Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do building permits take in San Francisco's Sunset/Parkside neighborhood?

In the Sunset/Parkside neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 1,493 building permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 0 days, the same as a year earlier. Of the 1,560 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 84 days of being issued, down from 108 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 building permits take in San Francisco'sSunset/Parkside neighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge0501001502002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/sunset-parkside · 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 20261,493 issued01,795 issued0
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 20241,560 finished841,361 finished108

“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 0 days to issue and 98 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-Q424110000too recent
2026-Q32882040263024660too recent
2026-Q244940303921428950too recent
2026-Q1461429034279431650too recent
2025-Q4497457052336662240too recent
2025-Q3524501077369702560too recent
2025-Q2453431040329652890too recent
2025-Q1426412036336562820too recent
2024-Q4466451045371672950too recent
2024-Q3564539052441843450yes
2024-Q2497477030399863280yes
2024-Q1457440042368823700yes
2023-Q4452426032352904414yes
2023-Q35505110454489846371yes
2023-Q24734430493579537078yes
2023-Q136833903527310242357yes
2022-Q4382348014828313449957yes
2022-Q341740206132212442670yes
2022-Q247545209735912252289yes
2022-Q145341309931712150582yes
2021-Q4424391011930515547684yes
2021-Q343642106331813855186yes
2021-Q2401369011627315358889yes
2021-Q1365339019626912668869yes
2020-Q4400367019829213453175yes
2020-Q3381344417926212355380yes
2020-Q2139121561778139650yes
2020-Q13743380183216147636111yes
2019-Q45625270126327131579190yes
2019-Q3608587047360113572209yes
2019-Q2553527060346106484178yes
2019-Q1505471094326145570142yes
2018-Q4512476054321131530153yes
2018-Q3602576078365111607207yes
2018-Q2518481078324118506159yes
2018-Q1500460056297128487156yes
2017-Q4491471069326134508139yes
2017-Q35755540175376130502166yes
2017-Q25245040108332114436152yes
2017-Q1433416049282116411124yes
2016-Q44274100127267128391128yes
2016-Q3569542042362108363172yes
2016-Q2475453064309111421135yes
2016-Q1453428041285111366132yes
2015-Q4511495042316132393162yes
2015-Q354052905434988355164yes
2015-Q2478463054300120429149yes
2015-Q1480467048285126462165yes
2014-Q453151503634596444147yes
2014-Q3517497025332118448144yes
2014-Q2456438058310109428121yes
2014-Q136235001823087355106yes
2013-Q445343805329397372129yes
2013-Q347245801532389351124yes
2013-Q246044101531278341114yes
2013-Q1386379082696930598yes
2012-Q4404394017265109341118yes
2012-Q346045101031573354118yes
2012-Q239838801426284329111yes
2012-Q13323240152288532280yes
2011-Q43843740724778360116yes
2011-Q34324260630778288106yes
2011-Q24524380828880349131yes
2011-Q13413260252488034670yes
2010-Q43673610824984328101yes
2010-Q34884700632584327133yes
2010-Q24404290628064334134yes
2010-Q13493370621168281117yes
2009-Q44374220627264336129yes
2009-Q34194140727969274115yes
2009-Q23753690112627928593yes
2009-Q1347336062246828790yes
2008-Q44694580327276262161yes
2008-Q35495470333373245186yes
2008-Q25525370232984259189yes
2008-Q14614390426477242153yes
2007-Q45415290828596315216yes
2007-Q36816690131692320319yes
2007-Q25014920029391316164yes
2007-Q146545700283110315137yes
2006-Q44964890027494288172yes
2006-Q36356260035388303192yes
2006-Q24624540027098265130yes
2006-Q141941200252106328123yes
2005-Q451450700272101289169yes
2005-Q35505360029388278151yes
2005-Q24884830030698324112yes
2005-Q14084050023875257106yes
2004-Q44734620026986311117yes
2004-Q36146070033773299150yes
2004-Q252151502532297320121yes
2004-Q13973950024110236180yes
2003-Q446345503283103332102yes
2003-Q35785660031381257175yes
2003-Q24924850128478274146yes
2003-Q14624490525488284143yes
2002-Q445544104923790302153yes
2002-Q35475370028565201158yes
2002-Q24564410182617723449yes
2002-Q14644580352628227612yes
2001-Q45064950153131183778yes
2001-Q348047102295822214yes
2001-Q24314250122621052507yes
2001-Q14244060382781043142yes
2000-Q44334170792961193393yes
2000-Q35054910143091113094yes
2000-Q24514330352791323423yes
2000-Q14134060442101304094yes

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

11,200 of the 49,730 building permits filed since 2000 (23%) 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. Citywide, 798 of 801,386 permits since 2000 (0%) name no neighborhood and count in the city's figures only. 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 Sunset/Parkside neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (10,452 filed, 8,088 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (7,313 filed, 5,521 finished; contractors); stairs (2,879 filed, 2,023 finished; contractors); deck (1,899 filed, 1,354 finished; contractors); roof deck (201 filed, 116 finished; contractors). Other types: 33,821 permits.

Nearby neighborhoods

Inner Sunset, Golden Gate Park, Lakeshore; 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.