San Francisco staff present plan to ban natural gas in most new buildings; commissioners press for clearer exemptions

San Francisco officials presented an informational briefing on an ordinance (Board of Supervisors file no. 200,701) that would prohibit natural‑gas systems in most newly constructed buildings and require all‑electric heating, cooling, water heating, cooking and clothes‑drying equipment for projects that submit initial building permits on or after Jan. 1, 2021.

Jacob Mintliff of Supervisor Rafael Mandelmann’s office, who introduced the measure on the supervisor’s behalf, said the change is essential to achieve the city’s climate goals and to reduce health and safety risks associated with gas. “Natural gas is a leading source of carbon emissions in San Francisco,” Mintliff said, adding that the ordinance would apply to roughly 60% of the current development pipeline and include limited exceptions for cases where all‑electric construction is technically infeasible.

Cindy Comerford, climate program manager at the Department of the Environment, walked commissioners through the ordinance’s main elements and implementation plan. Comerford said commercial…