Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

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

In the Inner Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 62 stairs permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 22 days, up from 7 days a year earlier. Of the 28 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 184 days of being issued, down from 277 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 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/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 202662 issued2247 issued7
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202428 finished18433 finished277

“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-Q41110too recent
2026-Q32315213520too recent
2026-Q21915449320too recent
2026-Q113124812661172060too recent
2025-Q42120171168741230too recent
2025-Q3141361399652450too recent
2025-Q21515619111672420too recent
2025-Q112881027342780too recent
2024-Q4111111520340too recent
2024-Q31412148061553870yes
2024-Q218175112101456780yes
2024-Q18863471946520yes
2023-Q4109116952033200yes
2023-Q31010713051333102yes
2023-Q2171638248122244712yes
2023-Q1121112235383405002yes
2022-Q417142557283245414yes
2022-Q3161628138112244143yes
2022-Q211103850182023721yes
2022-Q113101814072753883yes
2021-Q41191030783288812yes
2021-Q37610353132yes
2021-Q2881335974027040yes
2021-Q1161312488071743266yes
2020-Q4151132587654217yes
2020-Q31915103330142308343yes
2020-Q24431yes
2020-Q1992526071214152yes
2019-Q4161326499113307530yes
2019-Q3161642797103667924yes
2019-Q299014451082844yes
2019-Q1232216462173119323yes
2018-Q4111156668103295551yes
2018-Q3161515199131073532yes
2018-Q2181810209122263804yes
2018-Q11182523872304931yes
2017-Q4191811310151607043yes
2017-Q3141397435133511,1860yes
2017-Q215148168122864372yes
2017-Q1151517217132665652yes
2016-Q4262424272222375231yes
2016-Q31513073112047761yes
2016-Q2201840417132374614yes
2016-Q11513467993728952yes
2015-Q411116161102088101yes
2015-Q31715491142911,0241yes
2015-Q21211333781687633yes
2015-Q111101913182927602yes
2014-Q414131928114205892yes
2014-Q3141182871786403yes
2014-Q2101013382005362yes
2014-Q1109615391546980yes
2013-Q4151414153122088272yes
2013-Q31412876102116441yes
2013-Q2151447122106361yes
2013-Q119188236152045743yes
2012-Q413134150121342801yes
2012-Q31615347131833851yes
2012-Q21111991101047670yes
2012-Q1109623271387442yes
2011-Q4131308611582842yes
2011-Q31414020121148471yes
2011-Q21211721182164161yes
2011-Q115140180111564652yes
2010-Q416162100141734901yes
2010-Q318186105161364541yes
2010-Q214120106101863101yes
2010-Q11110013472525672yes
2009-Q420193220161083722yes
2009-Q3121146591923590yes
2009-Q210101133571155652yes
2009-Q11312011381392633yes
2008-Q41715015114855060yes
2008-Q325213793152476553yes
2008-Q223213350141402903yes
2008-Q11614043122045241yes
2007-Q427242194131162068yes
2007-Q3181711329562115yes
2007-Q22120087151223442yes
2007-Q123220206161705095yes
2006-Q41919013915993761yes
2006-Q33029018418961942yes
2006-Q2302904317793361yes
2006-Q120190011963123yes
2005-Q4202002151522775yes
2005-Q32726011420602164yes
2005-Q212120010862342yes
2005-Q114130012922900yes
2004-Q416150211102066833yes
2004-Q31414016961283442yes
2004-Q210100443yes
2004-Q115150338131002820yes
2003-Q41616056101473995yes
2003-Q32423019819811712yes
2003-Q214120777491795yes
2003-Q113120011485901yes
2002-Q4131301249901362yes
2002-Q3111001716425334yes
2002-Q22121025817921961yes
2002-Q199059051203482yes
2001-Q41616025314821890yes
2001-Q3151301809541622yes
2001-Q2119014781023330yes
2001-Q1111005461141790yes
2000-Q4131306110822900yes
2000-Q311110627472540yes
2000-Q2972821551072380yes
2000-Q1141304352313540yes

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

194 of the 1,621 stairs 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.