OTC with or without plans
DBI's step-by-step OTC remodel page (read 23 October 2026) sorts projects like this:
| Project | Plans? | Route |
|---|---|---|
| In-kind bathroom remodel (no change to floor plan or walls) | No | OTC |
| In-kind kitchen remodel | No | OTC; registered contractors can apply online |
| New bathroom | Not stated | OTC |
| New laundry room | Yes for new laundry hookups | OTC |
| Kitchen or bath that changes layout or removes walls | Yes | OTC with plans |
| Interior remodel that changes the floor plan | Yes | OTC with plans |
| Structural repairs, voluntary seismic upgrades | Yes | OTC with plans |
| Deck and stair repairs under 50% | Not stated | OTC |
| Anything not OTC-eligible | Yes | In-house review |
Plans must come from "a designer, architect, or engineer", and you bring two sets. DBI's general OTC page lists "kitchen, bath, and other interior residential remodels" among OTC work. One line on the step-by-step page catches many owners: "Electrical & Plumbing work must have permits separate from the building permit."
Who can apply
Only property owners, state-licensed contractors or their agents. Before issuing a building permit DBI asks a contractor for the "State of California contractor's license and classification (known as a pocket card)", workers' comp, a current San Francisco business registration and a Licensed Contractor's Statement (DBI, read 22 October 2026). An owner doing the work can apply too, and signs disclosures that make the work the owner's responsibility.
Unlicensed help is capped: since AB 2622 took effect on 1 January 2025, the handyperson exemption covers jobs under $1,000 including labour and materials, with no hired workers and no permit (CSLB). Any remodel that needs a DBI permit needs a licensed contractor or the owner. For a remodel across trades the CSLB class is B General Building or B-2 Residential Remodeling; check it on CSLB Check a License. 94.3% of remodel firms in our file held an active CSLB license and 42 matched one that was not active.
How the OTC process runs
From DBI's step-by-step page:
- Confirm the project qualifies for OTC, whether it needs plans and whether seismic work applies.
- Complete the application form for your role, the building form, the Green Building form, and the water use form if you add fixtures.
- Book and submit in person at the Permit Center: "2 to 8 hours", possibly with a return visit to finish.
- Answer plan check comments and get the plans rechecked by email with the same plan checker.
- Get the trade and street space permits the job needs.
- Pay the remaining fees and collect the job card, which is required before work starts, and post the construction document on site.
What it costs
DBI's step-by-step page gives one figure: fees of "3 to 4.5% of construction cost." It does not break that down, and trade permits are separate. To budget, multiply your contract price by 0.03 and by 0.045. For scale, the middle half of San Francisco remodel firms usually file jobs between $28,000 and $61,500. DBI's invoice is the final number.
What 5,126 San Francisco remodel permits show
| Measure | San Francisco kitchen, bath and remodel |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 5,126 |
| Firms | 1,925 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months of the window | 1,034 |
| Completed (permits a year or more old) | 81.9% |
| Usual days from issue to completion | 180 |
| Usual filed value | $38,000 |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm's completed share (10+ permits) | 66.9% / 92.6% |
| Firms with exactly one permit | 908 (47.2%) |
| Busiest / quietest month | July (index 125) / November (81) |
A remodel permit stays open for the whole job, so 180 days is the normal life of one, not a delay. What separates contractors is whether they close: the 10th-percentile busy firm completed 66.9%, against 92.6% at the 90th, and 10 firms with 10 or more permits completed under 70%. Tie the last payment to the final inspection. Prices by firm: San Francisco remodel cost; national figures: home remodel cost; counts by year: San Francisco permit statistics.
See every San Francisco remodeler by permits completed →
Before you hire
The San Francisco checklist with red flags is hiring a remodeling contractor in San Francisco; compare firms on the San Francisco remodeler list. Rules in other cities: kitchen remodel, bathroom remodel, home remodel. Check past permits on DBI's tracking system or with our San Francisco building permit search guide.
What this does not tell you
San Francisco's electrical and plumbing permits are separate datasets with no contractor field, so the trade subs on your remodel are not in our numbers. A completed permit means DBI passed the inspections, not that the job came in on budget. Filed values are the contractor's estimate.
How we know this
OTC eligibility, plan rules, steps and the fee range are quoted from DBI's step-by-step OTC remodel page and OTC permits page read 23 October 2026; application requirements from DBI's permit-issuance documents page and the CSLB handyperson rule, read 22 October 2026. Permit counts are DBI building permits on one- and two-family homes classified as kitchen, bath and remodel, October 2023 to September 2026; completed share uses permits a year or more old, and days to completion is the median from issue.
Numbers come from San Francisco DBI building permits on one- and two-family homes, with the contractor from the city's permit contacts file, data through October 16, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit for a bathroom remodel in San Francisco?
Yes, but an in-kind bathroom remodel, with no change to the floor plan or walls, goes over the counter without plans. Moving walls or changing the layout needs plans from a designer, architect or engineer. Electrical and plumbing work need their own permits.
- Do I need a permit for a kitchen remodel in San Francisco?
Yes. DBI lists in-kind kitchen remodels as over-the-counter work; a kitchen that changes layout or removes walls needs plans, still usually over the counter. Registered contractors can apply for kitchen and bath remodels online.
- How much is a remodel permit in San Francisco?
DBI's step-by-step OTC remodel page puts fees at '3 to 4.5% of construction cost', paid before the job card is issued. On the usual $38,000 remodel permit in our data, that is the range to budget for, before separate trade permits.
- How long does it take to get a remodel permit in San Francisco?
DBI says submitting an OTC application at the Permit Center takes 2 to 8 hours, and you may need to return another day to finish plan review. Closing the permit is the slow part: the usual San Francisco remodel permit was marked complete 180 days after issue.
- Can a homeowner pull a remodel permit in San Francisco?
Yes. DBI lets property owners apply for work they do themselves, with owner disclosures that make the work the owner's responsibility. A contractor working without a permit is limited by CSLB to jobs under $1,000 with no permit and no hired workers.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom? The rule in 14 cities, and what is exempt
- Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen? The rule in 18 cities, and what is exempt
- How to legalize unpermitted work: the steps, what it costs, and how long a retroactive permit takes
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
For one city
- Step by step: get an OTC permit for your interior residential remodel — San Francisco DBI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Over-the-Counter (OTC) permits — San Francisco DBI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Gather documents for your building permit issuance — San Francisco DBI (2026-10-22)
- Handyperson Exemption to Increase to $1,000 in 2025 — CSLB press release (AB 2622) (2026-10-22)
- Check a License — CSLB (2026-10-22)
- Permit / Complaint Tracking System — San Francisco DBI (2026-10-23)