How to get every restaurant permit in San Francisco
San Francisco is a consolidated city-and-county, so one local government handles everything: SF Planning (zoning and use), the Department of Building Inspection (building and trade permits), SF Department of Public Health Environmental Health (food facility plan check and the health permit), the SF Fire Department Bureau of Fire Prevention, Public Works and SFMTA (sidewalks, parklets, loading), the SFPUC (water, sewer and grease), the Entertainment Commission and the Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector (business registration). State agencies (Secretary of State, CDTFA, EDD, ABC) apply everywhere in California. If the address is in Daly City, South San Francisco, Brisbane, Sausalito or any other neighboring city, this guide does not apply — those cities and San Mateo/Marin counties have their own building, planning and health offices.
56 permits and licenses across 25 agencies, from business setup to opening day.
Answer a few questions about your space and get every permit in order, with a timeline, a cost range, walkthroughs, and every application filled in for you to sign with Open.
Start these early
- Conditional Use Authorization (bars, formula retail, Mission/SoMa NCT districts): months of outreach, notice and a Planning Commission hearing — file the day you sign the lease.
- ABC license: 30-day posting plus a 55–65 day investigation, and a full-liquor Type 47/48 must first be bought and escrowed; protests can double the time.
- DBI In-House Review: projects are assigned in order of arrival (DBI posts the current intake date) and then cycle through Planning, Fire, DPH, SFPUC and Public Works comments in Bluebeam.
- SFDPH plan check: no construction or equipment orders until the plans are stamped; three inspections (rough, 80%, final) booked two weeks ahead each.
- PG&E gas or electrical service upgrade: a rep is assigned in 5 business days but design and construction can run months — and SFPUC says new water lines can take over 2 years.
- Change of occupancy: Certificate of Occupancy, possible sprinklers/second exit at 50+ occupants, and SFPUC capacity charges that must be paid before the permit issues.
- Historic buildings (Article 10/11): a Certificate of Appropriateness or Permit to Alter before any storefront or sign work; Commission hearings take months.
- Entertainment permits: 30-day neighbor notice, departmental inspections and a hearing on the 1st or 3rd Tuesday — after the SFFD Place of Assembly permit when occupancy is 50+.
- Shared Spaces parklet: SFMTA/Public Works review, then a 60-day build window and a final inspection before the permit PDF issues.
- Food trucks: DPH unit plan check plus a Public Works 30-day notice, possible hearing and 90 days to deliver insurance, DMV, DPH and SFFD certificates.
Key facts
- San Francisco is a consolidated city-and-county: zoning (Planning), building (DBI), health (SFDPH), fire (SFFD), streets (Public Works/SFMTA), water/sewer (SFPUC), entertainment and business registration (TTX) all sit in one government, with counters together at the Permit Center, 49 South Van Ness Ave, 2nd floor (628-652-4900).
- The Planning Code sorts eating and drinking uses by alcohol: Limited Restaurant (no alcohol), Restaurant (beer & wine, or spirits with meals) and Bar (full liquor as the business) — the distinction that decides whether your use is principally or conditionally permitted.
- Prop H / Small Business Recovery Act (2020) made most storefront uses in Neighborhood Commercial districts principally permitted with a streamlined 30-day online review and no 30-day neighborhood notice; the Mission 24th St NCT, Mission St NCT and SoMa NCT controls were not amended, and Outdoor Activity Areas (e.g. rear patios) are more widely permitted.
- Formula retail — an establishment with 11 or more other retail locations worldwide sharing standardized features — needs Conditional Use Authorization in every Neighborhood Commercial District (Prop G, 2007); restaurants, limited restaurants and bars are covered.
- DBI accepts an application over-the-counter when every department can review it in under one hour; new construction, Section 311 notice projects, exterior work on historic buildings, interior remodels demolishing over 75% of walls, and commercial use-category changes in NC districts must go through In-House Review with a Planning Project Application.
- DBI plumbing/mechanical fees (effective September 1, 2025): commercial kitchens with 5 or fewer outlets $543, 6 or more outlets $1,525; commercial fire sprinklers $348 per floor; additional inspections $303.75 per 45 minutes.
