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San Francisco residential building permits require plans and supporting documents matched to the project—not one universal checklist. The main building-permit fee is based on the valuation DBI assigns to the work, with possible trade and other agency charges on top. There is no guaranteed review time: a March 2026 City report gives medians of 114 and 177 days for two different permit cohorts, neither of which is a reliable promise for an individual homeowner. The first practical step is to identify the project’s scope and likely review path, then confirm the current requirements with the City.
What documents do I need for a San Francisco residential building permit?
You need the City’s required application forms, plans that clearly describe the proposed work, and any supporting documents triggered by the project’s design or site conditions. DBI first checks for required forms, plans, and documents, including the Property Owner’s Disclosure Form. Submitting an application form alone does not make the application filed: SF.gov says, “Once all required documentation is provided and the initial payment is made, your application will be considered filed.” The City’s permit-timeline guidance explains that filing point.
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Plans and specifications must be drawn to scale and clear enough to show the location, nature, and extent of the work and demonstrate compliance with applicable requirements. The amount of detail depends on what you are proposing. A modest interior alteration may not require the same material as an addition, structural remodel, excavation, or new dwelling.
Common document types, depending on scope
- Application and owner information: the required permit forms and Property Owner’s Disclosure Form.
- Architectural drawings and project information: plans showing existing and proposed conditions, and information about the work, use, and building.
- Structural material: structural calculations, details, or design criteria where the work requires them.
- Geotechnical information: reports for certain grading, excavation, fill, foundation, or mapped-hazard conditions.
- Building-system documents: sprinkler or standpipe calculations where applicable.
- Other code-related information: material addressing energy conservation, sound transmission, accessibility, water conservation, landscaping, or other requirements that apply to the proposal.
These examples come from the Building Code, not a checklist that applies to every house. The Building Official may request more information and may require documents to be prepared by a licensed architect or engineer where appropriate. For a project affecting structure, foundations, fire protection, accessibility, or multiple building systems, confirm the required professional documents before treating a preliminary drawing set as complete. San Francisco’s permit-procedure and site-permit code amendments describe plan requirements and the site-permit process.
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Does my project need a site permit or other agency review?
New construction, a major alteration, or a project that needs Planning review or entitlement may use a site permit. Smaller work may follow a different building-permit path, but the right route depends on the work, property, and applicable review criteria. DBI can refer an application to other City agencies when required.
A site-permit application includes a completed form and preliminary plans. Depending on the project, those may include a plot plan; existing and proposed floor plans; sections and elevations; structural design criteria; green-building information; and scope details such as use, occupancy, construction type, number of stories, height, and allowable area. The point is to let the City review the broad design and site proposal, not to substitute preliminary plans for all construction documents.
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Referrals can involve Planning, DBI plan review, Fire, Public Works, Public Utilities, Public Health, Disability Access, and other bodies. The City’s routing criteria can change, so an older agency list is not a permanent routing guarantee. Check current, project-specific requirements rather than assuming that a permit for a similar nearby property will follow the same path. DBI’s routing information sheet gives examples of agency referrals and notes that criteria may change.
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How much does a San Francisco residential building permit cost?
The main building-permit fee has two parts: plan review and permit issuance. Both are calculated using the project’s total valuation under the City’s fee table. Do not treat a contractor’s estimate as the official permit valuation: DBI determines the valuation used for the fee calculation. Table 1A-A, Building Permit Fees, was amended effective July 12, 2026 and is the place to check the current valuation bands and calculations.
For example, the table includes valuation bands of $50,001–$200,000 and $200,001–$500,000, each with a base amount plus a charge for each $1,000 within the band. The applicable figures depend on the valuation and current table. Because the main fee is only part of the possible bill, quoting a single “typical” total without defining the project and its other permits would be misleading.
Additional costs can include plumbing, electrical, or mechanical permits; fees or reviews from Planning, Public Works, Fire, Public Health, and other departments; and other plan-review charges. Table 1A-A generally excludes those charges and generally excludes trade-permit fees unless a separate fee table says otherwise. Certain alteration permits for pre-1979 R-3 one- or two-family dwellings and licensed day-care buildings also carry a $5 lead-safe-work surcharge.
Examples of other published charges
DBI’s Table 1A-B lists several charges that may apply in addition to the main valuation-based fee. These are not automatic charges on every residential permit. Check the current other-fees table and your project’s review path; the table should be checked as of November 2026.
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- Plan-review or back-check work not included in Table 1A-A: $399 per hour, with a one-hour minimum.
- Pre-application plan review: $368 per hour, with a four-hour minimum.
- Site-permit fee: 25% of the plan-review fee, with a $500 minimum.
- Premium review for a submitted application: 50% of the plan-review fee plus $1,000.
Premium review provides a case-specific guaranteed DBI plan-review time. It does not guarantee the result of review, recheck time, permit issuance, or the turnaround of another agency. In other words, paying for a defined review window is not the same as buying approval or a guaranteed construction start date.
