Do I need a deck permit in San Francisco? The 30-inch and 3-foot lines, OTC vs 311 notice, and the fee

The San Francisco rule

From Planning's Residential Decks handout (November 2022) and Residential Deck Guidelines page (updated May 2026), read 23 October 2026:

The Planning web page now says "All decks over 3 feet above grade require a building permit and Planning Department review"; the handout's 30-inch building permit line is the stricter of the two, so plan on it.

The San Francisco details that change the job

• Firewalls. The Building Code requires one when a deck is built close to a shared property line; Planning says building within 3 to 5 feet of a neighbor's line "may trigger a firewall." A firewall over 10 feet tall pushes the deck into 30-day notice.
• Railings. Open railings up to 42 inches need no notice.
• Covers and wind screens. A pergola or roof over a deck "may trigger Neighborhood Notification." At grade, a cover under 8 feet tall, under 60 square feet and enclosed on no more than half its perimeter can go over the counter. Roof deck wind screens up to 6 feet are typically allowed but may need 30-day notice.
• Discretionary review. During notice "a concerned neighbor, property owner, or community group may file a Request for Discretionary Review," which "can take months."
• Older houses. A house 45 years old or more may be a potential historic resource; Planning wants decks on those minimally visible from the street.
• Repairs. A deck that no longer meets the Planning Code "may be repaired up to 50% of the building materials"; beyond that it may need a variance. DBI lists "Deck and stair repairs under 50%" as over-the-counter work (DBI).

Planning consultations: the Permit Center, pic@sfgov.org or 628-652-7300; DBI technical questions: TechQ@sfgov.org.

Who can pull it

A licensed contractor, usually CSLB class B General Building (CSLB), or you as owner. Since 1 January 2025 unlicensed workers are limited to jobs under $1,000 that need no permit (CSLB, AB 2622). 95.0% of the San Francisco deck firms in our file matched an active CSLB license and 22 matched one that was not active.

What it costs

DBI's Table 1A-A, for permits issued on or after 12 July 2026: "The Building Permit Fee is the Plan Review Fee plus the Permit Issuance Fee."

The worked rows are our arithmetic; $12,000 and $80,000 are the ends of the middle half of firms' usual deck jobs. Planning review and other DBI fees are separate. Local prices: San Francisco deck cost; national ones: deck construction cost.

What 1,701 San Francisco deck permits show

San Francisco has almost no deck specialists. 66.1% of firms filed a single deck permit in three years, only 6 filed ten or more, and the five busiest hold 6.2%. Judge a bidder on its whole San Francisco record, not its deck count. Jobs range widely, from $12,000 to $80,000 for the middle half of firms, the gap between a back stair and a roof deck with a firewall. 83.4% of these permits were completed, the usual one after 237 days.

See every San Francisco deck builder by completed permits →

Check it in five minutes

1. Look up the contractor on CSLB Check a License (steps).
2. Check your lot's zoning, Buildable Area and historic status on the Property Information Map, as Planning suggests, before paying for drawings.
3. Find permits on your address in DBI's Permit Tracking System (how), and compare builders on the San Francisco deck list. Counts by year: San Francisco permit statistics.

Other cities: do I need a permit for a deck. Interior work: San Francisco remodel permit.

What this does not tell you

Our count groups decks with stairs and porches. Decks under 30 inches leave no record. A filed value is the applicant's figure, and the fee rows leave out Planning and other DBI charges. We did not verify DBI's own wording of the 30-inch rule; the rule here is Planning's.