We use public records to help you make a shortlist. They show what a contractor has filed and where they have worked in San Francisco. They can't tell you whether someone will be right for your home.
California contractors doing jobs of $1,000 or more must hold a CSLB license.
92% of the 3,609 firms on the San Francisco permit file match an active license in the California CSLB license master file, using the license number recorded on each permit where there is one. Our match can miss a firm that files under another name, so a missing match is a reason to check, not a finding.
Ask the contractor for the license number and look it up at CSLB license check. How to check a contractor's license in California →
The middle value recorded on this contractor's matching permits. It's a permit value, not a quote or the final price. Ask for a written estimate.
Matching San Francisco permits in the most recent year of our data. It shows recent recorded activity here, not every job the company did.
For contractors with at least 5 permits a year or more old, the share the city marked complete, adjusted for permit age. Permits that expire, are suspended or are revoked count against it. A permit can stay open because of paperwork or timing, so this isn't a workmanship grade.
How long their permits take from issue to the city's completed date, compared with other San Francisco contractors in the trade. Shown for firms with 10+ permits.
Matched by name against the California CSLB license master file, using the license number recorded on each permit where there is one. Name matching can miss a license, so always check the number yourself.
About the ranking: The score combines how much of this exact work a contractor has on record, how often their older permits reached completion (where we can measure it), how well their usual job size matches your budget, how recently they've been active, and how much of their work is near you. A measure we can't calculate is left out rather than guessed, and a thin record pulls the score toward the middle. A contractor whose matched license has a problem is listed after everyone else. You set the weights with the sliders on every list.
San Francisco specifics: Home values are assessed values under Proposition 13, not market values, so the kind of homes a contractor works on and the price comparison are rougher than in other cities. San Francisco's electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are separate datasets with no contractor field, so electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors can't be ranked. The building permit file has no trade field, so trades are read from each permit's description and a mixed job is listed under its largest scope. Additions and ADUs show completion but no speed or price comparison because too few firms reach the thresholds. The CSLB file lists current licenses only, so a firm whose license has lapsed shows no license record.
Build your list All San Francisco firms A–Z
The numbers: San Francisco permit statistics · How long permits take in San Francisco
Other cities: Nashville Orlando New York City Chicago Austin Raleigh Cincinnati Cleveland Pittsburgh Miami Minneapolis St. Louis Denver San Diego Colorado Springs Honolulu Albuquerque Boulder Greensboro Saint Paul Arlington, VA Scottsdale Henderson Cambridge Somerville Cary Mesa Naperville Bellevue Cape Coral Provo Palo Alto Bellingham Bend Ames Denton Sugar Land Burlington, VT Seattle Medford Anaheim Elk Grove Wilmington, NC Bismarck Tyler, TX Columbus, OH Wheaton, IL San Diego County (unincorporated) Marin County (unincorporated) Sacramento County (unincorporated) Citrus Heights, CA Waco, TX