San Francisco Building Permit Fees: Table 1A-A With Real Project Values

Quick Facts

From our city pages and each city's open permit data (refreshed October 30, 2026).

How Table 1A-A Works

DBI's building permit fee has two parts, both set by the total valuation of the work: a plan review fee and a permit issuance fee. Each bracket of the table sets a starting amount plus an increment for every extra $100 or $1,000 of value, with a fraction counting as a whole step. Notes to the table say the fees do not include charges from other departments such as Public Works, Planning, Fire or Public Health, and do not include plumbing, electrical or mechanical permit fees.

Higher brackets continue for larger projects. A $5 surcharge is added to alteration permits for one- and two-family homes and licensed day care buildings built before 1979, to fund lead-safe work rules.

Every Project Type in San Francisco

These summaries come from the same official sources as our city pages and were last checked October 30, 2026. Permit counts are the city's own open-data records for the last 12 months.

Roofing: Usually Yes

San Francisco requires a permit before installing, repairing or removing roofing material. The only exemption is reroofing that doesn't touch roof sheathing and covers no more than 25% of the roof in any 12-month period. Licensed C-39 roofing contractors can apply online when no plans or structural work are needed.

• Exempt: reroofing up to 25% of the roof area in 12 months without sheathing work.
• Online reroofing permits are only for licensed C-39 contractors, with no plans and no structural replacement.
• Work that needs plans or replaces decking/sheathing goes through an over-the-counter building permit.
• San Francisco issued 2,437 matching permits in the last 12 months, with a median of 0 days from application to issue.

Source: SF.gov: Apply for a reroofing permit · Full details: Do You Need a Roofing Permit in San Francisco?

HVAC: Yes

A mechanical permit is needed to install or replace gas appliances such as a furnace, hydronic heat or a heat pump, and to cut into or replace pipes carrying gas, hot air or cool air. Licensed contractors (C4, C16, C20, C36, C54, B or A) apply through PermitSF.

• Plumbing and mechanical permits without plans are applied for in the PermitSF portal.
• Contractors need a C4, C16, C20, C36, C54, B or A license to apply.
• New mechanical equipment that needs a building permit requires plans.
• Official fees: Category 1M: single residential unit gas appliance (furnace, hydronic heat, heat pump): $192.55; Category 2M: gas appliances, residential with 6 or fewer units: $309.16.
• San Francisco issued 174 matching permits in the last 12 months, with a median of 4 days from application to issue.

Source: SF.gov: Apply for a plumbing and mechanical permit · Full details: Do You Need an HVAC Permit in San Francisco?

Solar Panel: Electrical Permit

A small residential rooftop solar system on a building that isn't a designated landmark is exempt from a building permit in San Francisco, but an electrical or other permit may still be required. Registered contractors can apply for solar photovoltaic permits online.

• Small residential rooftop solar on non-landmark buildings: no building permit.
• An electrical permit or other permit may be required depending on the system.
• Solar PV permits can be issued online to registered contractors.
• San Francisco issued 419 matching permits in the last 12 months, with a median of 41 days from application to issue.

Source: SF.gov: Check if your construction project needs a permit · Full details: Do You Need a Solar Panel Permit in San Francisco?

Fence: Sometimes

Fences under 6 feet at the rear and side lot lines at the rear of the property don't need a building permit. Fences over 6 feet in a side or rear yard (up to 10 feet) or over 3 feet in a front yard need a permit with plans, usually reviewed over the counter.

• Exempt: fences under 6 ft at rear and side lot lines at the rear.
• Permit with plans: over 6 ft in side or rear yards (max 10 ft) or over 3 ft in the front yard.
• These fences qualify for over-the-counter review.
• San Francisco issued 122 matching permits in the last 12 months, with a median of 22 days from application to issue.

Source: SF.gov: Check if your construction project needs a permit (linked above) · Full details: Do You Need a Fence Permit in San Francisco?

Deck: Usually Yes

Decks need a building permit in San Francisco. In-kind repair of less than 50% of a deck or stairs is an over-the-counter permit without plans; larger repairs and new decks under 20 feet above grade that meet Planning setbacks need plans. Platforms no more than 30 inches above grade that aren't part of an exit are exempt.

• Exempt: platforms up to 30 in above grade, not over a story below and not part of an exit.
• Repairing under 50% of a deck or stairs: OTC permit without plans.
• Repairing over 50%, or a new deck under 20 ft above grade: OTC permit with plans.
• San Francisco issued 525 matching permits in the last 12 months, with a median of 8 days from application to issue.

Source: SF.gov: Where to apply for your permit · Full details: Do You Need a Deck Permit in San Francisco?

Step-by-Step: What to Do

1. Write down an honest total valuation of labor and materials; that number drives the fee.
2. Find its bracket in Table 1A-A and add the plan review fee and the permit issuance fee.
3. Add separate plumbing, electrical or mechanical permits if the work includes those trades.
4. Ask whether Planning, Public Works or Fire fees apply to your job.
5. For alterations to one- or two-family homes built before 1979, add the $5 lead-safe work surcharge.

What Homeowners Declared, and What the Table Charges

We searched permit descriptions in DataSF's building permit records for permits issued from October 30, 2025 to October 29, 2026, and took the median of the revised cost, or the estimated cost where no revision was recorded. We then applied Table 1A-A to each median.

These totals are estimates from the table, not amounts DBI recorded as paid. Many permits cover more than one kind of work; a kitchen and bathroom remodel will appear in both rows, which is one reason the medians are high. The table also explains why fees rise with scope: on a $10,000 job the two fees come to $871.28, while a $100,000 job pays $3,369.50.

Fees That Sit Outside Table 1A-A

DBI publishes other tables for plumbing and mechanical permits, electrical permits, and hourly and miscellaneous charges, and other departments add their own. A kitchen remodel with new circuits and moved plumbing will normally need trade permits as well as the building permit. Planning review, a sidewalk or street-space permit from Public Works, and fire review can each add costs depending on the property and scope. DBI's fee resource page links each table by subject.

For how San Francisco's fees compare with other cities, and what else belongs in a permit budget, see How Much Does a Building Permit Cost? Verified Fee Examples. If you are pricing a backyard or in-law unit, read ADU Permit Requirements: What Homeowners Need to Know first, because ADU work carries the largest fees in the table above.

Keeping the Valuation Honest

Because the fee follows the declared value, it is tempting to understate it. The valuation covers the whole job, labor and materials, and DBI can question a figure that looks low for the scope. An understated value can also cause trouble later if the permit record is compared with the contract. The safer saving is scoping: a like-for-like window or roof replacement that qualifies for an over-the-counter permit is cheaper in time, if not always in fees, than work that triggers full plan review.

For San Francisco permit rules by project and live permit counts, start at San Francisco Building Permits for Home Projects.

Who Issues Permits in San Francisco

Residential permits in San Francisco are issued by the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI). Its website has the current application portal, fee schedule and inspection scheduling. Issued permits are published as open data in DataSF: Building Permits, which is the source of the permit counts and recent permits shown on our San Francisco pages. Rules and fees change, so confirm with the department before you start work.