Mayor Lurie Launches Permit Reform Effort With Focus on Housing and Small Business

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today delivered on a major campaign promise, launching “PermitSF” to reform the city’s permitting process, beginning with a focus on housing and small business. Kicked off with Mayor Lurie’s first executive directive, signed today, PermitSF will make the city’s permitting system customer-focused, faster, and more transparent. By streamlining the permitting process, strengthening accountability, and deploying new technology in support of those goals, PermitSF will help drive the city’s economic recovery by helping residents and small business owners navigate the permitting process more easily.

PermitSF launches just ahead of NBA All-Star Weekend and after a successful J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference that led to a commitment to bring the conference back in 2026 – two major markers of San Francisco’s economic recovery. Last week, Mayor Lurie introduced the San Francisco Police Department Hospitality Zone Task Force, another critical step that will foster a more welcoming downtown and support small and large businesses.

“San Francisco is the most innovative city in the world, and our government should reflect the ingenuity of the people and companies that call our city home,” said Mayor Lurie. “San Francisco is coming back, but we need to create clearer pathways to open businesses and build housing. PermitSF is an important step to show the world that San Francisco is open for business and that we will do everything in our power to help open businesses and create jobs.”

Mayor Lurie has tapped San Francisco Planning Department Director Rich Hillis to lead the multi-agency group bringing together key city departments to deliver integrated permit reform. Work directly with Chief of Housing and Economic Development Ned Segal, Hillis will drive work and decision-making across city departments. The PermitSF leadership team also includes Patrick O’Riordan, director of the Department of Building Inspection: Katy Tang, executive director of the Office of Small Business; Rebecca Villareal-Mayer, director of the San Francisco Permit Center; and Liz Watty, director of Current Planning at San Francisco Planning.

Director Hillis and the PermitSF leadership team will consider short- and long-term process improvements to improve permitting timelines, centralize technology so that applicants can apply and track their applications online, and strengthen transparency throughout the permitting process. The Mayor’s Office will also look to eliminate unnecessary regulatory hurdles by enforcing “shot clocks” that will ensure time-certainty for applicants.

PermitSF will work to reform the city’s permitting process to make it:

• Customer-centric: The permitting process must be designed around the needs of San Francisco residents and businesses.
• Fast, predictable, and transparent: A resident or entrepreneur should be able to easily obtain permits on their own, with visibility into requirements and completion.
• One city: Permitting should seamlessly advance across departments.

In the next 100 days, the PermitSF team will work to:

• Centralize permit application intake across departments
• Expand service hours in the Permit Center to better meet customer demand
• Partner with the Board of Supervisors to propose a legislative package cutting unnecessary red tape
• Expand permit processing “shot clocks” and performance targets for each department and permit type

In its first year, PermitSF and the Lurie administration will:

• Create a consolidated permit application and allow for any permit to be filed online
• Develop a public-facing permit tracking tool that allows customers to monitor their permit status in real time, providing greater transparency and efficiency in the permitting process
• Develop and recommend amendments to City Charter to consider merging key permitting functions into a single department

The initiative will engage with local stakeholders, including small business groups and neighborhood organizations, to address existing barriers and ensure the system serves the needs of San Francisco’s residents and businesses.

“By collaborating closely with our partner agencies, I’m confident we can rise to Mayor Lurie's challenge and deliver bold, transformative permitting solutions,” said Director Hillis. “A more streamlined, customer-focused approach will help new businesses thrive in our neighborhoods and downtown while accelerating the construction of much-needed housing.”

“When San Franciscans have to go from office to office to get permits, it is a waste of their time and a waste of city money,” said District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar. “We need to consolidate our systems, databases, and processes to make sure the city works for the people, instead of the people struggling to work with the city. I look forward to working with Mayor Lurie and the PermitSF leadership team to streamline our permitting to pave the way for more housing and a strong economic future.”

“San Francisco’s history of unchecked bureaucracy has led to our city becoming the slowest city to build housing in the nation and has created unnecessary hurdles that further hinder folks from starting small businesses that would bring vibrancy to our city,” said District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, a Land Use and Transportation Committee member. “This is an important step towards getting our city on the right track to build more housing and reinvigorate our small business community.”