Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do deck permits take in San Francisco's Noe Valley neighborhood?

In the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 40 deck permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 2 days, down from 12 days a year earlier. Of the 27 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 105 days of being issued, down from 238 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 Noe ValleyneighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge01002003004005002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/noe-valley/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 202640 issued240 issued12
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202427 finished10522 finished238

“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-Q313902420too recent
2026-Q21814119640too recent
2026-Q11110099636720too recent
2025-Q48737820too recent
2025-Q31110817240too recent
2025-Q211116899463140too recent
2025-Q115152521981073580too recent
2024-Q45430too recent
2024-Q31191707632680yes
2024-Q277516851225190yes
2024-Q1131220126103145580yes
2023-Q4128623615455161yes
2023-Q355324530yes
2023-Q29732771902341yes
2023-Q1554541640yes
2022-Q414113655483449315yes
2022-Q38430yes
2022-Q213124247774488585yes
2022-Q111111624672326991yes
2021-Q4119644461525712yes
2021-Q3161410251491825784yes
2021-Q218169395792726954yes
2021-Q11713181591112431,0081yes
2020-Q4181642501131052403yes
2020-Q315134341494341,1795yes
2020-Q22210yes
2020-Q110871,00351896313yes
2019-Q42525225990142586647yes
2019-Q318180751132305964yes
2019-Q218121554101602923yes
2019-Q18610347261616750yes
2018-Q4119258981601,0852yes
2018-Q317157185101884245yes
2018-Q217164427152236781yes
2018-Q1111017249694961,1751yes
2017-Q4151424432132857491yes
2017-Q3141288578122721,5141yes
2017-Q2768293463381,4900yes
2017-Q188032262281,0080yes
2016-Q41613831391767305yes
2016-Q3202020291152514815yes
2016-Q2191721595142521,1993yes
2016-Q111119650103289700yes
2015-Q4171596435131636210yes
2015-Q31512204519113226451yes
2015-Q2191626292111403754yes
2015-Q1171628556114611,0604yes
2014-Q41111253826105431,3910yes
2014-Q323222341181056543yes
2014-Q21083284151532442yes
2014-Q122226399151775605yes
2013-Q4161574478104031,3211yes
2013-Q3181878305143336233yes
2013-Q222194250181326221yes
2013-Q11717148385121247244yes
2012-Q4141438542112631,3032yes
2012-Q320162622412665183yes
2012-Q223202195151144023yes
2012-Q1181722341141866983yes
2011-Q417162023513245091yes
2011-Q315159221121603681yes
2011-Q22424025624825350yes
2011-Q111101455281524291yes
2010-Q418164195151613901yes
2010-Q32724124722785082yes
2010-Q22928113824725012yes
2010-Q11111822691264411yes
2009-Q421214240211103750yes
2009-Q320199267141383674yes
2009-Q215149147101783181yes
2009-Q12019182131064030yes
2008-Q413123437492263480yes
2008-Q330253321211605611yes
2008-Q224211343181784391yes
2008-Q117151135111756580yes
2007-Q424226302113005154yes
2007-Q323230193131123813yes
2007-Q21918025111231312yes
2007-Q12322018316984904yes
2006-Q419170252131625104yes
2006-Q320180314111492642yes
2006-Q220190420142425811yes
2006-Q11515030412802610yes
2005-Q425230338151337261yes
2005-Q31515024311923531yes
2005-Q2181818399101524166yes
2005-Q12019120528121704991yes
2004-Q414130518111783230yes
2004-Q323220108171132992yes
2004-Q22726026213954229yes
2004-Q1141101227992184yes
2003-Q418180142151132723yes
2003-Q31514016291593342yes
2003-Q221200202111282474yes
2003-Q1181801649441825yes
2002-Q431300152161046408yes
2002-Q325250282191183171yes
2002-Q2211901428803391yes
2002-Q125220117141312501yes
2001-Q4151511839041yes
2001-Q318180421151355960yes
2001-Q220170355101402840yes
2001-Q116150302111014040yes
2000-Q4191717325131685560yes
2000-Q315111318381343490yes
2000-Q219190196141685810yes
2000-Q11412215071354580yes

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

198 of the 1,767 deck permits filed since 2000 (11%) 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 Noe Valley neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (4,669 filed, 3,402 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (3,842 filed, 2,770 finished; contractors); stairs (2,707 filed, 1,804 finished; contractors); deck (1,767 filed, 1,161 finished; contractors); roof deck (405 filed, 239 finished; contractors). Other types: 22,798 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Noe Valley neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Glen Park, Twin Peaks, Castro/Upper Market; 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.