Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do stairs permits take in San Francisco's Inner Richmond neighborhood?

In the Inner Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 47 stairs permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 8 days, down from 24 days a year earlier. Of the 27 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 123 days of being issued, up from 57 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 Inner RichmondneighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge02004006008002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/inner-richmond/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 202647 issued836 issued24
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202427 finished12315 finished57

“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-Q43000too recent
2026-Q37410too recent
2026-Q21515769763800too recent
2026-Q1161581466581470too recent
2025-Q414131412962262660too recent
2025-Q3881512651132580too recent
2025-Q212114216371103130too recent
2025-Q1101023786702740too recent
2024-Q4775912252243960too recent
2024-Q3771813440yes
2024-Q2161696613572300yes
2024-Q13320yes
2023-Q4131043783135752yes
2023-Q375018343yes
2023-Q277338525541yes
2023-Q13220yes
2022-Q47614441yes
2022-Q3101009182745311yes
2022-Q299103195511,1730yes
2022-Q1111010255896511,0501yes
2021-Q41311745897761,0802yes
2021-Q31081711563048942yes
2021-Q2559763141yes
2021-Q111119220893251,0112yes
2020-Q412814525065087953yes
2020-Q31412423791956963yes
2020-Q21110yes
2020-Q17620242264507640yes
2019-Q417169296162917000yes
2019-Q3111121157102503861yes
2019-Q287924543yes
2019-Q115133454121623662yes
2018-Q4101011301103827220yes
2018-Q31312774123116050yes
2018-Q220176181142587434yes
2018-Q12120250172414413yes
2017-Q4995636093289410yes
2017-Q311106263103067211yes
2017-Q210103767273085563yes
2017-Q11110629781966621yes
2016-Q476813462497520yes
2016-Q319187898172785912yes
2016-Q217152175121641,3042yes
2016-Q118150714342441yes
2015-Q4141429232112055602yes
2015-Q31010237210945530yes
2015-Q2131222191231922yes
2015-Q11212832112957260yes
2014-Q4131024162104245750yes
2014-Q319195247173166422yes
2014-Q21211285392854342yes
2014-Q111109241893586301yes
2013-Q41210017881743613yes
2013-Q3101081487843032yes
2013-Q2121210176121886520yes
2013-Q199121863688341yes
2012-Q47431yes
2012-Q31616010012974222yes
2012-Q27431yes
2012-Q1772024534yes
2011-Q413135444131455920yes
2011-Q32219232151445994yes
2011-Q29922457414892yes
2011-Q11110039712411yes
2010-Q41413050131744270yes
2010-Q31212065111132751yes
2010-Q217171240131445393yes
2010-Q18841257854971yes
2009-Q410903267702771yes
2009-Q3181805171686230yes
2009-Q2981151052447053yes
2009-Q18864173271,1290yes
2008-Q4111122148631,1561yes
2008-Q31818015017593231yes
2008-Q22220328915763263yes
2008-Q116160691162444yes
2007-Q4151532392101323710yes
2007-Q315150190111544842yes
2007-Q22020020161013182yes
2007-Q118170788521513yes
2006-Q41918023711822723yes
2006-Q315140010282613yes
2006-Q21717015914963611yes
2006-Q165010540yes
2005-Q41514092121182830yes
2005-Q311110081322322yes
2005-Q2111106298882630yes
2005-Q1111102589932690yes
2004-Q49800627640yes
2004-Q31111009502820yes
2004-Q2141402748954282yes
2004-Q19906071062352yes
2003-Q411110728743182yes
2003-Q31312009743141yes
2003-Q21414028012482031yes
2003-Q112120011331051yes
2002-Q48801347581220yes
2002-Q3161400111251751yes
2002-Q2151401310473040yes
2002-Q16602840yes
2001-Q412110296691320yes
2001-Q35420yes
2001-Q21010171937772180yes
2001-Q18707940yes
2000-Q4883827541yes
2000-Q3121201188883550yes
2000-Q21414011983104690yes
2000-Q110904071822770yes

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

120 of the 1,267 stairs permits filed since 2000 (9%) 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 Inner Richmond neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (2,738 filed, 1,981 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (2,379 filed, 1,729 finished; contractors); stairs (1,267 filed, 921 finished; contractors); deck (636 filed, 449 finished; contractors); roof deck (131 filed, 82 finished; contractors). Other types: 13,632 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Inner Richmond neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Presidio Heights, Presidio, Golden Gate Park; 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.