Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do building permits take in San Francisco's Presidio neighborhood?

In the Presidio neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 10 building permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 0 days. Only 4 of the permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 have reached final sign-off, too few for a reliable figure.

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 building permits take in San Francisco's PresidioneighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge052017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/presidio · 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 202610 issued04 issuedunder 5
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 20244 finishedunder 53 finishedunder 5

“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 0 days to issue and 98 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-Q31100too recent
2026-Q22200too recent
2026-Q13320too recent
2025-Q45440too recent
2025-Q23310too recent
2025-Q11100too recent
2024-Q31110yes
2024-Q24220yes
2024-Q11110yes
2023-Q41000yes
2023-Q33320yes
2023-Q24310yes
2023-Q11100yes
2022-Q41100yes
2022-Q32220yes
2022-Q21110yes
2021-Q43310yes
2021-Q31101yes
2021-Q12110yes
2020-Q42220yes
2020-Q32211yes
2020-Q11101yes
2019-Q33303yes
2019-Q23312yes
2019-Q13321yes
2018-Q34422yes
2018-Q255019323yes
2018-Q14431yes
2017-Q41101yes
2017-Q33303yes
2017-Q22211yes
2016-Q42210yes
2016-Q21101yes
2016-Q11110yes
2015-Q42202yes
2015-Q33312yes
2015-Q23312yes
2015-Q11000yes
2014-Q32101yes
2014-Q2880062102112yes
2014-Q11101yes
2013-Q21110yes
2013-Q11101yes
2012-Q42211yes
2012-Q34312yes
2012-Q22211yes
2012-Q14431yes
2011-Q41110yes
2011-Q34422yes
2011-Q24413yes
2011-Q13303yes
2010-Q44422yes
2010-Q33321yes
2010-Q22220yes
2010-Q12202yes
2009-Q455114441yes
2009-Q33220yes
2009-Q21101yes
2009-Q13303yes
2008-Q44303yes
2008-Q388015545892yes
2008-Q24422yes
2008-Q12220yes
2007-Q43321yes
2007-Q33312yes
2007-Q12220yes
2006-Q43301yes
2006-Q11101yes
2005-Q46604241yes
2005-Q32220yes
2005-Q21100yes
2004-Q42200yes
2004-Q24430yes
2004-Q11101yes
2003-Q41101yes
2003-Q32210yes
2003-Q21110yes
2002-Q42220yes
2002-Q31110yes
2002-Q24420yes
2002-Q11110yes
2001-Q42100yes
2001-Q32210yes
2001-Q21110yes
2001-Q12200yes
2000-Q42200yes
2000-Q31100yes
2000-Q22100yes

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

70 of the 216 building permits filed since 2000 (32%) 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. Citywide, 798 of 801,386 permits since 2000 (0%) name no neighborhood and count in the city's figures only. 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 Presidio neighborhood

No project type has 30 or more finished permits here, so the types are not shown apart. Citywide, by type: roof deck, pergola or trellis, deck, stairs, kitchen remodel, bathroom remodel.

Nearby neighborhoods

Presidio Heights, Inner Richmond, Lone Mountain/USF; 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.