A. SUMMARY
The dataset includes details of all building permit applications filed with the Department of Building Inspection. Permit numbers and associated information may be repeated in multiple rows if there are multiple addresses associated with the permit. To view the deduplicated building permits dataset with just the primary address, click here. Data is uploaded nightly by DBI. Users can view associated addenda, routing, and inspection information for each permit in the dataset online through DBI’s Permit Tracking System here.

B. HOW THE DATASET IS CREATED
The dataset is created by extracting permit characteristics and key dates (including permit filing, issuance, and completion dates) from DBI’s Permit Tracking System.

C. UPDATE PROCESS
The process that builds this dataset will run nightly and include all permits entered into the system up to the time of the refresh (see the “data as of” column in the dataset).

D. HOW TO USE THIS DATASET
Users can use this dataset to search for all permits associated with a specific address or parcel number and view characteristics like addresses, permit descriptions of work, unit counts, valuations, etc. If the analytical objective is to measure permitting trends for all addresses, we recommend using the primary address building permits dataset.

Note: if you need to open this dataset in Excel, use one of the pre-filtered datasets. Opening the main dataset in Excel will cause some data to be lost as there are more than one million rows in the full dataset.

1. Building Permits filed on or after January 1, 2013
2. Building Permits filed before January 1, 2013

E. RELATED DATASETS
Department of Building Inspections Permits Data
Building Permits (Unique)
Building Permit Addenda with Routing
Building Permits Contacts
Electrical Permits
Plumbing Permits
Boiler Permits
Dwelling Unit Completion Counts by Building Permit

Planning Department Permits
Planning Department Permits

Public Works Construction Permits
Department of Public Works Street Use Permits
Department of Public Works Large Utility Excavation Permits

Fire Department Permits
Fire Department Permits

Other housing/ construction related datasets related to building permits

A. SUMMARY
This dataset includes completed and partially completed building permits that have resulted in the addition or loss of residential units since 2005, through construction of new units, demolition of existing units, or alteration of existing residential structures. This dataset also includes the number of affordable (below market rate) units by their affordability levels.

B. HOW THE DATASET IS CREATED
This data is primarily based on unit-changing permits in DBI’s permit tracking system (PTS). It also includes occasional records related to housing developments that don’t fall under DBI’s purview (e.g. developments on State lands). The completion of permits is determined in different ways: 1) DBI’s data on the issuance of Certificate of Final Completion (CFC) or Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO), which covers the majority of housing unit completions since 2018 2) Permit complete status in DBI’s Permit Tracking System, 3) manual review of Planning Department’s legacy Housing Inventory data going back to 2005. Data on the affordability of units is primarily obtained from MOHCD’s Affordable Pipeline and Affordable Portfolio. When exact data on AMI levels is not available, but the total number of affordable units is known, the AMI levels are estimated based on similar projects. This data is maintained in Planning Department’s Housing Information System.

C. UPDATE PROCESS
The Planning Department’s Data and Analytics Group (DAG) updates this dataset annually on April 1. The underlying data for this dataset is maintained and updated in Planning Department’s Housing Information System, which is updated through automated data pipelines every day.

D. HOW TO USE THIS DATASET
This dataset can be used to track housing production trends in San Francisco. Note that the first and latest completion dates are often the same because, for most permits, all units are deemed complete at the same time. But if units of a permit are completed at different times (through multiple TCOs/CFC) these dates show the first TCO date and the latest TCO, CFC, or PTS completion date. The latest completion date is not necessarily the same as the final completion date, as the permit may be partially completed, and more units could be expected to be completed in the future.

E. RELATED DATASETS
Dwelling Unit Completion Counts by Building Permit
Affordable Housing Pipeline
Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development Affordable Housing Portfolio

A. SUMMARY

This dataset reports the number of new residential units made available for occupancy in San Francisco since January 2018. Each row in this dataset shows the change in the number of new units associated with a building permit application. Each row also includes the date those units were approved for occupancy, the type of document approving them, and their address.

Values in the column [Number of Units Certified] can be added together to produce a count of new units approved for occupancy since January 2018.

These records provide a preliminary count of new residential units. The San Francisco Planning Department issues a Housing Inventory Report each year that provides a more complete account of new residential units, and those results may vary slightly from records in this dataset. The Housing Inventory Report is an in-depth annual research project requiring extensive work to validate information about projects. By comparison, this dataset is meant to provide more timely updates about housing production based on available administrative data. The Department of Building Inspection and Planning Department will reconcile these records with future Housing Inventory Reports.

B. METHODOLOGY

At the end of each month, DBI staff manually calculate how many new units are available for occupancy for each building permit application and enters that information into this dataset. These records reflect counts for all types of residential units, including authorized accessory dwelling units. These records do not reflect units demolished or removed from the city’s available housing stock.

Multiple records may be associated with the same building permit application number, which means that new certifications or amendments were issued. Only changes to the net number of units associated with that permit application are recorded in subsequent records.

For example, Building Permit Application Number [201601010001] located at [123 1st Avenue] was issued an [Initial TCO] Temporary Certificate of Occupancy on [January 1, 2018] approving 10 units for occupancy. Then, an [Amended TCO] was issued on [June 1, 2018] approving [5] additional units for occupancy, for a total of 15 new units associated with that Building Permit Application Number. The building will appear as twice in the dataset, each row representing when new units were approved.

If additional or amended certifications are issued for a building permit application, but they do not change the number of units associated with that building permit application, those certifications are not recorded in this dataset. For example, if all new units associated with a project are certified for occupancy under an Initial TCO, then the Certificate of Final Completion (CFC) would not appear in the dataset because the CFC would not add new units to the housing stock.
See data definitions for more details.

C. UPDATE FREQUENCY

This dataset is updated monthly.

D. DOCUMENT TYPES

Several documents issued near or at project completion can certify units for occupation. They are: Initial Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO), Amended TCO, and Certificate of Final Completion (CFC).

• Initial TCO is a document that allows for occupancy of a unit before final project completion is certified, conditional on if the unit can be occupied safely. The TCO is meant to be temporary and has an expiration date. This field represents the number of units certified for occupancy when the TCO is issued.
• Amended TCO is a document that is issued when the conditions of the project are changed before final project completion is certified. These records show additional new units that have become habitable since the issuance of the Initial TCO.
• Certificate of Final Completion (CFC) is a document that is issued when all work is completed according to approved plans, and the building is ready for complete occupancy. These records show additional new units that were not accounted for in the Initial o

The Board of Supervisors passed Ordinance No. 53-15 requiring the San Francisco Planning Department to monitor and report bi-annually on the Housing Balance between new market rate housing and new affordable housing production.

Snapshot of San Francisco Development Pipeline. Tracking of construction and entitlement activity based on data from Dept of Building Inspection's Permit Tracking and the Planning Department's Case Tracking enterprise databases, processed quarterly.

Snapshot of San Francisco Development Pipeline. Tracking of construction and entitlement activity based on data from Dept of Building Inspection's Permit Tracking and the Planning Department's Case Tracking enterprise databases, processed quarterly.