Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do building permits take in San Francisco's Mission neighborhood?

In the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 1,053 building permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 0 days, the same as a year earlier. Of the 862 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 92 days of being issued, down from 109 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 building permits take in San Francisco's MissionneighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge0501001502002502017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/mission · 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 20261,053 issued01,170 issued0
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 2024862 finished92977 finished109

“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 0 days to issue and 98 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-Q418100200too recent
2026-Q32711890284428650too recent
2026-Q2327276030151421100too recent
2026-Q1315265080139591550too recent
2025-Q4371323060223712300too recent
2025-Q3317294064206702680too recent
2025-Q23773510109236722930too recent
2025-Q1303280068205692690too recent
2024-Q4264245049183913050too recent
2024-Q3328296094219832960yes
2024-Q23483330622461013660yes
2024-Q1281259061187843670yes
2023-Q4313285097210983957yes
2023-Q33773391106241102417103yes
2023-Q237833711012709555667yes
2023-Q135331108524110662363yes
2022-Q4353314327222612358278yes
2022-Q3324291116721812852673yes
2022-Q2424372214528416257389yes
2022-Q138735407426112449094yes
2021-Q4362331212425313858161yes
2021-Q3392353213627717559877yes
2021-Q2346325313925513649273yes
2021-Q13363042613823715573872yes
2020-Q44103564226726216973295yes
2020-Q344938715253258188660150yes
2020-Q2198171101768620863687yes
2020-Q15294920202239186717230yes
2019-Q46546000210309246957290yes
2019-Q3721684043316116634356yes
2019-Q2731681073328160730338yes
2019-Q1645602077293156724303yes
2018-Q45995560158303179801238yes
2018-Q37306860274366183920299yes
2018-Q27046640126319149805330yes
2018-Q1693642091315127735312yes
2017-Q46956490109325167693305yes
2017-Q38247820421417179781330yes
2017-Q2642607085320140623276yes
2017-Q15925550114303147744238yes
2016-Q46315870169312171762255yes
2016-Q36696300204307177766302yes
2016-Q26946520118339148639282yes
2016-Q1584532090295128660220yes
2015-Q46616220105354112553243yes
2015-Q3623582094325169697245yes
2015-Q25795510119315138569226yes
2015-Q1626590065347149651228yes
2014-Q45555280113293129509219yes
2014-Q3644590032331134647255yes
2014-Q26255950109350117582222yes
2014-Q1505475071277122517189yes
2013-Q45345120153315135739189yes
2013-Q3588565027322106478234yes
2013-Q257355503332891431218yes
2013-Q1485464053284100448168yes
2012-Q4492469035280106506182yes
2012-Q3534515036303119490211yes
2012-Q251249503730086396167yes
2012-Q1460435042276118378144yes
2011-Q4478457035259103402175yes
2011-Q354052002231578410192yes
2011-Q245443202627698436140yes
2011-Q1450424028259104471149yes
2010-Q447345005626390497172yes
2010-Q3511483022267101459198yes
2010-Q252750503628892525197yes
2010-Q144642801823375451171yes
2009-Q458955903024793381298yes
2009-Q3521506013219100397263yes
2009-Q248946701526195374178yes
2009-Q146444201522856329187yes
2008-Q4475459015225110460196yes
2008-Q358056401426791435231yes
2008-Q2521502024245101456210yes
2008-Q1452421015198104315176yes
2007-Q4528502034213104493219yes
2007-Q35775460823888349230yes
2007-Q254853201221490441245yes
2007-Q159957804923681510248yes
2006-Q451550103121793377188yes
2006-Q351850301420084289186yes
2006-Q246145303519998291166yes
2006-Q14954800020998292153yes
2005-Q4469451031200123445171yes
2005-Q3520503032194104376191yes
2005-Q254352704622998366186yes
2005-Q1478464010208118398177yes
2004-Q4472458024184104335202yes
2004-Q350148502419477343207yes
2004-Q2510498061224102343166yes
2004-Q144743804820994350145yes
2003-Q453152107529482409126yes
2003-Q350448807023177308124yes
2003-Q242942007320777280114yes
2003-Q1469455055229102369119yes
2002-Q4375361058171107306101yes
2002-Q3459445032231115392109yes
2002-Q24474320402127833954yes
2002-Q142741105720410936913yes
2001-Q439838405016711131718yes
2001-Q337736607017410133911yes
2001-Q24374280782211213895yes
2001-Q13903760441821344356yes
2000-Q44253960581721214184yes
2000-Q34544420562151397404yes
2000-Q25164890852211225608yes
2000-Q14944780641941695583yes

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

16,465 of the 52,538 building permits filed since 2000 (31%) 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. Citywide, 798 of 801,386 permits since 2000 (0%) name no neighborhood and count in the city's figures only. 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 Mission neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (5,544 filed, 3,781 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (5,121 filed, 3,441 finished; contractors); stairs (3,714 filed, 2,590 finished; contractors); deck (1,135 filed, 786 finished; contractors); roof deck (332 filed, 202 finished; contractors). Other types: 41,115 permits.

Nearby neighborhoods

Castro/Upper Market, Noe Valley, Potrero Hill; 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.