Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do stairs permits take in San Francisco's Outer Richmond neighborhood?

In the Outer Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 69 stairs permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 8 days, down from 13 days a year earlier. Of the 50 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 204 days of being issued, down from 260 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 Outer RichmondneighborhoodMedian 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/outer-richmond/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 202669 issued875 issued13
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202450 finished20455 finished260

“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-Q43100too recent
2026-Q3211241720too recent
2026-Q22524168740too recent
2026-Q11312010540too recent
2025-Q422211612191492570too recent
2025-Q321208211121432350too recent
2025-Q222203218193063750too recent
2025-Q1131249281042820too recent
2024-Q4232313226161334160too recent
2024-Q320198301141483580yes
2024-Q2201913107162566020yes
2024-Q11212104781182900yes
2023-Q4181551276123036310yes
2023-Q315152070123406163yes
2023-Q2201965374161796060yes
2023-Q1109712482506442yes
2022-Q4272430381192447832yes
2022-Q326249306162865594yes
2022-Q2212039446123127696yes
2022-Q112104613783647391yes
2021-Q4211911533112663437yes
2021-Q311112633983296093yes
2021-Q2201846460143221,1165yes
2021-Q1292698638242751,0473yes
2020-Q4322987297223247193yes
2020-Q311114944072785463yes
2020-Q22211yes
2020-Q11917138397153001,0431yes
2019-Q422182161163215293yes
2019-Q3272512112203147295yes
2019-Q21715731132453122yes
2019-Q118142358113467944yes
2018-Q4232222132192346453yes
2018-Q31414128121103702yes
2018-Q224208277193761,7051yes
2018-Q1151280437102381,1362yes
2017-Q4171714441152109980yes
2017-Q325230318182871,0024yes
2017-Q2161301911782873yes
2017-Q1191912132181443121yes
2016-Q420196227181596541yes
2016-Q317150341103067311yes
2016-Q22926150221402933yes
2016-Q12422275181905761yes
2015-Q42927478192044267yes
2015-Q319151895122966282yes
2015-Q22221126514462954yes
2015-Q1272414493182418114yes
2014-Q415132181121904990yes
2014-Q317160142151017400yes
2014-Q2212008116685282yes
2014-Q120191060142295693yes
2013-Q419186225171704870yes
2013-Q31515513314924391yes
2013-Q22322167121665953yes
2013-Q1141225793477402yes
2012-Q41010212691694760yes
2012-Q323222207171723353yes
2012-Q21312016410987311yes
2012-Q1101044418229381yes
2011-Q418160220121213354yes
2011-Q32422016719805082yes
2011-Q217162143131043332yes
2011-Q199592718722061yes
2010-Q4101017810905420yes
2010-Q32119130617575602yes
2010-Q218166238132423332yes
2010-Q199087161902yes
2009-Q42221220119696671yes
2009-Q316150710494215yes
2009-Q2181801718241800yes
2009-Q11312111111143892yes
2008-Q428280178241324323yes
2008-Q3292702920946173yes
2008-Q235330193261485784yes
2008-Q11311018562482yes
2007-Q428270103161433845yes
2007-Q32929016161043174yes
2007-Q2262605621962161yes
2007-Q1202001312401013yes
2006-Q413130011204172yes
2006-Q3222200171142340yes
2006-Q22322031014642603yes
2006-Q11919019151233550yes
2005-Q4282806220391522yes
2005-Q320190015402261yes
2005-Q216160138111443140yes
2005-Q115150810721962yes
2004-Q424240228152084150yes
2004-Q3232100121091501yes
2004-Q22119070141573271yes
2004-Q124220013713143yes
2003-Q416160101101371690yes
2003-Q3191806317603820yes
2003-Q22019043612943272yes
2003-Q113130235111292820yes
2002-Q431310018601262yes
2002-Q33130018814481005yes
2002-Q2171604112752372yes
2002-Q115150113101123040yes
2001-Q416160275111412080yes
2001-Q31716015010682520yes
2001-Q214140013563940yes
2001-Q1770630yes
2000-Q4131309161062180yes
2000-Q315140927883,5820yes
2000-Q21211010171653640yes
2000-Q119170418891930yes

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

187 of the 2,059 stairs permits filed since 2000 (9%) 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 Outer Richmond neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (5,388 filed, 3,961 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (4,536 filed, 3,308 finished; contractors); stairs (2,059 filed, 1,409 finished; contractors); deck (1,133 filed, 752 finished; contractors); roof deck (217 filed, 139 finished; contractors). Other types: 23,687 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Outer Richmond neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Seacliff, Lincoln Park, 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.