Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do deck permits take in San Francisco's Inner Sunset neighborhood?

In the Inner Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 40 deck permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 21 days, up from 7 days a year earlier. Of the 20 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 134 days of being issued, down from 342 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 deck permits take in San Francisco's Inner SunsetneighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge01002003004005002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/inner-sunset/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 202640 issued2131 issued7
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202420 finished13418 finished342

“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-Q41100too recent
2026-Q317841410too recent
2026-Q21310189620too recent
2026-Q1121111918020too recent
2025-Q414113012330too recent
2025-Q3109432505852230too recent
2025-Q29843481522820too recent
2025-Q165248840too recent
2024-Q4109315551492740too recent
2024-Q31091516640yes
2024-Q2111047681233520yes
2024-Q15440yes
2023-Q477027641yes
2023-Q37423yes
2023-Q2767535764696501yes
2023-Q1972165135953801yes
2022-Q49713969053205252yes
2022-Q31111124592244730yes
2022-Q2763513842yes
2022-Q1141412627132945761yes
2021-Q41211851092376583yes
2021-Q387238152736881yes
2021-Q210727854072084161yes
2021-Q1141410464492976524yes
2020-Q4131120069172846906yes
2020-Q3131012068382207782yes
2020-Q22220yes
2020-Q1128943243yes
2019-Q41917351489161967351yes
2019-Q310105252361968652yes
2019-Q210105329182525722yes
2019-Q188832462144231yes
2018-Q4141266638101143433yes
2018-Q314111027982094204yes
2018-Q2109615673011,6233yes
2018-Q1997828674321,1002yes
2017-Q41313164283132041,0230yes
2017-Q31612126401113326802yes
2017-Q2772212674011,0620yes
2017-Q1141349532132665630yes
2016-Q4171632244152244890yes
2016-Q314144234122388011yes
2016-Q216151287131324291yes
2016-Q112101176373727852yes
2015-Q499323281534021yes
2015-Q319150329111955113yes
2015-Q2981015163306862yes
2015-Q1121141191053262yes
2014-Q487149674587080yes
2014-Q319178337151861,5653yes
2014-Q212121612411964010yes
2014-Q155917741yes
2013-Q414134277112034842yes
2013-Q31413159101442851yes
2013-Q29901058801,2631yes
2013-Q19938282749771yes
2012-Q412122989582572yes
2012-Q31413011810882533yes
2012-Q288020552048361yes
2012-Q18701243yes
2011-Q4101073188993711yes
2011-Q3141335091314213yes
2011-Q28701736882490yes
2011-Q11110120971282982yes
2010-Q41010087472,1372yes
2010-Q312123155101865831yes
2010-Q2161428591252982yes
2010-Q1363551327501638yes
2009-Q41413120592094393yes
2009-Q313134101121403931yes
2009-Q2887421361455240yes
2009-Q1650031yes
2008-Q415110168101942671yes
2008-Q323210282141585804yes
2008-Q2201916644131572454yes
2008-Q1121142297332023yes
2007-Q420175250111917813yes
2007-Q32019112213733624yes
2007-Q22222014915853570yes
2007-Q12019028214801994yes
2006-Q41413016410974111yes
2006-Q32322014314941553yes
2006-Q220190377121083150yes
2006-Q176014951803121yes
2005-Q414140254131985211yes
2005-Q316160256141422872yes
2005-Q288017842yes
2005-Q11211017382651,0091yes
2004-Q41110017171231982yes
2004-Q3131302179472030yes
2004-Q21181619662493993yes
2004-Q1121001459621570yes
2003-Q4121105408964052yes
2003-Q31212026811892580yes
2003-Q21210031261262303yes
2003-Q11212043591081582yes
2002-Q48802276562421yes
2002-Q317170112112035185yes
2002-Q2171600111055091yes
2002-Q1111115837982144751yes
2001-Q41313114349111122040yes
2001-Q316144428691863061yes
2001-Q2886746951173442yes
2001-Q1772263785901930yes
2000-Q41210011662764241yes
2000-Q31312023181482860yes
2000-Q214101721391232210yes
2000-Q1161503662012780yes

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

163 of the 1,328 deck permits filed since 2000 (12%) 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 Sunset neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (3,920 filed, 2,888 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (3,224 filed, 2,313 finished; contractors); stairs (1,621 filed, 1,088 finished; contractors); deck (1,328 filed, 890 finished; contractors); roof deck (157 filed, 91 finished; contractors). Other types: 17,714 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Inner Sunset neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Golden Gate Park, Twin Peaks, Haight Ashbury; 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.