San Francisco Building Permit Timeline
San Francisco has the longest permit approval timelines of any major US city we track. The median permit takes nearly 7 months, and complex projects regularly exceed a year and a half.
Based on 203K+ real permits
These timelines are calculated from San Francisco's public permit data, not estimates. Every number comes from actual filed-to-approved durations in the city's open data portal.
Key Insights
Median approval of 209 days (nearly 7 months) — slowest market we track
75th percentile hits 393 days — over a year for more complex permits
90th percentile reaches 621 days — nearly 2 years
Analysis based on 1.1M+ permits from SF's open data portal
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a building permit take in San Francisco?
Based on 203K+ historical permits, the median approval time in San Francisco is 51 days. However, 25% of permits take longer than 142 days, and 10% exceed 334 days.
What affects permit approval time in San Francisco?
Key factors include permit type (new construction vs. renovation), project complexity, zone/district, filing season, and completeness of the application. Prevesta's reports break down timelines by all these factors for your specific project.
How accurate is this data?
All timelines are computed from San Francisco's official public permit records — the same data the city uses internally. We calculate duration from filing date to approval/issuance date across 203K+ permits.