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.
The deadline to submit your category checklist is December 31, 2024.
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 building permit to perform the necessary work. You will likely need to fill out a Form 3/8.
The deadline for completing the work required to make a business entrance accessible was September 29, 2023 but you can still achieve compliance by initiating the process today.
Check the Department of Public Works' Accessible Business Entrance Standards Plans and be sure to include the required information. Additional information is available in Public Works Order No: 200405.
In your permit application's project description (line 16), include:
- "For compliance with the ABE program”
- "ABE #XXXXXXXXXXXX"
Please include your ABE number for each permit application. If you need to verify your ABE number, please email dbi.abe@sfgov.org.
Include your category checklist within your permit drawings.
The deadline to file for your building permit is December 31, 2024 and the deadline to obtain your building permit is September 29, 2025.
If you need financial assistance, apply for a grant
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
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.