361605609yes
2016-Q162590904619166410yes
2015-Q435310105222787386yes
2015-Q3555414174027962911yes
2015-Q244433224372006226yes
2015-Q15352181421876719yes
2014-Q44745063351715609yes
2014-Q352500275382306036yes
2014-Q25047074371535068yes
2014-Q141404121271505829yes
2013-Q441401132291853786yes
2013-Q33937021261744166yes
2013-Q24646022391454105yes
2013-Q140400127321404444yes
2012-Q44845029352165485yes
2012-Q35251029441443623yes
2012-Q24747061421323994yes
2012-Q13131015281384852yes
2011-Q426260180241843830yes
2011-Q34039083341685943yes
2011-Q23634031311326212yes
2011-Q13734019241724865yes
2010-Q43634136281406032yes
2010-Q3252506211214764yes
2010-Q23231036241475224yes
2010-Q12525131221483421yes
2009-Q4262603211256012yes
2009-Q3474709411404014yes
2009-Q23029065232407403yes
2009-Q1333103242144115yes
2008-Q43332014251293220yes
2008-Q335330204261373024yes
2008-Q23535083251674255yes
2008-Q13836063221603494yes
2007-Q44544082291553244yes
2007-Q3474401211542399yes
2007-Q2525103371613915yes
2007-Q1383704321623700yes
2006-Q4424200301463611yes
2006-Q3444400321844444yes
2006-Q2413900241544151yes
2006-Q13231096261603081yes
2005-Q4383803291913814yes
2005-Q3504900341945308yes
2005-Q2474600321164755yes
2005-Q1313000201263704yes
2004-Q4252500201463514yes
2004-Q3383800211733306yes
2004-Q229270233181864465yes
2004-Q1242400191822891yes
2003-Q415150717836341yes
2003-Q3262600131573173yes
2003-Q23028080171223098yes
2003-Q1252505181982914yes
2002-Q4171701992613078yes
2002-Q32727062161872648yes
2002-Q224230123111502957yes
2002-Q12525088161133604yes
2001-Q4121209181378520yes
2001-Q32827080191985671yes
2001-Q23029073131763701yes
2001-Q1212004161433320yes
2000-Q4181600131633860yes
2000-Q324240185171805390yes
2000-Q2222205271531991yes
2000-Q12423077101874090yes

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

427 of the 3,859 kitchen remodel permits filed since 2000 (11%) 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 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. All permits in San Francisco's Castro/Upper Market neighborhood

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.