Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do stairs permits take in San Francisco's Presidio Heights neighborhood?

In the Presidio Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 24 stairs permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 16 days, up from 14 days a year earlier. Of the 19 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 208 days of being issued, down from 280 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 PresidioHeights neighborhoodMedian 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/presidio-heights/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 202624 issued1622 issued14
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202419 finished20824 finished280

“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-Q37501700too recent
2026-Q215111710530too recent
2026-Q14410too recent
2025-Q45410too recent
2025-Q38871456511630too recent
2025-Q277199730too recent
2025-Q176814430too recent
2024-Q42100too recent
2024-Q31212915662004020yes
2024-Q211101210281843380yes
2024-Q14430yes
2023-Q43220yes
2023-Q38814423874106350yes
2023-Q21210128972508572yes
2023-Q11110yes
2022-Q411114636092555952yes
2022-Q33110yes
2022-Q211117134103188150yes
2022-Q19711751064636770yes
2021-Q41193310873359021yes
2021-Q38821059263649201yes
2021-Q211102314472598193yes
2021-Q1757417853707432yes
2020-Q455407641yes
2020-Q36521276032yes
2020-Q23330yes
2020-Q1753382640yes
2019-Q48831264976941,0241yes
2019-Q397037052137452yes
2019-Q28826285026680yes
2019-Q165144357321,4750yes
2018-Q413103284383081,2152yes
2018-Q3141410291102774891yes
2018-Q255149331yes
2018-Q1881122451824243yes
2017-Q46605051903750yes
2017-Q398811071994511yes
2017-Q2653537932yes
2017-Q13211yes
2016-Q4992728363565503yes
2016-Q31010816482361,1290yes
2016-Q21413660102343372yes
2016-Q1111010589101501,0820yes
2015-Q41074331052284082yes
2015-Q3151316217102195302yes
2015-Q2991011174118350yes
2015-Q1761631853415901yes
2014-Q41194719383866362yes
2014-Q3109818283878210yes
2014-Q21111729962027204yes
2014-Q1988142144yes
2013-Q488955173799791yes
2013-Q31010228192525671yes
2013-Q26604242yes
2013-Q11111715493228842yes
2012-Q411101415891983311yes
2012-Q388381,25662233290yes
2012-Q2885822564026322yes
2012-Q11091416682147981yes
2011-Q4762426042yes
2011-Q3993033974728411yes
2011-Q2101062483321,1572yes
2011-Q1131120224102156481yes
2010-Q4771410062867401yes
2010-Q315146192122144462yes
2010-Q2141336358112386832yes
2010-Q11010625171764233yes
2009-Q45576740yes
2009-Q3101037091544620yes
2009-Q211102205984362yes
2009-Q18862373254161yes
2008-Q487095791510yes
2008-Q32522089191111,5183yes
2008-Q21919016713863994yes
2008-Q113136118122053460yes
2007-Q416150162111753110yes
2007-Q38506335797400yes
2007-Q24311yes
2007-Q110909072163280yes
2006-Q4119012751162972yes
2006-Q3101003081813522yes
2006-Q27701756501050yes
2006-Q11212425282409192yes
2005-Q476033540yes
2005-Q31413056491862550yes
2005-Q212120367101677810yes
2005-Q1111107644yes
2004-Q455011741yes
2004-Q355217220yes
2004-Q29904951222323yes
2004-Q1880298645981yes
2003-Q41010047661321yes
2003-Q31616009352441yes
2003-Q2111104158583321yes
2003-Q177019130yes
2002-Q466019031yes
2002-Q31312014691122511yes
2002-Q26602440yes
2002-Q177146651005140yes
2001-Q46604730yes
2001-Q37705330yes
2001-Q2101009762455850yes
2001-Q14221yes
2000-Q4660040yes
2000-Q377019400yes
2000-Q27601861103410yes
2000-Q17606830yes

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

104 of the 954 stairs permits filed since 2000 (11%) 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 Presidio Heights neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (2,186 filed, 1,601 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (1,790 filed, 1,292 finished; contractors); stairs (954 filed, 639 finished; contractors); deck (617 filed, 395 finished; contractors); roof deck (172 filed, 112 finished; contractors). Other types: 12,277 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Presidio Heights neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Presidio, Lone Mountain/USF, Inner Richmond; 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.