Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do deck permits take in San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood?

In the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 34 deck permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 6 days, down from 20 days a year earlier. Of the 30 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 241 days of being issued, up from 199 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 Francisco's Bernal HeightsneighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge02004006008002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/bernal-heights/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 202634 issued624 issued20
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202430 finished24125 finished199

“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 7 days to issue and 164 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-Q41000too recent
2026-Q3108025630550too recent
2026-Q2131041240too recent
2026-Q1972016920too recent
2025-Q41291920540too recent
2025-Q3761419040too recent
2025-Q2652110420too recent
2025-Q1109221435882410too recent
2024-Q46440too recent
2024-Q312112013291844720yes
2024-Q2109933162923470yes
2024-Q110864171034400yes
2023-Q411103426782904690yes
2023-Q3871340963215362yes
2023-Q2755468431yes
2023-Q1118013861353533yes
2022-Q4171353401101595431yes
2022-Q3861867915yes
2022-Q2876725261986100yes
2022-Q17540146852958611yes
2021-Q4973491,02973175621yes
2021-Q3860134524941yes
2021-Q21389051844yes
2021-Q1111015467676669041yes
2020-Q41179632551889533yes
2020-Q398222244yes
2020-Q21101yes
2020-Q11312614191024692yes
2019-Q416128892371885016yes
2019-Q31294964554551,5682yes
2019-Q217122818283861,0255yes
2019-Q1875128775231,2300yes
2018-Q412102321272448333yes
2018-Q316155309131281,0270yes
2018-Q2181721277151066880yes
2018-Q11513343121122283yes
2017-Q41095156675061,0841yes
2017-Q312102525972593592yes
2017-Q217177499151585321yes
2017-Q187237942yes
2016-Q4141314673121434780yes
2016-Q31291023781664480yes
2016-Q2161513240121705953yes
2016-Q19985091804930yes
2015-Q41714156479122047870yes
2015-Q31291227981809231yes
2015-Q2121155512112361,7361yes
2015-Q1109162172345292yes
2014-Q4161328623112891,0511yes
2014-Q315120346111494703yes
2014-Q29720243844yes
2014-Q1988842451648253yes
2013-Q4141312919101668643yes
2013-Q31413029071322864yes
2013-Q2211988316656501yes
2013-Q11296988943471yes
2012-Q498513581383260yes
2012-Q312111182111564381yes
2012-Q21211039611692730yes
2012-Q11110213610851690yes
2011-Q416140102121276423yes
2011-Q31413110810561711yes
2011-Q21715022111804272yes
2011-Q1119148181466330yes
2010-Q419172370162062770yes
2010-Q31818847215913721yes
2010-Q29911867884501yes
2010-Q176411361723040yes
2009-Q4871827542yes
2009-Q39911739812470yes
2009-Q2111101059863910yes
2009-Q176903246423601yes
2008-Q41111015291823910yes
2008-Q3191713613862162yes
2008-Q214121626962924061yes
2008-Q1121113229162841,2781yes
2007-Q421201208142644031yes
2007-Q3161513558743911yes
2007-Q21110024871261,1301yes
2007-Q11313026871742382yes
2006-Q4141402579653011yes
2006-Q31083522140yes
2006-Q213120239101324391yes
2006-Q113130204102133700yes
2005-Q41212031272795251yes
2005-Q3101002933yes
2005-Q2161605799971933yes
2005-Q19806061122200yes
2004-Q41211038581102900yes
2004-Q31716023211793143yes
2004-Q211111124078762430yes
2004-Q11616037492394103yes
2003-Q44440yes
2003-Q3111103971231671yes
2003-Q21212021512732680yes
2003-Q1111104861326461yes
2002-Q41313036191171560yes
2002-Q3131307381101861yes
2002-Q220160388112344622yes
2002-Q1131101236961521yes
2001-Q410920245942yes
2001-Q31191726840yes
2001-Q2108038131yes
2001-Q11716026411792430yes
2000-Q49803740yes
2000-Q31010019651537670yes
2000-Q21010040092956640yes
2000-Q15440yes

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

127 of the 1,270 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's Bernal Heights neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (3,696 filed, 2,606 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (2,991 filed, 2,081 finished; contractors); stairs (2,249 filed, 1,508 finished; contractors); deck (1,270 filed, 821 finished; contractors); roof deck (214 filed, 133 finished; contractors). Other types: 17,957 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Glen Park, Noe Valley, Portola; 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.