About building permits
Summary
This section of EveryBlock publishes every building permit that was either issued or applied for as reported by the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI).
Where we get the data
This data is taken from the Building Permits Filed and Issued and Demolition Permits Filed and Issued reports found in the Monthly Building Permit Activity Reports published by the Department of Building Inspection.
How often we get the data
These reports are published on the 16th of each month covering the previous calendar month. Given this refresh schedule, the information for any given address can be up to six weeks out of date. Click on the link to the permit detail in each permit record to get the live data from DBI's online permit tracking tool.
About building permits in general
There are two types of statuses for a building permit. "Issued" means that the permit has been issued and work can begin. "Filed" means that the permit has been applied for but is not yet issued. Again, keep in mind that there can be a six-week lag in permit information. If you want the most up-to-date information on a permit, click on the link provided on the Permit Details page here on EveryBlock or look up the permit number on the DBI Web site.
The DBI offers an Online Permit and Complaint Tracking tool that allows users to search for permits and other documents where the exact site location, permit number, or applicant is known. The city also offers a map-based permit and complaint lookup method.
The Central Permit Bureau (CPB) of the DBI issues construction permits for public and private buildings located within the city and county of San Francisco. CPB also issues electrical, plumbing and street space permits, and handles building enlargements and change of use. See Getting a City Permit: A Guide to doing construction work in the city and county of San Francisco (PDF) for details on obtaining permits.
The most common building permit is the "Additions, alterations or repairs: Non-major / over the counter" type of permit. The DBI publishes guides for these types of permits for both residential dwellings and non-residential spaces (PDFs). "Instant Permits" are available for Plumbing and Electrical Permits. Go here for a complete set of forms and checklists relating to building permits.
The DBI does not publish monthly reports for building complaints and there is currently no method for reliably retrieving all building complaints in a given time period, so EveryBlock has no building complaint data. EveryBlock has requested a data feed from DBI for permit and complaint data that would be updated daily.
Other source material
Sources: the Department of Building Inspection Web site, the DBI publication, Getting a City Permit: A Guide to doing construction work in the City and County of San Francisco (PDF), Activity Report Legend (Excel), and the DBI Public Services Division.