Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

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

In the Castro/Upper Market neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 44 stairs permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 4 days, down from 13 days a year earlier. Of the 42 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 114 days of being issued, down from 155 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 Castro/UpperMarket neighborhoodMedian 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/castro-upper-market/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 202644 issued459 issued13
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202442 finished11434 finished155

“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-Q315901020too recent
2026-Q223141481715840too recent
2026-Q11286519930too recent
2025-Q4181335861262250too recent
2025-Q318171196131251780too recent
2025-Q2161623120121622810too recent
2025-Q11816923610313810too recent
2024-Q410103320071764550too recent
2024-Q3212032215121333590yes
2024-Q2212018203151694440yes
2024-Q117162444011913090yes
2023-Q46440yes
2023-Q314111018271806144yes
2023-Q215133625391344913yes
2023-Q113121248101005361yes
2022-Q4181736154084188953yes
2022-Q317144952293787884yes
2022-Q2171520257132736242yes
2022-Q11919874183046231yes
2021-Q420174464151918332yes
2021-Q3181522398142907951yes
2021-Q2191752351131894723yes
2021-Q11914132323113428691yes
2020-Q42422102672152198164yes
2020-Q317157158695517956yes
2020-Q2774122151735771yes
2020-Q112911357612591yes
2019-Q41815239612923392yes
2019-Q3282616476213919444yes
2019-Q2161674346132306742yes
2019-Q1222110294181487301yes
2018-Q420182039015884281yes
2018-Q317166678131574462yes
2018-Q2171320854101588512yes
2018-Q1252532339224521,1643yes
2017-Q4151211649102267354yes
2017-Q331306218272025802yes
2017-Q2191916117986850yes
2017-Q1151519192111646034yes
2016-Q418166480121645762yes
2016-Q3221815218102814269yes
2016-Q221186254152184712yes
2016-Q1242234306152248795yes
2015-Q420197158161645862yes
2015-Q326256322223468903yes
2015-Q2252132470193347292yes
2015-Q12827455242524563yes
2014-Q4312820418222407694yes
2014-Q323227213201827780yes
2014-Q218161335141544231yes
2014-Q1252221279152297544yes
2013-Q4242214201151696395yes
2013-Q31715181449634035yes
2013-Q22323399171221,2813yes
2013-Q1313010275241645101yes
2012-Q421195152152265074yes
2012-Q327275209231323690yes
2012-Q22422231161269173yes
2012-Q12221636191337142yes
2011-Q4222204320823742yes
2011-Q329276228251465412yes
2011-Q22222019517864583yes
2011-Q1191801612692561yes
2010-Q418184140171251,0620yes
2010-Q33433125130583270yes
2010-Q23332017827594034yes
2010-Q12825194192195123yes
2009-Q417162394161437351yes
2009-Q337361240311074371yes
2009-Q23131083222065884yes
2009-Q122190267162845552yes
2008-Q423221309151114544yes
2008-Q3292610266182428862yes
2008-Q2272624210201814671yes
2008-Q124213212141183503yes
2007-Q430302336191543775yes
2007-Q32623020515562202yes
2007-Q230280110221304774yes
2007-Q12120062171103902yes
2006-Q42221029513783974yes
2006-Q325240130171003003yes
2006-Q232300172161303402yes
2006-Q125240191171014940yes
2005-Q4222109151152982yes
2005-Q32423025315788374yes
2005-Q22625012019852684yes
2005-Q120200015631504yes
2004-Q4202003113651053yes
2004-Q32827012117573728yes
2004-Q22322037712784325yes
2004-Q1262501815922789yes
2003-Q427270109141322046yes
2003-Q325250339141223957yes
2003-Q22120090141915685yes
2003-Q1343304522523306yes
2002-Q445430196275638511yes
2002-Q3525001223110825213yes
2002-Q24240014823783762yes
2002-Q14038010423643121yes
2001-Q42929034618782541yes
2001-Q32726067181032980yes
2001-Q23838014621872032yes
2001-Q126260124132043770yes
2000-Q421210169101306171yes
2000-Q336360224191744161yes
2000-Q22018098151424040yes
2000-Q12323074101405611yes

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

275 of the 2,478 stairs 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.