Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do deck permits take in San Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood?

In the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 8 deck permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 0 days, down from 10 days a year earlier. Only 4 of the permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 have reached final sign-off, too few for a reliable figure.

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 deck permits take in San Francisco's Hayes ValleyneighborhoodMedian 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/hayes-valley/deck · 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 20268 issued08 issued10
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 20244 finishedunder 512 finished70

“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 164 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-Q34100too recent
2026-Q25430too recent
2026-Q12100too recent
2025-Q42200too recent
2025-Q365199220too recent
2025-Q21100too recent
2025-Q13220too recent
2024-Q41000too recent
2024-Q23320yes
2024-Q12110yes
2023-Q41110yes
2023-Q34440yes
2023-Q25440yes
2022-Q44440yes
2022-Q32211yes
2022-Q13220yes
2021-Q41000yes
2021-Q21110yes
2021-Q16536259732yes
2020-Q43320yes
2020-Q31110yes
2020-Q22211yes
2020-Q11110yes
2019-Q34440yes
2019-Q21100yes
2019-Q13330yes
2018-Q41110yes
2018-Q3666890853576921yes
2018-Q24440yes
2018-Q15422yes
2017-Q41110yes
2017-Q3552811251471,5430yes
2017-Q27702666503821yes
2017-Q11101yes
2016-Q42102yes
2016-Q34321yes
2016-Q22110yes
2016-Q13221yes
2015-Q42211yes
2015-Q35440yes
2015-Q22210yes
2015-Q155163845701,8960yes
2014-Q44431yes
2014-Q3762185221730yes
2014-Q24431yes
2014-Q13320yes
2013-Q46601,02441yes
2013-Q35440yes
2013-Q255015141yes
2013-Q11110yes
2012-Q44331yes
2012-Q32220yes
2012-Q25312yes
2012-Q14330yes
2011-Q42110yes
2011-Q3771986741,1491yes
2011-Q25501331yes
2011-Q1655825775220yes
2010-Q45441yes
2010-Q39843581723890yes
2010-Q277046621160yes
2010-Q15502941yes
2009-Q43320yes
2009-Q36683462304880yes
2009-Q24430yes
2009-Q14440yes
2008-Q476165040yes
2008-Q398026941yes
2008-Q25507221yes
2008-Q16601246662180yes
2007-Q43310yes
2007-Q3131201828902094yes
2007-Q255016340yes
2007-Q14431yes
2006-Q43311yes
2006-Q34431yes
2006-Q26605840yes
2006-Q14430yes
2005-Q43311yes
2005-Q366025932yes
2005-Q24431yes
2005-Q14421yes
2004-Q43330yes
2004-Q32211yes
2004-Q24411yes
2004-Q14401yes
2003-Q42211yes
2003-Q35431yes
2003-Q21100yes
2003-Q11110yes
2002-Q44411yes
2002-Q3550004yes
2002-Q2990128501450yes
2002-Q14440yes
2001-Q4665323240yes
2001-Q32210yes
2001-Q24440yes
2001-Q12211yes
2000-Q45430yes
2000-Q32200yes
2000-Q22200yes
2000-Q13201yes

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

51 of the 395 deck permits filed since 2000 (13%) 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 Hayes Valley neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (2,515 filed, 1,731 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (2,377 filed, 1,703 finished; contractors); stairs (1,075 filed, 733 finished; contractors); deck (395 filed, 257 finished; contractors); roof deck (89 filed, 49 finished; contractors). Other types: 13,591 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Western Addition, Japantown, Castro/Upper Market; 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.