Survey conduced for Board of Supervisors finds median processing time for approvals is about nine months
San Francisco took longer to issue building permits for new housing projects than five other major cities, according to a recent survey from Jan. 1, 2024, to Aug. 12, 2025, conducted for the Board of Supervisors.
The City’s 280-day median building-permit processing time compared “unfavorably” to those of Austin, Texas; Denver; San Diego; Seattle; and Washington, D.C., although Denver was not far behind with an average of 274 days, the report from the board’s Budget and Legislative Analyst states. The reasons for extended processing of housing applications can be many, but the new report highlighted a need for better coordination among the multiple city departments involved, particularly in the post-entitlement phase — the period after a project has been approved and the developer is seeking certification that its design meets building codes and safety standards. The median time for getting post-entitlement permits that were submitted during the survey period was 114 days. “We have multiple departments handling the same part of the process, and that fragmentation was something that was different than other cities,” said District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, who requested the study. “We really have to focus on reducing fragmentation.” Agencies typically involved include San Francisco Planning, the Department of Building Inspection, the fire department, San Francisco Public Works and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Project proponents frequently go through three or more rounds of review, the report said. “One, there was no single point of contact between the project owner or the developer and The City, and in turn that led to problem number two, which was multiple rounds of reviews,” Mahmood said. Mahmood said he thinks a remedy could be a ballot measure to reform the City Charter — essentially The City’s constitution — to make it easier to change or consolidate departments and functions, particularly relating to the Department of Building Inspection and the planning department, which Mayor Daniel Lurie said in January he would combine. Mahood said he is working on a proposal with Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman with an eye on the November ballot incorporating recommendations from the charter-reform working group that Lurie and Mandelman launched in December. Ex // Top Stories New doc offers ‘hope’ after installation of Golden Gate Bridge safety nets The nets were installed in 2024 as a suicide prevention measure after advocacy from survivors like Kevin Hines, who is producing a new documentary about them Supervisors grill, critics bash Waymo at hearing into December disruption Detractors of the autonomous-vehicle company say outage that temporarily stranded hundreds of cars is further proof that more oversight is needed Meet the filmmakers behind Pixar’s zany new ‘Hoppers’ Director Daniel Chong and producer Nicole Grindle talk about Pixar's newest film Mahmood asked for the permit-processing study to identify bureaucratic roadblocks to housing construction, especially in the post-entitlement phase. Multiple pieces of state legislation have already accelerated the earlier planning stages of the building process by making approvals more ministerial, the report said. The Budget and Legislative Analyst report also highlighted improvements brought by PermitSF, an initiative Lurie launched in February 2025 that aimed at improving the speed and reliability of permitting, coordination between city departments, and customer service. Mahmood said the permit issue is particularly important given the need for housing in The City and the fact that tens of thousands of housing units have been approved but not built. “We all know that it’s really slow to build in San Francisco because we do not see cranes in the sky, and we know we have a housing crisis,” Mahmood said.The report suggested that a single employee be responsible for tracking post-entitlement building-permit applications and intervening if necessary to keep them moving. The planning department does something similar, the report said. It also said that relevant city agencies should also publish annual reports with performance data on timeliness of permit processing, and it urged The City to explore opportunities for integrating artificial intelligence into permit review — for example, to determine the completeness of applications. “The management of the process and the information that the department collects to track the process needs to be improved,” said Fred Brousseau, the director of policy analysis at the Budget and Legislative Analyst’s Office. “There’s a lot that we still don’t know about what is causing the delays.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Supervisors move to pursue expansion of little-used county medical programThe County Medical Services program is ‘not a badge of pride’ in its current state, said Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe.
Read more »
Supervisors approve $3.8 million for ADU projects on Eaton fire-impacted lotsUp to 50 qualifying households will receive financial assistance to build an ADU on Eaton fire impacted properties. Here’s what you need to know.
Read more »
York County Board of Elections suing Dover school board over polling accessibilityThe York County Board of Elections sued the Dover Area School Board Monday in demand to require that the district provide access to its buildings for Election D
Read more »
RV parking restrictions expanded into more LA County areas by Board of SupervisorsSupervisors voted to expand the parking ban for large vehicles to more unincorporated areas. The ordinance provides exemptions for vehicles being used for construction, maintenance or “other …
Read more »
Maricopa County recorder said Board of Supervisors lied about early voting, but document says otherwiseManuelita Beck is a journalist with nearly two decades of experience in digital transformation, editing, and multimedia production.
Read more »
Board of Supervisors advances reform of San Diego County medical programResponding to looming federal cuts to Medicare, the Board of Supervisors voted to move forward on overhauling a program that serves residents who can't afford insurance and don't qualify for Medi-Cal.
Read more »