Keep your building facade safe
We require that San Francisco building facades are regularly inspected by a California licensed architect or engineer.
If your building is 5 or more stories tall, you may need to have your facade inspected and submit a report every 10 years.
Deadlines and processes
Inspection report deadlines
You must submit facade inspection reports depending on when your building was built.
- Buildings built before 1910: December 31, 2021
- Between 1910 and 1925: December 31, 2023
- Between 1926 and 1970: December 31, 2025
- After 1970: December 31, 2027
Qualifying buildings
You must have a facade inspection report and submit a report every 10 years if your building is:
- 5 or more stories tall and
- Type I, II, III, or IV construction (see our construction type definitions)
Submit your facade inspection report
Follow our instructions to submit your facade inspection report.
If you have had an inspection and maintenance or replacement within the past 10 years, you may submit the inspection as a waiver from the facade program.
Get help
See us at DBI's Technical Services Division
See us at DBI's Technical Services Division
Permit Center
49 South Van Ness2nd floor
San Francisco, CA 94103
Mon to Tue,
7:30 am to 4:00 pm
Wed,
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Thu to Fri,
7:30 am to 4:00 pm
Contact us
Contact us
Technical Services Division
For historic buildings
For historic buildings
Facade inspections and maintenance on buildings that are a “historic resource” need to be performed according to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.