Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

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

In the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 88 kitchen remodel 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 62 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 236 days of being issued, up from 216 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 kitchen remodel permits take in San Francisco'sBernal Heights neighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge01002003004005006002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: 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/kitchen · 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 202688 issued078 issued0
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202462 finished23672 finished216

“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 176 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-Q43000too recent
2026-Q327160440too recent
2026-Q230274475771400too recent
2026-Q12622015511941450too recent
2025-Q42523514081622370too recent
2025-Q31817040121301970too recent
2025-Q222228135152723660too recent
2025-Q133310120151972930too recent
2024-Q498162472203360too recent
2024-Q32119063132105700yes
2024-Q225237197172874480yes
2024-Q12321026181904520yes
2023-Q420195321142405391yes
2023-Q32018078122385075yes
2023-Q230284116222254044yes
2023-Q120190159151954902yes
2022-Q434340386231585653yes
2022-Q329287168174056928yes
2022-Q22421685133708896yes
2022-Q132321326291845713yes
2021-Q424237436172656314yes
2021-Q344410202342275966yes
2021-Q243400109282861,0388yes
2021-Q1383664591272437235yes
2020-Q429264130241967393yes
2020-Q326240107213037104yes
2020-Q221188219171513691yes
2020-Q126244426212128184yes
2019-Q432296212195499209yes
2019-Q3524935063220153415yes
2019-Q2373416463283775995yes
2019-Q13535055311785854yes
2018-Q435344196272646475yes
2018-Q32824010182129704yes
2018-Q24138088321545644yes
2018-Q136352308281525844yes
2017-Q433313286272525641yes
2017-Q34239059332313705yes
2017-Q2484501053321058410yes
2017-Q130290172241783672yes
2016-Q44443042361864785yes
2016-Q343414400362986244yes
2016-Q245426236333349404yes
2016-Q1646110159553221,1126yes
2015-Q440396189322106245yes
2015-Q33534050271603757yes
2015-Q25050162353519667412yes
2015-Q13737037331663773yes
2014-Q433324608243901,1607yes
2014-Q34240048321824769yes
2014-Q23636043261807128yes
2014-Q13838095322166256yes
2013-Q4242310133222304921yes
2013-Q32826022201642584yes
2013-Q236340161322366581yes
2013-Q12221358161284791yes
2012-Q42222011201282962yes
2012-Q33331067231442897yes
2012-Q223230317211594071yes
2012-Q13231125251235584yes
2011-Q42626026231394192yes
2011-Q31818018171472121yes
2011-Q21818052131083333yes
2011-Q1222202201142632yes
2010-Q42825052221995142yes
2010-Q33631015291755111yes
2010-Q22525076191114324yes
2010-Q13131010241003651yes
2009-Q427260114182043813yes
2009-Q32019032151404051yes
2009-Q2232105161844462yes
2009-Q12222012191653222yes
2008-Q4191901111282251yes
2008-Q33533079272014132yes
2008-Q226260308192664491yes
2008-Q1212106161402463yes
2007-Q436360150211532706yes
2007-Q3242402141682504yes
2007-Q222210197111221842yes
2007-Q12525047151412742yes
2006-Q425250113201363791yes
2006-Q32626047111552270yes
2006-Q23029065121802986yes
2006-Q12626022202224291yes
2005-Q42020023131644251yes
2005-Q32020011791212967yes
2005-Q227270301171153301yes
2005-Q1161500111192270yes
2004-Q42222023101314892yes
2004-Q3242400161132683yes
2004-Q224230129161543171yes
2004-Q12121036131706271yes
2003-Q4242400151374553yes
2003-Q3302800161402843yes
2003-Q218180491012791yes
2003-Q1191700102904811yes
2002-Q414140145101593860yes
2002-Q32121065162704661yes
2002-Q22423047121564590yes
2002-Q1131301651241351yes
2001-Q4201903292072931yes
2001-Q31918075141424330yes
2001-Q224230116131904340yes
2001-Q1252507131144020yes
2000-Q410901951021970yes
2000-Q3171707072134760yes
2000-Q214120092755650yes
2000-Q11616018101965860yes

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

312 of the 2,991 kitchen remodel 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.