For a useful budget, separate the valuation-based DBI charges from trade permits, outside-agency charges, and any optional or project-specific review services. Ask which valuation DBI will use and which departments are expected to review the scope. Then consult the current fee tables or request a project-specific estimate; an old online example may use a superseded table or leave out charges that apply to your work.
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There is no single dependable duration for every residential project. San Francisco’s published numbers measure different groups of permits, and the City’s application-validity periods are deadlines—not service-time estimates.
A March 5, 2026 report from the San Francisco Budget and Legislative Analyst gives two useful but distinct medians:
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- 114 days: median issuance time for in-house housing permits filed on or after January 1, 2024 and issued through August 12, 2025. The report excluded permits with pre-entitlement time and several-year outliers.
- 177 days: median issuance time for all in-house building permits issued from December 2024 through November 2025, regardless of filing date. This broader group may include earlier process time and does not isolate small residential jobs.
Neither figure is a forecast for a homeowner’s remodel. The populations differ, and the 177-day measure is not limited to the same filing cohort or to one- and two-family alterations. The report specifically distinguishes filing cohorts and notes that earlier permits could combine entitlement and building-permit time. Read the Budget and Legislative Analyst’s report for the definitions and exclusions behind each median.
The City’s live Building Permit Application Issuance Metrics dataset measures calendar days from filed date to issued date for permits that were issued, and refreshes nightly. Its filed date follows confirmation that an application is complete and required filing fees are paid; it does not mean time spent preparing plans before filing. The related Building Permit Application Review Metrics dataset tracks review stations and stages, including initial and resubmission review, and may include DBI, Planning, Public Works, Fire, Public Utilities, Public Health, and other departments. Those measures help describe City processing, but dataset descriptions do not supply a median tailored to a particular homeowner’s alteration.
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For an individual project, review time can be affected by the scope, completeness and clarity of the submission, required corrections, agency referrals, Planning review or entitlement, and the time needed to prepare and resubmit revised materials. Treat published medians as historical context, not a promised date. Ask the project team which start and end points an estimate covers: design and pre-application work, filing-to-issuance, or a longer path that includes entitlement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What are the application and issued-permit deadlines?
For applications filed on or after June 21, 2026, the City says an application generally has up to 730 days to complete review and obtain the permit before it expires. An applicant may request a 180-day extension for a fee. That 730-day window is an application-validity rule; it is not a statement that review should take two years or an estimate of the normal wait.
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After issuance, a permit generally remains active for 365 days. Qualifying inspections or other progress can extend its active period, and a 180-day extension may be requested before expiration. The precise conditions and process matter, so check the City’s current expiration and extension guidance rather than assuming that an issued permit remains valid indefinitely. Keep track of both the application deadline while review is underway and the separate active-permit period after issuance.
How can I reduce avoidable delays before filing?
No preparation guarantees approval or a faster review, but a complete, coordinated submission reduces avoidable uncertainty. Use this sequence to organize the work:
- Define the full scope. List the work, including structural changes, additions, excavation, building systems, and exterior or site work. A partial description can obscure which plans, technical documents, or agency reviews apply.
- Confirm the likely permit path. Determine whether the proposal is a direct building-permit application or may require Planning review, entitlement, or a site permit followed by addenda. Do not treat a site permit as construction authorization.
- Ask what supporting documents apply. Check whether the site and scope call for structural, geotechnical, sprinkler, energy, accessibility, landscape, or other information, and whether licensed professional preparation is required.
- Coordinate the drawing set. Make sure the plans clearly distinguish existing conditions from proposed work and show its location, nature, and extent. Plans must be to scale and demonstrate applicable code compliance.
- Complete forms and plan for initial payment. Include the Property Owner’s Disclosure Form and other required forms. The application is considered filed only after required documentation and the initial payment are provided.
- Budget for more than the main fee. Check the current Table 1A-A calculation and consider trade permits, agency charges, and applicable Table 1A-B fees. DBI’s valuation, not an assumed number, drives the valuation-based building fee.
- Track review and deadlines. Respond to comments with coordinated revisions, monitor the application’s validity period, and after issuance keep track of inspections, progress requirements, and any extension deadline.
For a simple project, the main practical question may be whether the proposed drawings and forms are complete. For a major alteration or new construction, early coordination among design professionals and the relevant City review paths can matter more than relying on a generic processing-time number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the contractor’s bid to calculate my San Francisco permit fee?
Not reliably. The fee table applies to the project valuation DBI determines, so a bid total should not be treated as the official valuation without confirmation from the department.
Does paying for premium plan review guarantee that my permit will be approved?
No. The premium-review charge is tied to a case-specific guaranteed DBI plan-review time; it does not guarantee approval, rechecks, issuance, or another agency’s timing.
What happens if a permit application expires while it is under review?
The application-validity rules include a possible 180-day extension request for a fee, but the City’s current guidance governs eligibility and timing. Check that guidance before the application’s 730-day validity period ends rather than assuming it will renew automatically.
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No. The site permit is a review path for eligible projects, not authority to start construction; the required addenda must be issued before construction proceeds.
