SF Civic Reference

SF has a lot going on at any given moment: permits filed, evictions noticed, hearings scheduled, 311 cases spiking. This page explains what each thing actually means, what happens next, and what you can do about it.

Nothing here is advocacy. We're not telling you what to think about any of it, just what the terms mean in plain English.

New to sfpulse? Start with how to use this site first.

Building Permits

Before anyone can build, add onto, or tear down a building in SF, they need a permit from the Department of Building Inspection (DBI). These are public records, filed the same day and published on SF Open Data within a few days.

A permit being filed doesn't mean anything has been approved yet. It's the starting point. Permits go through plan review, can be appealed, and often take months to get issued.

What the colors mean

Color	What it means	Examples
red	New construction, demolitions, major additions. Work that changes the neighborhood.	Building a new apartment building. Tearing down a house. Adding a fourth floor.
amber	Significant renovations over $100k, plus large signage.	Full gut renovation of a commercial space. New storefront signage.
gray	Routine work: plumbing, electrical, small repairs.	Replace the water heater. Upgrade the electrical panel.

Fields you'll see on sfpulse

• Filed date: when the application was submitted. No approval yet at this point.
• Issued date: when DBI approved it and work can legally start.
• Status: filed, issued, complete, expired, or revoked.
• Existing / proposed use: what the building is now vs. what the owner wants to turn it into (e.g., retail into residential).
• Units: how many housing units exist now vs. how many are proposed after the project.

What you can do

• See the full permit: click the address to go directly to the SF Open Data record.
• Spot unpermitted work: if you see major construction at a property and nothing shows up in permits, file a complaint with DBI at sfdbi.org or via 311.
• Find out if there's a hearing: large projects sometimes go through the Planning Commission before they're issued. The permit number cross-references to the planning record.

Housing Pipeline

The SF Planning Department tracks every proposed housing project from application through construction. It's updated quarterly and gives more context than permits alone: affordability requirements, net unit counts, and where each project is in the approval process.

Terms worth knowing

• Net units: new apartments added after any demolitions on the same site. Demolish 2 units, build 20: net is +18.
• Affordable units: units restricted to households below a certain income level (a percentage of the Area Median Income, or AMI). Most large SF projects are required to include a set-aside.
• Streamlined: the project qualifies for state approval (SB 35 or AB 2011). The city can only check it against objective code standards; no discretionary "does the neighborhood like this" review. These can't be denied for subjective reasons.
• Pathway: by-right (no hearing), conditional use (hearing required), variance (exception to zoning needed), or EIR (full environmental review).

Eviction Notices

When a landlord wants to evict a tenant in SF, they're required to file a notice with the SF Rent Board. These filings are public. Filing a notice is the beginning of the process. Many notices don't result in an actual eviction because tenants contest them or landlords back off.

Types of evictions and what they mean

Type	What it means	Key protections
Non-Payment	Tenant owes back rent.	Tenant can stop the eviction by paying before the court hearing.
Owner Move-In (OMI)	Landlord or a close relative wants to live in the unit as their primary home.	Landlord must actually move in and stay. Elderly/disabled tenants with 25+ years in the unit get extra protections. Tenant receives relocation money.
Ellis Act	The landlord is removing all units from the rental market, usually to sell or convert.	All tenants must leave. Elderly/disabled tenants get a full year's notice. Everyone gets relocation money. If the building goes back on the rental market within 5 years, evicted tenants have the right to return at their old rent.
Breach	Tenant broke a lease rule (unauthorized pet, subletting without permission, etc.).	Tenant can often fix the problem before the eviction goes forward.
Nuisance	Tenant's behavior is disrupting other tenants or neighbors.	Depends on what's alleged; tenant can dispute it.
Capital Improvement / Substantial Rehab	Major repairs or upgrades require vacating the unit.	Tenant usually has the right to return at the same rent once work is done.
Demolition	The building is coming down.	Tenant gets relocation money; city may require affordable replacement housing.
Condo Conversion	Building is being sold off as individual condos.	Long-term renters often have the right to buy their unit first under SF's Condo Conversion Ordinance.

sfpulse flags Ellis Act and Owner Move-In notices with a red row because they permanently remove units from the rental market or displace tenants who haven't done anything wrong.

Elderly/disabled protections appear when the eviction record indicates the tenant may be entitled to extended notice periods or other protections under SF law (Chapter 37 of the Administrative Code).

What you can do

• If you've received a notice: call the SF Rent Board (25 Van Ness Ave, free counseling) or the SF Tenants Union. Don't ignore it; deadlines matter.
• Track patterns: multiple Ellis Act filings in the same block or neighborhood in a short window can indicate coordinated property acquisitions. The trend line compares the past 30 days against the 30 days before that.

