The usual San Francisco permit takes 119 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout, across all 10 kinds of work on file (24,197 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). The usual roofing permit, the biggest trade here, takes 36 days. Roofing is also the quickest trade here; addition the slowest at 621 days. This is the turnaround to finish the work and close the permit, not the wait for approval.
“How long does a permit take?” can mean two waits. This page measures the second one.
Getting the permit (not measured): application → issue, the wait for the city to approve it. San Francisco's file we read does not carry a usable application date, so we don't guess at it. Ask the permit office for its current review times.
Finishing the work (measured here): issue → completion. The day the city issued the permit to the day it recorded a final inspection or closeout. That is the contractor's part: doing the work and getting it signed off.
What “finished” means in San Francisco: 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.
Speed: 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.
Usual is the middle permit: half finish sooner, half later. Finished is the share of permits a year or more old that the city closed out.
| Trade | Permits | Usual days to finish | Finished | Firms with 10+ permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roofing | 9,537 | 36 | 87.2% | 142 |
| Kitchen, Bath & Remodel | 5,126 | 180 | 81.4% | 70 |
| Windows & Skylights | 4,050 | 159 | 85.8% | 30 |
| Decks, Stairs & Porches | 1,701 | 237 | 82.7% | 6 |
| Siding, Dry Rot & Exterior Repair | 1,076 | 103 | 79.4% | 10 |
| Foundation & Seismic | 781 | 191 | 82.2% | 8 |
| Addition | 674 | 621 | 51.7% | 0 |
| Fire Sprinklers & Alarms | 478 | 333 | 77.4% | 13 |
| Solar & Battery | 441 | 349 | 74.2% | 8 |
| ADU | 333 | 567 | 52.5% | 0 |
Each trade on its own, from issue to the city's sign-off. The spread between the quickest and slowest quarter of firms is the part you can choose.
The usual roofing permit in San Francisco takes 36 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (9,537 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 87.2% of roofing permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 0.5 months, the slowest quarter in 1.6 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Francisco's file.
131 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Francisco roofing contractors →
The usual kitchen, bath & remodel permit in San Francisco takes 180 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (5,126 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 81.4% of kitchen, bath & remodel permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 4 months, the slowest quarter in 6 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Francisco's file.
63 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Francisco kitchen, bath & remodel contractors →
The usual windows & skylights permit in San Francisco takes 159 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (4,050 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 85.8% of windows & skylights permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2.9 months, the slowest quarter in 4.4 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Francisco's file.
29 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Francisco windows & skylights contractors →
The usual decks, stairs & porches permit in San Francisco takes 237 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,701 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 82.7% of decks, stairs & porches permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Francisco's file.
The usual siding, dry rot & exterior repair permit in San Francisco takes 103 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (1,076 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 79.4% of siding, dry rot & exterior repair permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 2 months, the slowest quarter in 2.7 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Francisco's file.
9 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Francisco siding, dry rot & exterior repair contractors →
The usual foundation & seismic permit in San Francisco takes 191 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (781 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 82.2% of foundation & seismic permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Francisco's file.
The usual addition permit in San Francisco takes 621 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (674 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 51.7% of addition permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Francisco's file.
The usual fire sprinklers & alarms permit in San Francisco takes 333 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (478 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 77.4% of fire sprinklers & alarms permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Francisco's file.
The usual solar & battery permit in San Francisco takes 349 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (441 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 74.2% of solar & battery permits a year or more old have been closed out. The quickest quarter of firms usually finish in 5.8 months, the slowest quarter in 8.1 months. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Francisco's file.
5 firms with enough permits to measure, each firm's usual months to finish, weighted by its permits. Compare San Francisco solar & battery contractors →
The usual ADU permit in San Francisco takes 567 days from issue to the city's final inspection or closeout (333 permits, October 2023 through September 2026). 52.5% of ADU permits a year or more old have been closed out. The wait for approval before issue is not in San Francisco's file.
Source: San Francisco DBI building permits on one- and two-family homes, with the contractor from the city's permit contacts file. The window is October 2023 through September 2026; a permit filed after that isn't here yet.
A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit when they applied. It is not a quote and not the final bill.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits, and one permit can cover several visits.
Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. How the records work in San Francisco →
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