Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

How long do kitchen remodel permits take in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood?

In the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 21 kitchen remodel permits filed from October 2025 through September 2026 that have been issued, half were issued within 0 days, the same as a year earlier. Of the 13 permits filed from October 2023 through September 2024 that have reached final sign-off, half did so within 100 days of being issued, down from 134 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 kitchen remodel permits take in San Francisco'sTenderloin neighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge0501001502002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/tenderloin/kitchen · 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 202621 issued030 issued0
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202413 finished10028 finished134

“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 176 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-Q37701100too recent
2026-Q26506620too recent
2026-Q13320too recent
2025-Q46609330too recent
2025-Q33330too recent
2025-Q277039532730too recent
2025-Q113120568812240too recent
2024-Q41180471001340too recent
2024-Q36507740yes
2024-Q2658322730yes
2024-Q15537040yes
2023-Q42220yes
2023-Q3874675447811yes
2023-Q2880951182262yes
2023-Q1151518131351891yes
2022-Q48803951461973yes
2022-Q311111056101603411yes
2022-Q2232303317751365yes
2022-Q13533634251161897yes
2021-Q423231738221242380yes
2021-Q33837040281022628yes
2021-Q23838011281263259yes
2021-Q126260267139524011yes
2020-Q417133412781241867yes
2020-Q32320051110119810yes
2020-Q2161573815611210yes
2020-Q1403701029682008yes
2019-Q44340071298526510yes
2019-Q35351041315632819yes
2019-Q24039058216554919yes
2019-Q1414105035664506yes
2018-Q4424103031921688yes
2018-Q3414103335591786yes
2018-Q2333206128833304yes
2018-Q1414101132703019yes
2017-Q42927088191192598yes
2017-Q32928010822722027yes
2017-Q2323003120541118yes
2017-Q134330328721942yes
2016-Q4444403136582188yes
2016-Q3636203250821876yes
2016-Q25049025349920611yes
2016-Q14444053112224312yes
2015-Q4525001538752828yes
2015-Q3424002032781607yes
2015-Q25351055338221715yes
2015-Q165630374710445816yes
2014-Q4312904325783584yes
2014-Q347450552513527416yes
2014-Q24847035287632215yes
2014-Q140400100258641712yes
2013-Q4333202727883694yes
2013-Q3353501930611354yes
2013-Q2313001425782323yes
2013-Q1353302187052513yes
2012-Q4262602151131,2284yes
2012-Q31613140111304952yes
2012-Q21312018781584yes
2012-Q110100269453151yes
2011-Q41111058641311yes
2011-Q3111103310902141yes
2011-Q2171701113681433yes
2011-Q112120169843323yes
2010-Q41111128882946082yes
2010-Q3302605319833752yes
2010-Q2880358965870yes
2010-Q12323010161073642yes
2009-Q4141401298474682yes
2009-Q3109019551481yes
2009-Q216160614611142yes
2009-Q120200116663623yes
2008-Q424240119582882yes
2008-Q336360026781923yes
2008-Q242410023802198yes
2008-Q137370118592038yes
2007-Q4464600281012904yes
2007-Q353530140203324yes
2007-Q2444400211652457yes
2007-Q136360020982322yes
2006-Q4353500221116330yes
2006-Q32323008895243yes
2006-Q21313032551872902yes
2006-Q11111008641692yes
2005-Q418180151081252yes
2005-Q32220yes
2005-Q23320yes
2005-Q11100yes
2004-Q4660020yes
2004-Q3770041yes
2004-Q26605011yes
2004-Q166011641yes
2003-Q44410yes
2003-Q32201yes
2003-Q22211yes
2003-Q11010041563755yes
2002-Q4770295931102yes
2002-Q39901951332354yes
2002-Q2880040yes
2002-Q19907620yes
2001-Q4550030yes
2001-Q3101002530yes
2001-Q21313005414500yes
2001-Q1990020yes
2000-Q47702320yes
2000-Q34440yes
2000-Q25505620yes
2000-Q198017230yes

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

429 of the 2,385 kitchen remodel permits filed since 2000 (18%) 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 Tenderloin neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: kitchen remodel (2,385 filed, 1,598 finished; contractors); bathroom remodel (2,192 filed, 1,438 finished; contractors); stairs (312 filed, 173 finished; contractors). Other types: 14,026 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Nob Hill, South of Market, Chinatown; 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.