Permit GraphShortlistSan Francisco building permits since 2000

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

In the Western Addition neighborhood of San Francisco, of the 68 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 68 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 104 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'sWestern Addition neighborhoodMedian days from filing to permit issuedMedian days from issue to final sign-offToo recent to judge0501001502002503002017201820192020202120222023202420252026DaysSource: San Francisco Department of Building Inspection permit data via DataSF, analysis by Permit Graph(permitgraph.org), CC BY 4.0.permitgraph.org/neighborhoods/western-addition/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 202668 issued076 issued0
Permit issued to final sign-offOctober 2023 through September 202468 finished10083 finished104

“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-Q41000too recent
2026-Q3161401210too recent
2026-Q223220712781370too recent
2026-Q1191701614951430too recent
2025-Q41615010371241940too recent
2025-Q32727058221072230too recent
2025-Q221200417741730too recent
2025-Q1141402110785410too recent
2024-Q416150510962360too recent
2024-Q3131115491381860yes
2024-Q224230719672580yes
2024-Q12121190181164490yes
2023-Q427270222961900yes
2023-Q331300142241032984yes
2023-Q2282801823901515yes
2023-Q12020035171143243yes
2022-Q42220012191333772yes
2022-Q32625049211191954yes
2022-Q21817158151813312yes
2022-Q1292901926964931yes
2021-Q42828064231382683yes
2021-Q33131148251734774yes
2021-Q23535029271715086yes
2021-Q12424076181665054yes
2020-Q43232054261273296yes
2020-Q32626253231124742yes
2020-Q2161631416831400yes
2020-Q12319010112873735yes
2019-Q4504631238603026yes
2019-Q363630255373405yes
2019-Q25149028396625210yes
2019-Q1383802134722783yes
2018-Q4464603441781965yes
2018-Q3363501828992568yes
2018-Q24747116336816312yes
2018-Q1535202746572245yes
2017-Q46565118541101967yes
2017-Q356560224411122511yes
2017-Q2484702241693235yes
2017-Q153520143442378yes
2016-Q4414102433601466yes
2016-Q36561526406221419yes
2016-Q2635962449902278yes
2016-Q1414101839521452yes
2015-Q44949031368022412yes
2015-Q3707007157644589yes
2015-Q270691224621386947yes
2015-Q1363601431562944yes
2014-Q4484702839702716yes
2014-Q34745048275019615yes
2014-Q2414101278321612yes
2014-Q14139013288423411yes
2013-Q433330927893084yes
2013-Q332320126903124yes
2013-Q22121034191264032yes
2013-Q12222016161745226yes
2012-Q4262600191063455yes
2012-Q32220011161203631yes
2012-Q2222201171633584yes
2012-Q117160612911652yes
2011-Q41515016013832962yes
2011-Q31515026131282041yes
2011-Q21616008942138yes
2011-Q11010029711761yes
2010-Q4151503811711522yes
2010-Q31818012152349011yes
2010-Q2212100122153074yes
2010-Q1252566223043901yes
2009-Q46607441yes
2009-Q3141401121727812yes
2009-Q2101003363161,2121yes
2009-Q1201902131333233yes
2008-Q4870041yes
2008-Q3151506141522010yes
2008-Q216160291062040yes
2008-Q1252301181033703yes
2007-Q4191900131082700yes
2007-Q316160210922434yes
2007-Q223230022901650yes
2007-Q117170011691674yes
2006-Q41515091102106182yes
2006-Q31717008822673yes
2006-Q2232300191393111yes
2006-Q1222200151592401yes
2005-Q4171700122273952yes
2005-Q388007952390yes
2005-Q213130081102971yes
2005-Q19903751803550yes
2004-Q466005523270yes
2004-Q37703841yes
2004-Q2860040yes
2004-Q14440yes
2003-Q4770006yes
2003-Q35502213yes
2003-Q2770061502241yes
2003-Q14440yes
2002-Q477013130yes
2002-Q3990062262332yes
2002-Q27704930yes
2002-Q1151500131211720yes
2001-Q4141400131324410yes
2001-Q34420yes
2001-Q2550030yes
2001-Q1550051052300yes
2000-Q4990581783280yes
2000-Q3770030yes
2000-Q23310yes
2000-Q12220yes

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

337 of the 2,623 kitchen remodel permits filed since 2000 (13%) 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 Western Addition neighborhood

Shown apart, with their own page here: kitchen remodel (2,623 filed, 2,004 finished; contractors); bathroom remodel (2,344 filed, 1,806 finished; contractors); stairs (546 filed, 385 finished; contractors); deck (272 filed, 208 finished; contractors). Other types: 9,088 permits. All permits in San Francisco's Western Addition neighborhood

Nearby neighborhoods

Japantown, Hayes Valley, Pacific Heights; 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.