Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do stairs permits take in San Francisco's Haight Ashbury neighborhood?

In the Haight Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 42 stairs permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 0 days, down from 8 days a year earlier. Of the 20 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 182 days of being issued, up from 122 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 stairs permits take in San Francisco's Haight AshburyneighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge020040060080010002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/haight-ashbury/stairs · 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 202642 issued028 issued8
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202420 finished18224 finished122

“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 175 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-Q31280820too recent
2026-Q21614027745890too recent
2026-Q188025622480too recent
2025-Q41612212581342030too recent
2025-Q3885747782450too recent
2025-Q210953253523540too recent
2025-Q14320too recent
2024-Q498736751622660too recent
2024-Q33320yes
2024-Q24440yes
2024-Q113113512091814730yes
2023-Q465311452072930yes
2023-Q388711826942571yes
2023-Q2108612861204740yes
2023-Q11211012381214462yes
2022-Q48725240242yes
2022-Q3951448941yes
2022-Q214132349112105782yes
2022-Q1972278955817561yes
2021-Q46509752015021yes
2021-Q3111108610675141yes
2021-Q2769940653517871yes
2021-Q1131120747085268772yes
2020-Q41413135310118201,2511yes
2020-Q3121145352101365601yes
2020-Q21110yes
2020-Q1980346814721yes
2019-Q475068052734080yes
2019-Q399111328956970yes
2019-Q21514077101179573yes
2019-Q18802066372100yes
2018-Q48778061423791yes
2018-Q31095328482281,1301yes
2018-Q21093347845792yes
2018-Q11413018410442591yes
2017-Q4973552273797821yes
2017-Q3879718571055470yes
2017-Q2990188733391yes
2017-Q1772634971248620yes
2016-Q4884931882562,1090yes
2016-Q317141256183987115yes
2016-Q214120139121084540yes
2016-Q1141419122122567641yes
2015-Q4107149642yes
2015-Q323204102192598142yes
2015-Q212124216112764341yes
2015-Q119170234142441,3262yes
2014-Q415131128882225703yes
2014-Q3121147789892373yes
2014-Q21414448891994665yes
2014-Q1161628332122481,0034yes
2013-Q4121035191497461yes
2013-Q31110050101844210yes
2013-Q213128223121863900yes
2013-Q117160259151255301yes
2012-Q41110329091626231yes
2012-Q312901271185390yes
2012-Q2121022208961911yes
2012-Q1119316262326293yes
2011-Q477050651542791yes
2011-Q31515047141073361yes
2011-Q21414214811852592yes
2011-Q12119013817756941yes
2010-Q41514113211713110yes
2010-Q32020110419953651yes
2010-Q221197291142526942yes
2010-Q11515111014355240yes
2009-Q422211218171483204yes
2009-Q31414010121144942yes
2009-Q2282809022613704yes
2009-Q11514028131093411yes
2008-Q4191806315371832yes
2008-Q31817083135111,0203yes
2008-Q223220126171274034yes
2008-Q11210014072773912yes
2007-Q437342109221783787yes
2007-Q31414436792103363yes
2007-Q220200142121546245yes
2007-Q1161600121042430yes
2006-Q42121013717822752yes
2006-Q332320022542802yes
2006-Q223230917601191yes
2006-Q116150781091751yes
2005-Q41414058121122561yes
2005-Q318170014621521yes
2005-Q232320022482095yes
2005-Q1151403315851523yes
2004-Q41212008381830yes
2004-Q31513007353453yes
2004-Q22019027312702683yes
2004-Q1181709461363405yes
2003-Q42322044612361222yes
2003-Q31717025111061863yes
2003-Q234330024541477yes
2003-Q131300321481644yes
2002-Q4282702519632764yes
2002-Q321200513352324yes
2002-Q22725014316733052yes
2002-Q1121101108623770yes
2001-Q416160639883041yes
2001-Q316150468871370yes
2001-Q29901306561600yes
2001-Q199036040yes
2000-Q4171708471423710yes
2000-Q3181801211912390yes
2000-Q2131201097954300yes
2000-Q11818016991678770yes

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

161 of the 1,550 stairs 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 Haight Ashbury neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (3,075 filed, 2,147 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (2,766 filed, 1,877 finished; contractors); stairs (1,550 filed, 1,064 finished; contractors); deck (751 filed, 494 finished; contractors); roof deck (170 filed, 96 finished; contractors). Other types: 15,744 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Haight Ashbury neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Lone Mountain/USF, Castro/Upper Market, Hayes Valley; 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.