Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do deck permits take in San Francisco's Inner Richmond neighborhood?

In the Inner Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 16 deck permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 16 days, down from 40 days a year earlier. Of the 14 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 208 days of being issued, up from 68 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 Inner RichmondneighborhoodMedian 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/inner-richmond/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 202616 issued1618 issued40
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202414 finished20814 finished68

“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-Q42000too recent
2026-Q33100too recent
2026-Q2761111810too recent
2026-Q13310too recent
2025-Q4662210420too recent
2025-Q398241025751960too recent
2025-Q2557815230too recent
2025-Q14420too recent
2024-Q41100too recent
2024-Q33330yes
2024-Q2669731740yes
2024-Q1661445440yes
2023-Q48613230832yes
2023-Q355114851081220yes
2023-Q24431yes
2023-Q11000yes
2022-Q4870536432481yes
2022-Q3555731720yes
2022-Q2550751436900yes
2022-Q166175662766020yes
2021-Q4552938057761,1010yes
2021-Q34213yes
2021-Q23321yes
2021-Q17711033868681,2200yes
2020-Q4767031161224580yes
2020-Q3969225254771,0773yes
2020-Q14440yes
2019-Q4751252253075790yes
2019-Q3111144764103866880yes
2019-Q21092751473686732yes
2019-Q15550855752618770yes
2018-Q4553530540yes
2018-Q34330yes
2018-Q21082226062787562yes
2018-Q1973827073544850yes
2017-Q47513138441yes
2017-Q388189873895061yes
2017-Q2101022876993086861yes
2017-Q12220yes
2016-Q477725965669651yes
2016-Q33330yes
2016-Q2655761831yes
2016-Q16506955216800yes
2015-Q41110yes
2015-Q387624237969400yes
2015-Q255926951644600yes
2015-Q15517638431yes
2014-Q45440yes
2014-Q31111624294056381yes
2014-Q2871825372656130yes
2014-Q15431yes
2013-Q46522737141yes
2013-Q39921367983082yes
2013-Q23330yes
2013-Q14421yes
2012-Q496435851005051yes
2012-Q310961756906062yes
2012-Q22202yes
2012-Q12211yes
2011-Q4121224497111496271yes
2011-Q3552122641yes
2011-Q22211yes
2011-Q14440yes
2010-Q46611005682681yes
2010-Q3651616352751,6480yes
2010-Q27764275691172yes
2010-Q14430yes
2009-Q466281276903640yes
2009-Q34430yes
2009-Q2658399532yes
2009-Q177065452503442yes
2008-Q45441yes
2008-Q39918291272540yes
2008-Q21192245242yes
2008-Q1770371062180yes
2007-Q410101839351082312yes
2007-Q3990281282,0660yes
2007-Q25430yes
2007-Q155020531yes
2006-Q4111113830482133651yes
2006-Q38801515293192yes
2006-Q26602845293640yes
2006-Q12220yes
2005-Q44430yes
2005-Q33320yes
2005-Q2888067271292510yes
2005-Q1889867181722870yes
2004-Q4553872,01541yes
2004-Q310100842yes
2004-Q299014051272441yes
2004-Q14430yes
2003-Q43330yes
2003-Q34211yes
2003-Q211902967611731yes
2003-Q12211yes
2002-Q43320yes
2002-Q36430yes
2002-Q26610424541yes
2002-Q12220yes
2001-Q46512233220yes
2001-Q32210yes
2001-Q29902047771480yes
2001-Q177031230yes
2000-Q45518039521yes
2000-Q3998326182744690yes
2000-Q2884015762304140yes
2000-Q1662431861723110yes

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

61 of the 636 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 Inner Richmond neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (2,738 filed, 1,981 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (2,379 filed, 1,729 finished; contractors); stairs (1,267 filed, 921 finished; contractors); deck (636 filed, 449 finished; contractors); roof deck (131 filed, 82 finished; contractors). Other types: 13,632 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Inner Richmond neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Presidio Heights, Presidio, Golden Gate 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.