How to Track Permits in San Francisco

If you've ever had a permit fall through the cracks at SFDBI, this is for you. This guide covers how SF-based GCs and permit expeditors stay on top of multiple active permits across the city's notoriously complex building department.

Managing permits in San Francisco is unlike any other jurisdiction in California. Between SFDBI's dual numbering system (permit number and plan check number), the unpredictable plan check timelines, and the sheer volume of concurrent reviews on any active project, it's easy for things to slip.

After years of expediting permits across SFDBI, Oakland, Belmont, and San Jose DSA, I've landed on a system that works. Here's how I track permits from initial submittal through final sign-off.

Why Permit Tracking Matters More in San Francisco

San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection (SFDBI) is one of the busiest building departments in the country. A single project can have multiple concurrent permits, building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire, each at a different stage of review with a different plan checker assigned.

Without a tracking system, you're relying on memory or a scattered collection of emails and sticky notes. That's how permits expire, how missed deadlines become correction notices, and how projects get delayed by weeks.

The stakes are especially high for ADU projects, commercial TI work, and anything that touches SFDBI's over-the-counter vs full plan check workflow.

The SFDBI Permit Number Problem

One thing that trips up new permit expeditors in San Francisco: SFDBI issues both a permit application number and a plan check number. They're different. You need both.

The permit application number is what gets assigned when you submit. The plan check number is what the plan checker uses to reference your drawings during review. If you call the counter asking about your project and you only have one of these, you're going to waste time.

A good permit tracking system has a dedicated field for both. I log them in separate columns so there's never any confusion when I'm following up with SFDBI staff.

What to Track for Every Active Permit

For each permit I'm managing, I track the following at minimum:

–    Permit number and plan check number (both)

–    Project address and APN

–    AHJ (SFDBI, or Oakland, Belmont, etc. for multi-jurisdiction projects)

–    Permit type (Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, ADU, Fire, Planning)

–    Date submitted

–    Current status (In Progress, Pending Review, Approved, Revisions Required)

–    Next due date, the next deadline, response date, or resubmittal date

–    Fee paid vs fee total

–    Notes, including any plan checker comments or verbal guidance

How I Handle Inspection Tracking

Permits and inspections are two separate tracking problems. Once a permit is approved and issued, you shift into inspection mode — scheduling rough inspections, managing re-inspections when something fails, and tracking the path to final sign-off.

I keep a separate inspection log for each project that records every inspection type (framing, rough electrical, rough plumbing, above ceiling, finals), the scheduled date, the result, the inspector's name, and any correction notes. This becomes invaluable documentation if there's ever a dispute about what was inspected and when.

For commercial TI projects at SFDBI, the above-ceiling inspection is the one that most often gets missed. Flag it early with your superintendent, it needs to happen before drywall goes up and it's easy to overlook when you're moving fast.

Fee Tracking, Don't Leave Money on the Table

Permit fees in San Francisco are significant, plan check, issuance, SMIP, BSEIP, and sometimes additional fire or planning fees on top. Keeping a running record of what's been paid vs what's still owed prevents surprises and makes reconciliation with clients much cleaner.

I track estimated fee vs actual fee for every permit line item. The gap between estimate and actual is almost always there, and knowing it in advance is the difference between a smooth client conversation and an awkward one.

The Tool I Use

I built a permit tracking spreadsheet specifically for Bay Area permitting — pre-loaded with SFDBI, Oakland, San Jose DSA, Belmont, Berkeley, and San Mateo in the AHJ dropdown, with fields for both permit and plan check numbers, inspection tracking, and fee reconciliation.

It's available as an instant download in the PermitBox shop on Etsy. If you're managing more than two or three active permits at a time, having everything in one place is worth every minute of setup.

→  Get the Permit Tracking Spreadsheet at etsy.com/shop/PermitBoxShop, pre-loaded with Bay Area AHJs, instant download, $27.