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Permit SF team outlines plan to unify permitting platforms, reduce cross‑department confusion
Summary
City officials said Permit SF is pursuing a common online permitting platform, improved interdepartmental coordination and shared performance goals to make permitting more predictable for housing and small businesses.
City officials leading Permit SF told the Building Inspection Commission they are pursuing a common permitting platform, clearer interdepartmental sequencing and shared performance metrics to make permitting faster and more transparent for housing projects and small businesses.
Ned Siegel, chief of housing and economic development and a member of the Permit SF leadership team, described the initiative as a multi‑department effort set out in the mayor’s executive direction. "The permit SF team has been working under the direction of the mayor ... to make it easier for people to build more housing in San Francisco and for small businesses to thrive," Siegel said. He said Permit SF would continue producing legislative and ministerial changes in phases (the 100‑, 200‑ and 300‑day markers) and that the city had sent a request for information (RFI) seeking a common platform for permit intake and tracking; more than 100 vendors responded.
Siegel said leadership had added the Fire Department and Public Works to the Permit SF leadership team to address cross‑departmental bottlenecks and bring those agencies’ expertise into reform discussions. He said the team’s goals include a single online intake, dashboards that display consistent metrics across departments, and harmonized definitions so applicants know whether timeframes are calendar days or business days.
Why it matters: Permit SF aims to reduce delays and confusion applicants face when multiple departments with different rules and internal workflows must each act on a project. Commissioners highlighted the need to maintain safeguards for ethics and oversight as the city expands use of third‑party plan reviewers and private plan check options under some state bills.
Next steps: Siegel said the RFI down‑selection process has begun and that Permit SF will continue to present legislative proposals and technology milestones for the coming months.