311 Cases

311 is the city's non-emergency request line. Residents call or use the app to report problems: potholes, graffiti, dumping, broken streetlights, encampments. City departments are supposed to respond. SF publishes all cases in near real-time.

sfpulse compares this week's case count by category against last week. A "spike" flag means the number is at least 50% higher than the week before. Not that it's necessarily a big number, just elevated relative to normal.

What you can do

• Report something: call 311, use the SF311 app, or go to sf311.org. Each case gets a tracking number.
• Check on a case: cases are public on SF Open Data. Search by address or case number.
• Persistent issues: if a category spikes repeatedly with no resolution, it's worth raising with your district supervisor's office.

Planning Commission

The Planning Commission is the seven-member city body that approves major construction projects, changes to how land can be used, and environmental reviews. They meet most Thursdays at City Hall.

Not every building permit goes to the Planning Commission. Most routine work doesn't. Anything big enough (new construction, significant use changes, projects a neighbor has challenged) goes through a public hearing there.

Terms you might see

• Discretionary Review (DR): a neighbor formally asked the Commission to look at a permit that would otherwise be approved automatically. The Commission can modify or deny the project, or let it through.
• Conditional Use (CU): the project is allowed in the zone only if the Commission agrees it fits the neighborhood. Common for chain stores, large group housing, and certain commercial uses.
• Variance: permission to build something that doesn't meet a standard zoning rule (e.g., smaller setback than required).
• EIR (Environmental Impact Report): a detailed study of a project's environmental effects. Required for large or complex projects. There's a public comment period during this process.

What you can do

• Show up or watch: Planning Commission meetings are public. Agendas come out at sfplanning.org about 72 hours before. Meetings stream on SFGovTV.
• Submit a written comment: email [email protected] before noon the day before the hearing. It goes into the official record.
• File a Discretionary Review: anyone can file a DR on a permit, for a fee. Details at sfplanning.org.

Board of Supervisors

The Board of Supervisors is SF's 11-member legislature. Each supervisor represents one district. They pass local laws, approve the city budget, confirm mayoral appointments, and hold hearings on city agencies. Full Board meetings are Tuesdays at 2pm in City Hall.

sfpulse pulls Board activity from Legistar, the city's legislation tracker, and highlights items that name your district supervisor.

Terms

• Ordinance: a local law. Has to pass two readings before it takes effect.
• Resolution: a formal statement or one-time authorization (accepting a grant, commending someone). One reading.
• Committee: most legislation goes through a committee (Land Use, Budget, Public Safety, etc.) before the full Board votes.

What you can do

• Speak at a meeting: sign up at the clerk's table before the meeting or call in. Every agenda item has a public comment period.
• Contact your supervisor: info at sfbos.org/supervisors. Most offices hold regular constituent hours.
• Track a bill: search Legistar by keyword.

BART Alerts

The BART & transit card shows active service disruptions and elevator outages pulled from the BART public API. Data refreshes every 30 minutes.

Planned delays are multi-day or multi-week disruptions — typically maintenance windows, track work, or equipment upgrades. They're different from one-time incidents. If a delay is marked "ongoing," BART has not set an end date.

Elevator outages at SF stations are flagged. SF's BART stations are: Embarcadero, Montgomery St, Powell St, Civic Center, 16th St Mission, 24th St Mission, Glen Park, and Balboa Park.

What you can do

• Check bart.gov/alerts for real-time status before your commute.
• Accessibility assistance: call BART Customer Relations at 510-465-2278 or use the elevator status page at bart.gov.
• Report an issue: use BART's feedback form at bart.gov/about/feedback.
• Service cut proposed: major service changes go before the BART Board of Directors. See sfpulse's Transit Board section for upcoming meetings.

SFMTA Board

The SFMTA Board of Directors is a seven-member appointed body that runs the Municipal Transportation Agency: Muni buses and trains, parking policy, taxis, and street design. They meet about twice a month.

The SFMTA Board approves route changes, fare increases, parking regulations, and major street redesigns. It's separate from the Board of Supervisors, though both can weigh in on transit-related legislation.

What you can do

• Attend a meeting: at SFMTA HQ, 1 South Van Ness. Agendas at sfmta.com.
• Comment on proposed changes: route and parking changes go through a public comment period before the Board votes. See the SFMTA Engineering Hearings section below.

SF Rent Board

The SF Rent Board administers rent control. It sets the annual allowable rent increase (usually tied to CPI), hears disputes between landlords and tenants, and keeps the public record of eviction notices.

Does rent control cover your unit?

SF rent control generally covers residential units in buildings built before June 13, 1979. Newer buildings, single-family homes, and condos are often not covered under the local ordinance, though state law (AB 1482) adds some protections for buildings not covered by the city ordinance. The Rent Board's tenant info page walks through coverage in more detail.