- SFDPH plan check fees (FY 2025-26): Category 1 (3 hours — storefront/restrooms/bar) $753; Category 2 (4.5 hours — prepackaged food facility/bar/lounge) $1,130; Category 3 (8 hours — new construction or remodel of a retail restaurant) $2,008; inspector hourly rate $251.
- SFDPH Permit to Operate application fee (with initial inspection) $427; annual license by class (FY 2025-26): restaurants under 1,000 sq ft $1,103, 1,000–2,000 sq ft $1,454, over 2,000 sq ft $1,664; bars with food prep $1,192, without $941; take-outs $1,320; retail bakeries with food prep $1,619, without $944; caterers $472.
- Starting in 2026, Prop M eliminates the annual City license fees for restaurants (H24–H26), take-outs, bars, bakeries, caterers, mobile food facilities, Fire Department Places of Assembly and Open Flame use, Entertainment Commission Place of Entertainment, Limited Live Performance and Amplified Sound permits, and Public Works tables & chairs — the license still issues, at $0. Application fees are unchanged.
- Businesses must register with the Treasurer & Tax Collector within 30 days of starting; the 2026-27 registration fee runs from $55 (up to $100,000 in SF gross receipts) to $1,885 ($2.5M–$5M), renewal is due by the last day of February, and businesses with $5,000,000 or less in SF gross receipts are exempt from the Gross Receipts Tax.
- A restaurant or bar with an occupant load of 50 or more needs an SFFD Place of Assembly permit; most SFFD permits cost $446.00 (effective 9/1/2025), applications are due at least 5 business days before the activity, and a fire inspection precedes approval.
- Candles on dining or buffet tables in an assembly space need an SFFD Open Flame permit ($436 one-time): holders must be non-combustible, stable and have no side openings over 3/8 inch; a new permit is required on a change of ownership or device type.
All San Francisco restaurant permits
Questions owners ask
Who issues what in San Francisco — is there a county layer?
No. San Francisco is a consolidated city-and-county, so Planning (zoning), DBI (building), SFDPH (health permit), SFFD (fire), Public Works and SFMTA (sidewalks, parklets, loading), SFPUC (water, sewer, grease), the Entertainment Commission and the Treasurer & Tax Collector (business registration) are all one government with counters together at the Permit Center, 49 South Van Ness. State agencies — Secretary of State, CDTFA, EDD and ABC — layer on top.
Is my concept a 'Restaurant', 'Limited Restaurant' or 'Bar' under the Planning Code, and why does it matter?
The Planning Code splits eating and drinking places by alcohol: Limited Restaurant (no alcohol), Restaurant (beer & wine, or spirits with meals) and Bar (full liquor as the main business). Each district's use table marks each as P (principally permitted) or C (Conditional Use). Since Prop H most restaurant uses in Neighborhood Commercial districts are P with a 30-day review; Bars, formula retail and the Mission/SoMa NCT districts can still need a Conditional Use hearing.
What is Prop H and does it apply to me?
Prop H (the 2020 Small Business Recovery Act) made most storefront uses principally permitted in Neighborhood Commercial districts, created a 30-day online review and removed the 30-day neighborhood notice for most of them. It did not change the Mission 24th St, Mission St or SoMa NCT districts, and it does not help formula retail (11+ locations), which still needs Conditional Use.
Can my build-out go over-the-counter at DBI?
If every department — Planning, DBI, Fire, Health — can review it in under an hour, yes, and retail-to-retail conversions often do. A commercial use-category change in an NC district, anything needing a Section 311 notice, exterior work on a historic building, a remodel removing over 75% of the walls, or new construction must go through In-House Review in PermitSF with a Planning Project Application.
Beer & wine or full liquor — what's the real difference in San Francisco?
Type 41 (beer & wine with meals) is an original application filed online for $1,135 plus $565 a year, with no quota. Type 47 (spirits with meals) and Type 48 (bar) are quota-limited to one per 2,000 county residents, so you buy an existing license and transfer it through escrow at the ABC district office ($1,565 person-to-person + $975 premises-to-premises); market prices are private and high. Both need a 30-day posting and a 55–65 day investigation, and Planning must sign a Zoning Referral confirming your use category.
