Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

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

In the Excelsior neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 64 kitchen remodel permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 4 days, up from 0 days a year earlier. Of the 56 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 188 days of being issued, down from 233 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'sExcelsior neighborhoodMedian 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/excelsior/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 202664 issued493 issued0
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202456 finished18865 finished233

“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-Q42000too recent
2026-Q3181102100too recent
2026-Q217166335571230too recent
2026-Q11613236110too recent
2025-Q42724036171342610too recent
2025-Q32524026201612810too recent
2025-Q22623193151373120too recent
2025-Q12119028161302460too recent
2024-Q42827037222353880too recent
2024-Q325231089202194160yes
2024-Q21918193121583520yes
2024-Q11514037121364600yes
2023-Q41715222122603500yes
2023-Q32422762192003993yes
2023-Q22219023152403566yes
2023-Q1161303102205733yes
2022-Q4262218479212724574yes
2022-Q3101011991403521yes
2022-Q219196369141585433yes
2022-Q13231379271554274yes
2021-Q4242214329203146914yes
2021-Q32121076142266045yes
2021-Q2262022346142845917yes
2021-Q122200311142055866yes
2020-Q4262534256211974942yes
2020-Q318174100142556521yes
2020-Q255305741yes
2020-Q112125962492545142yes
2019-Q432291429232189955yes
2019-Q327260380192487275yes
2019-Q2282616244222848673yes
2019-Q12524036191905444yes
2018-Q431285267231966972yes
2018-Q32018219151983263yes
2018-Q23230015201424675yes
2018-Q12524030191684104yes
2017-Q42424176162245135yes
2017-Q32121443182026101yes
2017-Q228244118181513373yes
2017-Q11312429122154430yes
2016-Q429284292231634263yes
2016-Q318188148151685712yes
2016-Q215140268121482780yes
2016-Q120180140152401,0283yes
2015-Q43130024241553644yes
2015-Q32929026221766175yes
2015-Q231279322222367784yes
2015-Q118182105151125221yes
2014-Q425250111211956233yes
2014-Q322220349171975431yes
2014-Q2181809141462901yes
2014-Q122220161171816054yes
2013-Q41616019091053307yes
2013-Q32020121152595234yes
2013-Q21313020111583521yes
2013-Q11716059111503215yes
2012-Q4121109101243261yes
2012-Q32020013161514363yes
2012-Q2202001151853174yes
2012-Q114130110705562yes
2011-Q4121205111503491yes
2011-Q31413050121202441yes
2011-Q216161111141184180yes
2011-Q119170224121192043yes
2010-Q414130110782113yes
2010-Q3151501812923813yes
2010-Q2181804141746094yes
2010-Q115151911851961yes
2009-Q41818027162127152yes
2009-Q31616068131073251yes
2009-Q21210488821911yes
2009-Q11212019633912yes
2008-Q4141403121301861yes
2008-Q3161602121252972yes
2008-Q215150191012065yes
2008-Q1129112652212713yes
2007-Q4191800121202815yes
2007-Q3161602121342351yes
2007-Q214130061102282yes
2007-Q116160091672631yes
2006-Q4660041yes
2006-Q319180912903641yes
2006-Q22222053111112287yes
2006-Q116160091613753yes
2005-Q41212008762120yes
2005-Q3212100151252902yes
2005-Q214140011562743yes
2005-Q115150138121483401yes
2004-Q4660032yes
2004-Q3101003181643880yes
2004-Q2181804513916191yes
2004-Q11313014291944144yes
2003-Q4111103482466681yes
2003-Q31413013381042892yes
2003-Q2171702681573075yes
2003-Q1121202091074212yes
2002-Q4131302151813506yes
2002-Q3131300111232110yes
2002-Q21616028121143520yes
2002-Q1121200101754630yes
2001-Q410100071763830yes
2001-Q388012174897810yes
2001-Q2109018662305280yes
2001-Q1121104271095660yes
2000-Q4990061133020yes
2000-Q3151501278926190yes
2000-Q29808052799831yes
2000-Q1990040yes

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

234 of the 1,940 kitchen remodel permits filed since 2000 (12%) 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 Excelsior neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (2,869 filed, 2,106 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (1,940 filed, 1,370 finished; contractors); stairs (1,120 filed, 785 finished; contractors); deck (780 filed, 535 finished; contractors). Other types: 12,100 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Excelsior neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Outer Mission, McLaren Park, Glen Park; 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.