Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do deck permits take in San Francisco?

In San Francisco, of the 597 deck permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 7 days, down from 15 days a year earlier. Of the 482 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 164 days of being issued, down from 194 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 FranciscoMedian 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/san-francisco/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 2026597 issued7716 issued15
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 2024482 finished164500 finished194

“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.

Every quarter since 2000

Quarter filedFiledIssuedMedian days to issueSlowest 10%Reached finalMedian days issue to finalSlowest 10%Never finaledSettled
2026-Q419400too recent
2026-Q32271312313426640too recent
2026-Q222717268564641250too recent
2026-Q11671411516360742010too recent
2025-Q418615315155741062230too recent
2025-Q3215196141841131173100too recent
2025-Q2205194141401291563500too recent
2025-Q1183169201751151333370too recent
2024-Q4173157132251051424180too recent
2024-Q3213194132151321664060yes
2024-Q218616892061261234220yes
2024-Q115513671121101624690yes
2023-Q4181154243191142145835yes
2023-Q3179158630512512548426yes
2023-Q21941631336613120151727yes
2023-Q1140114133629421763615yes
2022-Q42252002840615024464439yes
2022-Q32171632047312021457923yes
2022-Q22101732154513421575243yes
2022-Q11871582869913330076423yes
2021-Q42041792878813430979441yes
2021-Q31871532250910926388043yes
2021-Q22392023255114521576053yes
2021-Q120017311271813531482633yes
2020-Q421818710358014126777144yes
2020-Q32061746863313417490039yes
2020-Q24440715931714077yes
2020-Q116513364819620258424yes
2019-Q42402084167315229371642yes
2019-Q32462181356517530488132yes
2019-Q22301982053215322466947yes
2019-Q11971721856514222674121yes
2018-Q42251911545215919776531yes
2018-Q32422211139516824570340yes
2018-Q22382131236817622477431yes
2018-Q12301992446716221571735yes
2017-Q42031782047415329490425yes
2017-Q3255228835218422676437yes
2017-Q22372231245118721376526yes
2017-Q1189168737413518559525yes
2016-Q42021761036014020679828yes
2016-Q3237212629516421669944yes
2016-Q22462201436617417868340yes
2016-Q1234209848816319091535yes
2015-Q42181931236815315757028yes
2015-Q33092701139322023273435yes
2015-Q22171971132716018667630yes
2015-Q12412191135317822572228yes
2014-Q4229208844017021678727yes
2014-Q3284266227121220861436yes
2014-Q2258235835419015661030yes
2014-Q11991821440213616861431yes
2013-Q4236219735417317478832yes
2013-Q3291265227821113858836yes
2013-Q2240216430918014065930yes
2013-Q1201188427915117259723yes
2012-Q4208190428015912946423yes
2012-Q3247228323418612053230yes
2012-Q2225209721716611252223yes
2012-Q1232221226018012667732yes
2011-Q4208187224715512655722yes
2011-Q3259242220720115345923yes
2011-Q224822912041889840229yes
2011-Q1193181422815112447116yes
2010-Q4215204220817713653116yes
2010-Q3266251222520610643428yes
2010-Q2263254119720910847028yes
2010-Q119918542051488838132yes
2009-Q4232219121816912140335yes
2009-Q3271260117622411239525yes
2009-Q2237222116116911240023yes
2009-Q1196180226714610640817yes
2008-Q4218197131316415740013yes
2008-Q3307285026321613244232yes
2008-Q2298271226019613042226yes
2008-Q1240217124516013238825yes
2007-Q4306273222119616042831yes
2007-Q3311295017121311433535yes
2007-Q2320310015423411633122yes
2007-Q1233226022615813737220yes
2006-Q4224216025216210631022yes
2006-Q3333316020623213143426yes
2006-Q2275266031119112433121yes
2006-Q1207201021314510836620yes
2005-Q4225213034412616242818yes
2005-Q3263255033816411834130yes
2005-Q2251241030016012334126yes
2005-Q1200191032013812243012yes
2004-Q419719103371401284449yes
2004-Q323823102311549929432yes
2004-Q2272259026117411638134yes
2004-Q1223207026614611632026yes
2003-Q4230220025514912536926yes
2003-Q3241232024415411436531yes
2003-Q2266254024817211033226yes
2003-Q119018502091208834619yes
2002-Q4244239025415411338129yes
2002-Q3300284026318110030244yes
2002-Q2295279018817310741226yes
2002-Q122221302021451073746yes
2001-Q4214210024813411267612yes
2001-Q321019702121161083785yes
2001-Q224923702711551143338yes
2001-Q118617302481151343514yes
2000-Q418917602761141554723yes
2000-Q320419402291341464200yes
2000-Q221119302621261245162yes
2000-Q120118502081121474661yes

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

2,514 of the 24,218 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

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (104,357 filed, 75,687 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (88,742 filed, 63,705 finished; contractors); stairs (42,896 filed, 29,067 finished; contractors); deck (24,218 filed, 16,266 finished; contractors); roof deck (5,264 filed, 3,106 finished; contractors); pergola or trellis (645 filed, 372 finished; contractors). Other types: 613,041 permits. All permits in 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.