Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

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

In the Outer Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 916 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 867 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 103 days of being issued, down from 124 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 OuterRichmond neighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge0501001502002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/outer-richmond · 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 2026916 issued01,152 issued0
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 2024867 finished103769 finished124

“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-Q41660100too recent
2026-Q32031571222632720too recent
2026-Q22582331548823890too recent
2026-Q1253240046136591520too recent
2025-Q4311286065185682040too recent
2025-Q3351331044251732700too recent
2025-Q2345317049235783310too recent
2025-Q1270263041201703300too recent
2024-Q4255241097182842950too recent
2024-Q3274263047207993411yes
2024-Q23152900442341073610yes
2024-Q1285274032226863970yes
2023-Q427225501132001383822yes
2023-Q32782600502098638453yes
2023-Q231630405623312252859yes
2023-Q123021404115713147744yes
2022-Q4251228014917017852946yes
2022-Q325223208316612049158yes
2022-Q2239213017315913654151yes
2022-Q123522105718014856634yes
2021-Q4212196010014812549843yes
2021-Q323622305417414256145yes
2021-Q2231222011315714272158yes
2021-Q1237228023516715064954yes
2020-Q4284257021419214464860yes
2020-Q3270252418816513361088yes
2020-Q2112964110509940652yes
2020-Q13232970153156144642136yes
2019-Q4416395084205159533190yes
2019-Q3493475026262124544214yes
2019-Q2413393025224125474166yes
2019-Q1371350050189153650161yes
2018-Q4422396062232133537164yes
2018-Q3422408040226136558172yes
2018-Q2429411028239128607167yes
2018-Q1327304084179139586112yes
2017-Q4400386049242126494140yes
2017-Q34894680320284162707168yes
2017-Q2408388089237138560146yes
2017-Q1317303056192113406110yes
2016-Q43483350191192170664126yes
2016-Q34123940103224128494153yes
2016-Q2366346053214127525112yes
2016-Q132030206119713739399yes
2015-Q43813680121208152556152yes
2015-Q338336502922199420130yes
2015-Q23383160144194132406109yes
2015-Q132130605120011038888yes
2014-Q429728204118311034082yes
2014-Q3372358038218114445130yes
2014-Q233031903920611151789yes
2014-Q127026202815810246287yes
2013-Q4335322042195136458110yes
2013-Q3341331017217111415101yes
2013-Q227126502915413246891yes
2013-Q12572430191659554773yes
2012-Q42292270161366839481yes
2012-Q33022900361837635196yes
2012-Q22652590111667636583yes
2012-Q12402350191588248870yes
2011-Q42312210101178929299yes
2011-Q33022910817474357106yes
2011-Q228928301416590355105yes
2011-Q12212150131445630965yes
2010-Q42272210111346041879yes
2010-Q333032301117369337140yes
2010-Q22942850912684313154yes
2010-Q12742620412264279134yes
2009-Q42502370221557743374yes
2009-Q32592500414175348105yes
2009-Q22822780816460300106yes
2009-Q1224215091256839182yes
2008-Q43163040117555322112yes
2008-Q33953850321690332141yes
2008-Q23783650320381299125yes
2008-Q13323180416370281126yes
2007-Q43423300918286309120yes
2007-Q33783650217172267150yes
2007-Q23473410018286289116yes
2007-Q1290289001586529092yes
2006-Q43293190016088296109yes
2006-Q33533470018961252107yes
2006-Q2335329021778629998yes
2006-Q1270264001528431554yes
2005-Q4300294011478934869yes
2005-Q3366355001978525870yes
2005-Q23002940017010831451yes
2005-Q1306296071548534071yes
2004-Q4302296001519930264yes
2004-Q3389380011957729292yes
2004-Q23503390281926632380yes
2004-Q13463370311809428172yes
2003-Q4252244001338821943yes
2003-Q3345338001877826960yes
2003-Q239237901519370281101yes
2003-Q12622560431505825531yes
2002-Q42842760321439723044yes
2002-Q33243190291479124086yes
2002-Q22802720411229626839yes
2002-Q12572520321411273635yes
2001-Q42422350731531312684yes
2001-Q32912870471361023182yes
2001-Q2284275075135844026yes
2001-Q1243234048109933327yes
2000-Q4276262014115933303yes
2000-Q3280271042129643611yes
2000-Q2313301039151733046yes
2000-Q12412330811011003283yes

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

8,465 of the 32,872 building permits filed since 2000 (26%) 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 Outer Richmond neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (5,388 filed, 3,961 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (4,536 filed, 3,308 finished; contractors); stairs (2,059 filed, 1,409 finished; contractors); deck (1,133 filed, 752 finished; contractors); roof deck (217 filed, 139 finished; contractors). Other types: 23,687 permits.

Nearby neighborhoods

Seacliff, Lincoln Park, 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.