Make your business entrance accessible
The Accessible Business Entrance (ABE) program ensures that San Francisco businesses welcome everybody.
Commercial property owners of public-serving businesses need to confirm that the primary entrances are accessible to people with disabilities.
Submit your checklist as soon as possible.
Follow the ABE process
1. Get your entrance inspected and submit a category checklist
Hire an access professional to submit a checklist as soon as you can. The first deadline has passed. There are no immediate penalties, but you will be subject to code enforcement processes in the future.
Tell us if you already made updates
Tell us you have made your business entrance accessible if you have already done construction to follow the program.
You must tell us the Building Permit Application number for the project.
2. Apply for your building permit
If you've already submitted your checklist and your entrance requires more complex, structural changes, you will need building permits.
Apply for your permit by December 31, 2022. You will likely need to fill out a Form 3/8. You must obtain your building permits by September 29, 2023.
In your permit application's project description (line 16), include:
- "For compliance with the ABE program”
- "ABE #XXXXXXXXXXXX"
Include your category checklist within your permit drawings.
If you need financial assistance, apply for a grant
See tax credits, deductions, grant programs and financing options to help pay for your business entrance improvements.
Get help
See us at the Permit Center
See us at the Permit Center
Department of Building Inspection
Technical Services Division49 South Van Ness Avenue
Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94103
Mon to Tue,
7:30 am to 11:30 am
Wed,
9:00 am to 11:30 am
Thu to Fri,
7:30 am to 11:30 am
Contact us
Contact us
Technical Services Division
Glossary
Glossary
You may come across these terms throughout the ABE process:
- Accessible business entrance: Free of steps, slopes, excessively heavy doors or other structural barriers, like entryways that are too narrow for a wheelchair or mobility scooter.
- Access professional: a licensed architect, licensed engineer, or CASp who can check your business entrance for accessibility
- Certified Access Specialist (CASp): a certified professional who specializes in construction-related accessibility standards
- Place of non-public accommodation: a place that offers goods or services to the public either for free or for sale
- Private club: a nonprofit organization with a selective membership process that excludes the general public from its activities
- Religious organization: a place that is either owned by (or leased to) a religious organization that serves the public
Forms
Forms
For authorized agents
Resources
About the program
How to comply
About
The Accessible Business Entrance program ensures that San Francisco businesses welcome everybody.
It helps property owners follow accessibility laws so that people with disabilities can access goods and services.
If a building has a business that serves the public, the property owner must provide a main entrance that is accessible to people with disabilities.