Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

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

In the Outer Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 33 deck permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 19 days, down from 24 days a year earlier. Of the 32 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 187 days of being issued, down from 244 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 Outer RichmondneighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge02004006008002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: 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/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 202633 issued1954 issued24
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202432 finished18725 finished244

“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-Q39300too recent
2026-Q21815148940too recent
2026-Q1664214720too recent
2025-Q41194226340too recent
2025-Q3131267462663160too recent
2025-Q2181824107132083640too recent
2025-Q1994311762554500too recent
2024-Q4161582274101565170too recent
2024-Q3771520340yes
2024-Q21313694131613910yes
2024-Q1882017982344490yes
2023-Q411104279973156720yes
2023-Q3755335251784322yes
2023-Q2986046651873712yes
2023-Q1775569542yes
2022-Q4151455890113867460yes
2022-Q31181616442yes
2022-Q214112166472241,1475yes
2022-Q1972857064987480yes
2021-Q411102091563005503yes
2021-Q310101056344yes
2021-Q2121214858693277163yes
2021-Q114112821,35872871,0314yes
2020-Q4131111399483247712yes
2020-Q37723052051628392yes
2020-Q22211yes
2020-Q16431yes
2019-Q49921494873495971yes
2019-Q38610038466361,4181yes
2019-Q2884447071484141yes
2019-Q11110810191546131yes
2018-Q4997530192126170yes
2018-Q3661629733yes
2018-Q2171437749134131,4511yes
2018-Q1131036280101627080yes
2017-Q411103342893286761yes
2017-Q3778885712152yes
2017-Q2131114237101605731yes
2017-Q1992041882586831yes
2016-Q45210yes
2016-Q31082048262974622yes
2016-Q219164490141907121yes
2016-Q11310620381622982yes
2015-Q412123493101242111yes
2015-Q3191611144151584960yes
2015-Q2106413951682800yes
2015-Q1171628448111964134yes
2014-Q46533751412040yes
2014-Q3212110241211685160yes
2014-Q212121620581853971yes
2014-Q176123961654390yes
2013-Q4109622681785361yes
2013-Q3171611544111724273yes
2013-Q2882523861743172yes
2013-Q177314761294690yes
2012-Q465120332yes
2012-Q3141321446111725351yes
2012-Q211109351481064680yes
2012-Q1871485071359810yes
2011-Q4109231571992923yes
2011-Q31311620792004411yes
2011-Q277262487908480yes
2011-Q1111172289774572yes
2010-Q47716261663340yes
2010-Q3161624438101023734yes
2010-Q21010824782233222yes
2010-Q1770137702410yes
2009-Q4108219371012710yes
2009-Q311801677562301yes
2009-Q2141312911444052yes
2009-Q199128071774262yes
2008-Q4107016681,4981yes
2008-Q398011272315641yes
2008-Q2141278177101824520yes
2008-Q11313048101402731yes
2007-Q4129417881542951yes
2007-Q31212019891351940yes
2007-Q29903771302031yes
2007-Q11515014610561750yes
2006-Q41010034781402641yes
2006-Q314130010421640yes
2006-Q2141403776883783yes
2006-Q188030161704170yes
2005-Q466035813yes
2005-Q31010063471292370yes
2005-Q2980040yes
2005-Q166044051232880yes
2004-Q4111016926351742790yes
2004-Q31513016312882041yes
2004-Q288023251232220yes
2004-Q1131103288743331yes
2003-Q411110253101481860yes
2003-Q31412023410843540yes
2003-Q2151502938911361yes
2003-Q18714021452823340yes
2002-Q411110071461,8020yes
2002-Q39903345531662yes
2002-Q2883122033yes
2002-Q198014261682780yes
2001-Q48817534362164,1440yes
2001-Q31111020840yes
2001-Q299034632yes
2001-Q16612623140yes
2000-Q45440yes
2000-Q37706830yes
2000-Q26510119230yes
2000-Q11210514840yes

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

105 of the 1,133 deck permits filed since 2000 (9%) 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 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. All permits in San Francisco's Outer Richmond neighborhood

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.