Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do deck permits take in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood?

In the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 15 deck permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 0 days, down from 21 days a year earlier. Of the 13 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 187 days of being issued, up from 170 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 Potrero HillneighborhoodMedian 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/potrero-hill/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 202615 issued029 issued21
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202413 finished18714 finished170

“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-Q38611030too recent
2026-Q24110too recent
2026-Q16606622880too recent
2025-Q42210too recent
2025-Q34420too recent
2025-Q2995124762563290too recent
2025-Q111101327981810too recent
2024-Q4665317840too recent
2024-Q31110yes
2024-Q26604851872600yes
2024-Q11110yes
2023-Q4881014961034850yes
2023-Q34421yes
2023-Q25440yes
2023-Q12220yes
2022-Q48759361232302yes
2022-Q37615247452176921yes
2022-Q2994578696582601yes
2022-Q112117579112524971yes
2021-Q41182826074741,0051yes
2021-Q31101yes
2021-Q27601324yes
2021-Q177022262604061yes
2020-Q44440yes
2020-Q35440yes
2020-Q17719355171452950yes
2019-Q44430yes
2019-Q3551411522yes
2019-Q2869662741yes
2019-Q165774452004170yes
2018-Q45420yes
2018-Q3111025088583075821yes
2018-Q26421yes
2018-Q1764561,06842yes
2017-Q455136831yes
2017-Q377006733081yes
2017-Q28804735162331yes
2017-Q13000yes
2016-Q46220yes
2016-Q37635293642yes
2016-Q27523369240yes
2016-Q11081413262483180yes
2015-Q487064461244360yes
2015-Q3553812931yes
2015-Q2663217661486600yes
2015-Q187139941yes
2014-Q4653674941yes
2014-Q3881827482367780yes
2014-Q216163246612782502yes
2014-Q1661701,02662329060yes
2013-Q412128329112111,2880yes
2013-Q3151305610687453yes
2013-Q28825447844221yes
2013-Q14430yes
2012-Q4661230641yes
2012-Q37611943052175041yes
2012-Q24330yes
2012-Q1881013782024700yes
2011-Q42220yes
2011-Q399219282647591yes
2011-Q2553230441yes
2011-Q1550151072010yes
2010-Q477519261923821yes
2010-Q31312227761644145yes
2010-Q210105421101905070yes
2010-Q15431yes
2009-Q466823546675800yes
2009-Q3665022761282500yes
2009-Q277071141yes
2009-Q13330yes
2008-Q488638771375441yes
2008-Q3101001967553442yes
2008-Q22110yes
2008-Q112802151473102yes
2007-Q414121217551153442yes
2007-Q398022663405241yes
2007-Q277046932yes
2007-Q15430yes
2006-Q43321yes
2006-Q3650040yes
2006-Q25504232yes
2006-Q1101001981371810yes
2005-Q43312yes
2005-Q34430yes
2005-Q2660033yes
2005-Q18705530yes
2004-Q499042761646041yes
2004-Q3870042yes
2004-Q277428234yes
2004-Q15505951451980yes
2003-Q41313046461363982yes
2003-Q3131301516601901yes
2003-Q21414019511792600yes
2003-Q1990160631921yes
2002-Q45517270030yes
2002-Q3201901296581753yes
2002-Q21414089121102361yes
2002-Q17707352052770yes
2001-Q43330yes
2001-Q34320yes
2001-Q2992123171482920yes
2001-Q155017240yes
2000-Q466025840yes
2000-Q388023271434450yes
2000-Q21211033410942320yes
2000-Q16668240yes

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

79 of the 754 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 Potrero Hill neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: bathroom remodel (1,780 filed, 1,238 finished; contractors); kitchen remodel (1,479 filed, 1,013 finished; contractors); stairs (1,133 filed, 718 finished; contractors); deck (754 filed, 510 finished; contractors); roof deck (191 filed, 118 finished; contractors). Other types: 12,029 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Mission Bay, Mission, South of 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.