Administrative Appeals

The following are frequently asked questions for Administrative Appeals.

1. How do I contact the Controller’s Office?

Contact via email: controller.administrativeappeals@sfgov.org.

2. Why is the Controller involved in dealing with Administrative Appeals from other departments?

Various San Francisco Administrative Code sections designate the Controller’s Office as the department responsible for managing the appeals of determinations made by other departments. This role is to ensure that the appellant receives a fair and unbiased adjudication of the matter. These code sections include the San Francisco Administrative Code Chapter 100 Procedures Governing the Imposition of Administrative Fines and various Code sections related to fines and penalties of the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE). The duties of Controller’s Office staff in this process are like those of judicial staff working in a court. Staff handling appeals for the Controller’s Office must treat the appellant and the City department that issued the determination equally.

3. What are Chapter 100 citations?

The City and County of San Francisco (the "City") has a significant interest in encouraging compliance with its laws. To that end, City Codes often include a variety of remedies, including the right of City departments to issue citations to violators and to require such persons to pay an administrative fine. Chapter 100 of the San Francisco Administrative Code governs the imposition of administrative fines via citations and violators have the right to appeal through the Controller’s Office.

The Board of Supervisors enacted Chapter 100 of the City’s Administrative Code to provide a standardized process for administrative citations. In ordinances that seek to regulate conduct within the City and authorize departments to issue citations, the Board may elect to adopt all, portions, or none of the Chapter 100 processes for the administration of the citations. Because the underlying ordinances that authorize citations are not uniform in their adoption of Chapter 100, City departments handle their Chapter 100 citations differently from one another.

The default under Chapter 100 is for the Controller’s Office to manage the adjudicatory proceeding for an administrative appeal of a citation. Sections 100.8 and 100.9 require an appellant to file the appeal with the Controller, require the Controller to appoint a Hearing Officer, and specify a process to follow for the appeal. 

The most common citation appeals under Chapter 100 filed with the Controller’s Office involve citations issued by the following departments:

• San Francisco Department of Environment (ENV)
• San Francisco Entertainment Commission
• San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD)
• San Francisco Rent Board

Other departments that have enforcement authority with the power to issue citations under Chapter 100 include:  Department of Public Works, Treasure Island Development Authority, Department of Public Health, Police Department, City Administrator, and Office of Labor Standards Enforcement.

4. What do Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) citations pertain to?

The Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) enforces labor laws adopted by San Francisco voters and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. OLSE ensures that all employers comply with Minimum Wage Ordinance and the Paid Sick Leave Ordinance. OLSE ensures that employers with 20 or more employees comply with the Health Care Security Ordinance, Family Friendly Workplace Ordinance and the Fair Chance Ordinance. OLSE also ensures that public works contractors comply with prevailing wage regulations.

If an employer does not comply, OLSE will issue a citation or a violation against the employer. The employer has the right to request an appeal hearing through the Controller’s Office. The Controller’s Office manages the contract for the Hearing Officer and manages the noticing and the scheduling of these hearings.

5. Where do businesses that want to appeal their Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) or City Administrative Code, Chapter 100 citations go to drop off their appeals?

City Hall, Room 316. Claire Stone, is the Administrative Appeals Point of Contact.

6. What is the contact information for the Administrative Appeals Hearing Officer?

Contact the Hearing Officer via the Controller’s Office at controller.administrativeappeals@sfgov.org or by phone at (415) 554-7500.

7. Can a City employee involved in an administrative appeal contact the Hearing Officer directly?

No, Parties to an administrative appeal—either the appellant or the City department—may not directly contact a Hearing Officer. All contact must be conducted through the Controller’s Office. 

For Public Information requests, please submit via San Francisco's NextRequest portal. 

Debarment procedures are used to disqualify contractors from the City’s bidding process. View the current list of suspended or debarred contractors. For more information on the suspension and debarments, please reference San Francisco Adminstrative Code - Chapter 28: Adminstrative Debarment Procedure.

Administrative Appeal Hearing Notices