Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do roof deck permits take in San Francisco's Russian Hill neighborhood?

In the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 5 roof deck permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 24 days. Only 4 of the permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 have reached final sign-off, too few for a reliable figure.

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 roof deck permits take in San Francisco's RussianHill neighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge01002003004002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/russian-hill/roof-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 20265 issued241 issuedunder 5
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 20244 finishedunder 57 finished141

“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 32 days to issue and 250 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-Q41100too recent
2026-Q34100too recent
2026-Q22100too recent
2025-Q45300too recent
2025-Q11110too recent
2024-Q41000too recent
2024-Q32110yes
2024-Q22100yes
2024-Q11100yes
2023-Q44330yes
2023-Q33221yes
2023-Q2551868431yes
2023-Q11110yes
2022-Q42210yes
2022-Q32220yes
2022-Q25411yes
2022-Q13320yes
2021-Q43211yes
2021-Q35410yes
2021-Q25332yes
2021-Q16430yes
2020-Q42220yes
2020-Q32110yes
2020-Q14440yes
2019-Q466132342yes
2019-Q37521578522yes
2019-Q24110yes
2019-Q13302yes
2018-Q4755541940yes
2018-Q31110yes
2018-Q24430yes
2018-Q13321yes
2017-Q41110yes
2017-Q32220yes
2017-Q2553091,60841yes
2017-Q11110yes
2016-Q45422yes
2016-Q34212yes
2016-Q24330yes
2016-Q14440yes
2015-Q44431yes
2015-Q35511861952461,4300yes
2015-Q28714720533yes
2015-Q15431yes
2014-Q476831,06654641,6371yes
2014-Q33330yes
2014-Q22220yes
2014-Q14422yes
2013-Q43100yes
2013-Q33320yes
2013-Q22220yes
2013-Q13320yes
2012-Q41000yes
2012-Q32220yes
2012-Q2766115131yes
2012-Q13330yes
2011-Q477791162784641yes
2011-Q33330yes
2011-Q24422yes
2011-Q14320yes
2010-Q4664220451713510yes
2010-Q32220yes
2010-Q21110yes
2010-Q11100yes
2009-Q44420yes
2009-Q35430yes
2009-Q21000yes
2009-Q13210yes
2008-Q44320yes
2008-Q31100yes
2008-Q29612828053793930yes
2008-Q13320yes
2007-Q44430yes
2007-Q33321yes
2007-Q21110yes
2007-Q16606342yes
2006-Q42100yes
2006-Q31110yes
2006-Q23312yes
2006-Q12220yes
2005-Q42211yes
2005-Q33321yes
2005-Q23301yes
2005-Q11110yes
2004-Q43330yes
2004-Q3750040yes
2004-Q22210yes
2003-Q41110yes
2003-Q32210yes
2002-Q11100yes
2001-Q42220yes
2001-Q32200yes
2001-Q22000yes
2001-Q11110yes
2000-Q43221yes
2000-Q11100yes

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

39 of the 310 roof deck permits filed since 2000 (13%) 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 Russian Hill neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (3,069 filed, 2,224 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (3,022 filed, 2,219 finished; contractors); stairs (887 filed, 594 finished; contractors); deck (425 filed, 281 finished; contractors); roof deck (310 filed, 176 finished; contractors). Other types: 14,642 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Russian Hill neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Nob Hill, North Beach, Chinatown; 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.