What you can do

• File a petition: if your landlord raised rent above the allowable amount, or isn't maintaining the unit, you can petition the Rent Board. It's free.
• Go to a hearing: Rent Board meetings are public. Upcoming meetings appear in the tenant section of your district page.

Ethics & Lobbying

The SF Ethics Commission enforces disclosure rules for lobbyists, campaign fundraising, and financial conflicts. sfpulse surfaces two types of filings tied to your district supervisor:

• Lobbyist contacts: paid lobbyists are required to log every time they contact an elected official about a specific matter. A contact entry means someone paid to advocate for a client spoke with your supervisor about a named issue.
• Campaign contributions: money given to the supervisor's campaign, disclosed quarterly.

These are disclosure filings. They don't indicate wrongdoing; transparency is the point.

SFMTA Engineering Hearings

Before SFMTA can permanently change how a street works (new parking restrictions, a transit lane, bike lane, tow-away zone, crosswalk changes), they're legally required to hold a public hearing first.

sfpulse filters upcoming hearings to streets in your district. If you see one for your block, you can submit a comment or attend before the hearing date.

What you can do

• Submit written comments to the contact in the hearing notice.
• Attend in person or by phone. Details are in the posted notice.
• Contact your supervisor if you think the proposed change needs district-level attention.

Board of Appeals

The SF Board of Appeals is an independent five-member body that hears challenges to decisions made by DBI, the Planning Department, and other city agencies. If someone thinks a permit was wrongly approved or denied, they can appeal here.

Appeals hearings are public. sfpulse shows upcoming items from the Board's published schedule.

SFUSD Board of Education

The SFUSD Board of Education is the seven-member elected body governing San Francisco Unified School District. It sets district policy, approves the budget, and hires the Superintendent. Board meetings are usually held twice a month on Tuesday evenings at 555 Franklin St.

How to engage with city government

Most of what shows up on sfpulse has a way for residents to weigh in.

Action	When to use it	Where to go
Submit written public comment	Before a commission or board hearing	Email the commission secretary or fill out the form at the hearing
Speak at a hearing	You want your name in the record, or you need to hear the discussion to understand the project	City Hall, SFMTA HQ, or remotely. Details on each agenda.
Contact your supervisor	Ongoing neighborhood concern, enforcement problem, legislation you care about	sfbos.org/supervisors
File a 311 case	Physical problem on a public street or sidewalk	sf311.org or call 311
File a DBI complaint	Suspected unpermitted construction or unsafe building conditions	sfdbi.org
File a Rent Board petition	Rent increase above the legal limit, habitability problem, wrongful eviction claim	sfrb.org
File a Discretionary Review	A proposed construction project near you that you think warrants Planning Commission scrutiny	sfplanning.org
Appeal a permit decision	DBI or Planning approved or denied something and you think they got it wrong	sfgov.org/bdappeal

sfpulse is a data aggregator and doesn't provide legal advice. For tenant rights help: SF Rent Board (25 Van Ness, free counseling) and SF Tenants Union. For permit and planning questions: SF Planning Information Center, 1650 Mission St, free counter appointments.

Our editorial choices

sfpulse makes a number of judgment calls about how to classify, filter, and present data.

Permit tier thresholds

Permits are classified as red (high-impact), amber (notable), or gray (routine) based on type and estimated cost. The specific cutoffs:

• New construction and demolitions are always red regardless of cost.
• Alterations and repairs become red if their estimated cost is over $100,000, amber if over $5,000, and are filtered out below that.
• Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits are filtered unless their estimated cost exceeds $5,000, and even then capped at gray.

These thresholds reflect a judgment about what's likely to affect neighbors. They're not official DBI categories. A $99,000 renovation won't appear; a $101,000 one will.

311 spike definition

A category is flagged as a "spike" when this week's case count is at least 50% higher than the prior week's. We chose 50% because lower thresholds produce too many false spikes on low-volume categories. This is a heuristic, not a DPW or 311 designation.

Eviction displacement signals

Ellis Act and Owner Move-In notices are displayed in red and called out separately because they displace tenants through no fault of their own and permanently or semi-permanently remove units from the rental market. Other eviction types (non-payment, nuisance, breach) reflect a dispute between landlord and tenant. This distinction is ours; the Rent Board treats all filing types the same.

News district matching

News articles are tagged to a district by matching article text against a list of streets and neighborhoods for that district. An article that discusses the district without naming a specific street may not appear. Articles that name streets in multiple districts may appear in multiple feeds. We don't editorially select articles. If the RSS feed publishes it and it matches a district street or neighborhood name, it shows up.

What we don't do

sfpulse doesn't use AI to summarize, interpret, or rewrite any of the data you see. Every word in a permit description came from the permit applicant. Every eviction address came from the Rent Board's public record. Every news headline came from the outlet's RSS feed. We are a display layer, not an editorial one.