How long does a remodel permit take in San Francisco?
In San Francisco, the typical remodel permit was issued the same day it was applied for: 56% of 5,717 permits issued from September 2024 to September 2026 were. After the permit, the typical finished remodel took about 6 months (180 days) from permit to final inspection (4,398 finished of 5,312 permits issued from September 2022 to September 2024; 17% had no final inspection on record by September 2026).
6 monthsfrom permit to final inspectionMiddle half: 3 months to 11 months
The two steps
The numbers behind the chart
| Step | Median | Middle half | Permits | Permits issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application to permit issued | same day | same day to 14 days | 5,717 | September 2024 to September 2026 |
| Permit to final inspection | about 6 months | about 3 months to about 11 months | 4,398 | September 2022 to September 2024 |
Remodeling contractors with the most jobs in San Francisco
| Rank | Contractor | Jobs | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sure, Inc. San Francisco, licensed 37 years | Call (415) 221-2888 | |
| 2 | Mission Home Remodeling Inc San Francisco, licensed 5 years | Visit website | |
| 3 | Edri Construction Inc San Francisco, licensed 6 years | Visit website |
See all 1,147 ranked remodeling contractors
Get quotes from up to 3 licensed remodeling contractors
Tell us about the job. Within one business day we email you up to 3 contractors with an active license who do this work near your ZIP code, and pass your request to them. You decide who to hire.
We got your request
Within one business day we will email you up to 3 licensed contractors who fit, and pass your request to them.
Permit wait by year issued
| Year issued | Jobs | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 723 | same day | same day to 17 days |
| 2023 | 2,603 | same day | same day to 18 days |
| 2024 | 2,633 | same day | same day to 17 days |
| 2025 | 2,837 | same day | same day to 16 days |
| 2026 | 2,233 | same day | same day to 11 days |
Why it takes this long
- 56% of permits were issued the day they were applied for, and 83% within 30 days (5,717 permits).
- 68 more permits issued in those dates carry no application date and are left out of the permit wait.
- The longer step is building and inspection: same day for the permit against about 6 months from permit to final, at the median.
- 20% of finished jobs passed final inspection within 90 days of the permit.
- Of the 5,312 permits issued from September 2022 to September 2024, 914 (17%) had no final inspection on record by September 2026. They may still be under way, dropped or never inspected; the records do not say which. They are left out of the build time; any of them that finishes will have taken more than two years, so counting them would make the typical time longer.
Days are counted between the dates on each city permit: filed_date, issued_date, completed_date. Median and middle half: half of the jobs took longer than the median; the middle half runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile. A figure is shown only when it rests on 30 or more permits. Kinds of work are sorted by the same rules as our contractor lists. Source: San Francisco Building, Electrical and Plumbing Permits (data.sf.gov i98e-djp9, ftty-kx6y, a6aw-rudh), read 2026-09-24. The same figures as data: remodel.json.