Friday, November 14th 2025

Greetings,

A clarification that the Department of Building Inspection (DBI) is not under the jurisdiction of the Permit Center. The Permit Center is responsible only for the operations between all of the departments. To improve the permitting process, Mayor Daniel Lurie has established a committee called PermitSF, which meets quarterly to develop a more user-friendly and efficient system.

Below is the latest update on changes taking place at the Permit Center.

I am still working on including a resource page on my website, stay tuned.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Commission Streamlining Task Force
• Permit Consulting Group
• Code Advisory Committee
• Fenestration Ordinance
• Reforming the Slope Protection Act
• 2025 Updated DBI Forms

Commission Streamlining Task Force

Date: Wednesday, November 19th

Time: 1:00 pm

Where: City Hall - Room 263

Location: 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco CA 94102

San Francisco’s five-member Commission Streamlining Task Force has been meeting to consider eliminating many of the city’s advisory bodies.

I am particularly concerned about the Building Inspection Commission (BIC) and the Code Advisory Committee (CAC). I strongly oppose reducing the BIC to an advisory role and eliminating the CAC. These bodies were created to ensure transparency, accountability, and meaningful public participation in San Francisco’s building-safety system.

Converting the BIC into a purely advisory entity would not streamline government, as some have suggested. Instead, it would move critical public-safety decisions behind closed doors, distancing residents, builders, and safety professionals from the processes that shape the city’s building codes. The CAC, made up of highly trained experts in electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and structural systems, provides essential technical analysis of proposed regulations and ensures that local code amendments remain consistent with the California Building Code. Their expertise strengthens safety protections for residents, supports businesses navigating complex requirements, and improves the clarity and efficiency of the permitting process.

Proposition E affirms the importance of commission structures that incorporate lived experience and public oversight, explicitly warning against policy decisions being made by a “powerful few” outside public view. The BIC and CAC embody that principle and have consistently upheld it.

It is crucial that the building industry speak out against these proposed changes. I urge everyone to send letters to commissionstreamlining@sfgov.org.

A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, November 19th. If you have time, please attend and testify.

Report on the Latest Meeting of the

Permit Consulting Group

The entire process covering all aspects of permitting is scheduled to take approximately 12 months.

The categories are:

Pre-Application

Site Permit

Addenda/Building Permit

DPW Permitting

Utilities & Power

Construction

Closeout

The last day 300 minute meeting was on Wednesday, October 29th. The items included in-lieu fees for trees, response times from departments, clear documentation from DPH, BBN notifications, etc.

Question was also raised about parallel plan check.

We are providing you with all of the slide deck that was presented at the meeting and we look forward to an efficient and faster times in permit issuance.

We will again present a slide deck from the next PermitSF meeting.

Take note, a survey is also included:

Latest From the Code Advisory Committee

At the most recent meeting of the Code Advisory Committee, two major items were discussed and voted on:

• Hydrogen fueling stations

• DC power transmission

Hydrogen fueling stations

Although hydrogen-powered vehicles are not widely known in the Bay Area, they are already in use, and at one point San Francisco had three hydrogen fueling stations. Adoption has grown significantly in Europe, and there is increasing momentum to expand hydrogen vehicle infrastructure locally.

File No. 251024 aims to implement SB 1418 by establishing a prioritized review pathway for hydrogen fueling station applications.

To support this effort, DBI has also developed a detailed checklist to guide applicants and ensure they submit all necessary information for an expedited review process.

DC power transmission

The discussion on DC low-voltage lighting and power transmission highlighted that, although the main electrical grid is AC, much of today’s end-use technology operates on DC. Using DC can significantly reduce energy consumption, and Power over Ethernet (PoE) enables transmission without the heavy cabling and conduits required by traditional systems.

Examples of rapidly growing DC applications include:

• LED lighting systems (LVDC)
• Telecom wireless densification (HVDC)
• Renewables and microgrids (LVDC/HVDC)
• DC motors for HVAC (LVDC/HVDC)
• Electric vehicle and fast charging systems (HVDC)

For more information, please see the materials provided by Matt Schulz of Associated Lighting Representatives, Inc. Special thanks to Erin Azevedo, Project Executive at Cupertino Electric, for her presentation.

Fenestration Ordinance

San Francisco Ordinance: Window Replacement Standards (File No. 241021)



This ordinance amends the Planning Code to prohibit the Planning Department from restricting the materials used in window replacement projects, except in designated historic buildings. While owners must still obtain permits and comply with building, fire, and safety standards, the change reduces design restrictions for most properties and streamlines the window replacement process.

Planning will now allow new or replacement windows to be any material the permit applicant wishes to use. However, this would apply in buildings that are rated C and possibly B.

In some situations, windows in A rated buildings that are not visible on the street may not be restricted to replace windows with those that were original.

For the ordinance, please click on the button below:

Reforming the Slope Protection Act

The reforming of the Slope Protection Act was introduced on July 29, 2025.

The San Francisco Slope Protection Act is legislation requiring additional review for certain hillside projects within the city to ensure public safety, particularly concerning structural integrity and slope stability. It mandates geotechnical reports for projects in mapped hazard areas or with significant slopes and may require a peer review by independent experts. The act aims to mitigate risks associated with developing on steep terrain by requiring detailed assessments of instability and implementing appropriate mitigation strategies.

It was not uncommon with certain lots where there was just a sliver of a property, and was required to comply with the Slope Protection Act. It was considered unreasonable that in such situations, the Slope Protection Act was applied.

Reform the Slope and Seismic Hazard Zone Protection Act

• This legislation would remove a requirement that automatically mandates a detailed geotechnical study even if only a small a portion of a property is on a slope.
• State building code already provides a process for evaluating proposed construction on a slope to ensure the project can be built safely.

The reform process will require approval by the Building Inspection Commission, Board of Supervisors, and the mayor. We anticipate it's passage probably by the end of 2025.

Select the file below to read about the Slope Protection Act as it is currently in effect:

2025 Updated DBI Forms

Enclosed are updated forms for 2025, please click button below for access.