Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

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

In the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 27 deck permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 8 days, up from 6 days a year earlier. Of the 14 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 159 days of being issued, up from 129 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 MissionneighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge020040060080010002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/mission/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 202627 issued830 issued6
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202414 finished15926 finished129

“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-Q42100too recent
2026-Q317913830too recent
2026-Q210583020too recent
2026-Q13300too recent
2025-Q411102612381022080too recent
2025-Q3775514040too recent
2025-Q21093412972173090too recent
2025-Q110101846922590too recent
2024-Q44430too recent
2024-Q3762820630yes
2024-Q288711081003910yes
2023-Q46430yes
2023-Q31081429271174431yes
2023-Q2852642yes
2023-Q1128511381128411yes
2022-Q47713628171904870yes
2022-Q376113461141690yes
2022-Q2139414381942662yes
2022-Q111812563182886392yes
2021-Q486362461684161yes
2021-Q377643466081,0751yes
2021-Q29703095575924yes
2021-Q11082618461264182yes
2020-Q4121014340874487883yes
2020-Q31210100408101562521yes
2020-Q23320yes
2020-Q177420141yes
2019-Q4993671,40764477312yes
2019-Q3861561,55258321,4780yes
2019-Q210824162675296983yes
2019-Q15330yes
2018-Q411105145081471,0442yes
2018-Q399117063003983yes
2018-Q21211412572544065yes
2018-Q113104149982531,1142yes
2017-Q412108276102666300yes
2017-Q319184442122279106yes
2017-Q21110645691497941yes
2017-Q16511241yes
2016-Q4771437362484581yes
2016-Q3107122462046981yes
2016-Q21110151409893362yes
2016-Q110958683118421yes
2015-Q48709552314251yes
2015-Q316155320141399061yes
2015-Q26539169232yes
2015-Q11095327191544220yes
2014-Q41312615992677162yes
2014-Q312112039394301,0891yes
2014-Q214136684101264182yes
2014-Q114133170121586352yes
2013-Q41311338092811,6241yes
2013-Q313122276112245350yes
2013-Q296626761003100yes
2013-Q1551421640yes
2012-Q41111025881865961yes
2012-Q3141359510882164yes
2012-Q26518346940yes
2012-Q116157836191136124yes
2011-Q414130219121884101yes
2011-Q39824572527311yes
2011-Q217158317121265092yes
2011-Q11414011811653632yes
2010-Q41515418214473810yes
2010-Q31212012610902532yes
2010-Q215146203113617201yes
2010-Q17774051533192yes
2009-Q499213371321,0702yes
2009-Q31211110373213772yes
2009-Q211905371181941yes
2009-Q112906557941531yes
2008-Q46618028452026470yes
2008-Q314137146111653761yes
2008-Q2111101469941800yes
2008-Q113110206101042041yes
2007-Q4119125361001,3540yes
2007-Q399008551861yes
2007-Q215150159141463210yes
2007-Q11212017491452861yes
2006-Q48800759731yes
2006-Q31010035461312741yes
2006-Q21414026014662760yes
2006-Q114130929791590yes
2005-Q419180388101363953yes
2005-Q3141203876781321yes
2005-Q214140324111404772yes
2005-Q1131302849505131yes
2004-Q4980471352070yes
2004-Q3131302588962103yes
2004-Q21616010011982734yes
2004-Q1121191174111622170yes
2003-Q41717041121071602yes
2003-Q31414016291375581yes
2003-Q21313023891842240yes
2003-Q11090298351150yes
2002-Q4111001916321222yes
2002-Q31616009722793yes
2002-Q2663612551206720yes
2002-Q1660765961240yes
2001-Q48801005933312yes
2001-Q35440yes
2001-Q22222044311621930yes
2001-Q11413023111253280yes
2000-Q466034461362540yes
2000-Q34430yes
2000-Q29704040yes
2000-Q16520135610yes

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

119 of the 1,135 deck permits filed since 2000 (10%) 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 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. All permits in San Francisco's Mission neighborhood

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.