Does a bar without a kitchen need a health permit?
Yes. The City's bar guide is explicit that a bar must obtain a Permit to Operate from the Department of Public Health; DPH licenses it as 'Bars/Taverns without food prep'. Bars serving only light snacks avoid full restaurant kitchen requirements, but the plan check still covers sinks and ice.
What annual City fees did Prop M eliminate?
Starting in 2026 the annual license fees TTX bills for restaurants, take-outs, bars, bakeries, caterers, mobile food facilities, Fire Department Places of Assembly and Open Flame use, Entertainment Commission POE/LLP/Amplified Sound permits and Public Works tables & chairs are waived — you still receive the license, at $0. Application fees (DPH $427, plan check, Entertainment Commission applications, SFFD permit fees) still apply, and businesses with $5M or less in SF gross receipts are exempt from the Gross Receipts Tax.
Do I need a Place of Assembly permit?
If your occupant load is 50 or more, yes — an annual SFFD permit ($446, applied for at least 5 business days ahead with the approved occupant-load plan and inspected before approval). The Entertainment Commission will not hear a Limited Live Performance or Place of Entertainment application without it when occupancy is 50+. Table candles in that space add a $436 Open Flame permit.
Can I have live music or play music outside?
Live music, DJs, comedy or karaoke as a side attraction in a performance area of 200 sq ft or less ending by 10/11 pm is a Limited Live Performance permit ($612 application, 30-day notice, Commission hearing). Bigger, later or dance-focused entertainment is a Place of Entertainment ($2,708). Pre-recorded music indoors needs nothing; outdoors on a patio or parklet it needs a Fixed Place Outdoor Amplified Sound permit ($862) and may run only 9 am–10 pm.
Is there a late-night permit?
Not for hours before 2 am — those come from your Planning approval and your ABC license. Serving food, hosting entertainment or running games between 2 am and 6 am on a regular basis needs the Entertainment Commission's Extended Hours Premises permit ($2,708 application), and alcohol must still stop at 2 am under state law.
Can I put tables on the sidewalk or build a parklet?
Sidewalk tables and chairs need no permit or fee since August 2025 — register them with Public Works and keep 6 ft of clear path plus the hydrant, corner and fire-escape clearances. A parklet in the parking lane is a Shared Spaces permit reviewed by SFMTA and Public Works: public parklet $1,186 first space and $119 a year, movable commercial $1,780 per space and $3,559 a year, fixed commercial $2,373 per space and $2,373 a year (FY 2026-27), with 60 days to build after conditional approval.
What will SFPUC charge me on a change of use?
Capacity charges — one-time water and wastewater charges based on meter size and fixture units — apply to new service, changes in building use and added fixtures, and must be paid before DBI issues the permit. The City's own restaurant guide says to estimate them before signing a lease (capacitycharges@sfwater.org, 628-652-6040). You also need grease capturing equipment under the FOG ordinance and backflow assemblies for carbonators and boilers.
Do I need a Certificate of Occupancy?
Only if the occupancy classification changes (retail or office to restaurant, or crossing into A-2 assembly at 50+) or the building is new — SF Building Code §109A requires one for each change in occupancy classification. A tenant improvement that keeps the same occupancy closes with DBI's Certificate of Final Completion.
Can I sell tobacco?
Probably not. San Francisco bans flavored tobacco (including menthol) and all nicotine vaping products, caps tobacco permits by supervisorial district, and restricts new permits near schools. If a permit is available, you need the CDTFA retailer's license first, then the DPH tobacco sales permit — call Environmental Health at (415) 252-3800 before counting on it.
Who helps me for free?
The Office of Small Business at the Permit Center (sfosb@sfgov.org, 49 South Van Ness, 2nd floor) walks owners through the restaurant sequence and publishes the City's Guide to Opening a Restaurant; the Planning counter (pic@sfgov.org, 628-652-7300) answers zoning questions; DBI's TechQ@sfgov.org answers technical permit questions; and SFFD will hold a pre-application meeting on hoods, exits and capacity.