Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do stairs permits take in San Francisco?

In San Francisco, of the 1,141 stairs permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 7 days, down from 16 days a year earlier. Of the 857 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 175 days of being issued, down from 203 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 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/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 20261,141 issued71,231 issued16
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 2024857 finished175863 finished203

“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-Q42650110too recent
2026-Q34172442295123430too recent
2026-Q238430598810331950too recent
2026-Q13182658131123521700too recent
2025-Q4380327131421561142560too recent
2025-Q3364340161672001253020too recent
2025-Q2389353202792161353560too recent
2025-Q1296267131461711033490too recent
2024-Q4299271181751861744240too recent
2024-Q3352328131972301664350yes
2024-Q2355335141612491714320yes
2024-Q1266249121401951585470yes
2023-Q4279239142291832035615yes
2023-Q3317283723021017856959yes
2023-Q23453151431125318357843yes
2023-Q1262230825717718453139yes
2022-Q43463123648422327975054yes
2022-Q33423001438722524366861yes
2022-Q23713291943025225376664yes
2022-Q13583091740124628075457yes
2021-Q43262823252021727479260yes
2021-Q33443072847924926186660yes
2021-Q23312954149022628476062yes
2021-Q135431010055924632794960yes
2020-Q44023549640228533287856yes
2020-Q33693167647224622978259yes
2020-Q29285323047015870712yes
2020-Q12912461442820422472136yes
2019-Q44283691747928733577180yes
2019-Q34083761856029531387458yes
2019-Q24383911423630823173379yes
2019-Q13763421429927323880048yes
2018-Q43953562230429326888646yes
2018-Q34113901018531922276158yes
2018-Q24283881427931622582158yes
2018-Q14313931737131122491862yes
2017-Q43803471433328528494458yes
2017-Q3449413729134023075953yes
2017-Q2441403727434121677256yes
2017-Q1336305622524717768139yes
2016-Q43993561533427825380658yes
2016-Q3426384628530322471160yes
2016-Q2468427829734120274766yes
2016-Q1447408825432718874753yes
2015-Q44203901025530020569068yes
2015-Q3503471728739122576465yes
2015-Q24344001226831426272369yes
2015-Q14524241127734423883657yes
2014-Q44524171230233126089263yes
2014-Q3448413626333118574355yes
2014-Q2490460631336019665975yes
2014-Q14063851029930720968052yes
2013-Q4436409624034120275956yes
2013-Q3452421618934617054851yes
2013-Q2445407417832715765455yes
2013-Q1389371619730218463049yes
2012-Q4360342618827716556149yes
2012-Q3499473415435914750081yes
2012-Q2419379317731012255350yes
2012-Q1353340418428714958339yes
2011-Q4351335218328512746538yes
2011-Q3420393111332011749045yes
2011-Q2424409118433412648347yes
2011-Q1400379117732411843939yes
2010-Q4357339217628615051435yes
2010-Q3499469114039811647947yes
2010-Q2445425220735213046746yes
2010-Q1328304113924613751340yes
2009-Q4394374120829511945147yes
2009-Q342841419934611044536yes
2009-Q2425394112730811642143yes
2009-Q1365340112927614940043yes
2008-Q4465433017434113142053yes
2008-Q3528487015636713052257yes
2008-Q2598561017741811241159yes
2008-Q1449408114929211437761yes
2007-Q4600562121938115443178yes
2007-Q3528499012733711735572yes
2007-Q2490471012432211539362yes
2007-Q1393383017625611540739yes
2006-Q4411394018427411035044yes
2006-Q3509493012334511235139yes
2006-Q2481465016831110336144yes
2006-Q1399386014425910937936yes
2005-Q4447436024027812936651yes
2005-Q347045601403139135452yes
2005-Q240540102312719734346yes
2005-Q132531401892079836437yes
2004-Q4338326019420810432439yes
2004-Q339638301362479133256yes
2004-Q244242801812889839249yes
2004-Q137436201972348531150yes
2003-Q443142401122968627855yes
2003-Q34504410932938131755yes
2003-Q242740901042868233055yes
2003-Q136235401052467532542yes
2002-Q440338701092389032258yes
2002-Q351749901133238930067yes
2002-Q251949901293198531531yes
2002-Q138837301062377931910yes
2001-Q4398388020421111829310yes
2001-Q33923760114230953318yes
2001-Q240538701352431103508yes
2001-Q129027801381661243869yes
2000-Q433632401061911254164yes
2000-Q338037001342081163783yes
2000-Q236734501202211524624yes
2000-Q135333501301561335462yes

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

4,604 of the 42,896 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

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.