SFFD fire/life-safety plan review & inspection (building permit routing): San Francisco restaurant guide
SF Fire Department — Bureau of Fire Prevention
What it is
The Fire Department reviews restaurant build-outs routed to it on the DBI application (exiting, occupant load, hood suppression, alarms, sprinklers) and inspects before DBI will finalize the permit.
When a restaurant needs it
Any build-out DBI routes to Fire — kitchens with hoods, assembly occupancies of 50 or more, change of occupancy, fire alarm or sprinkler work.
How to apply
Fire review happens on the same building permit (in Bluebeam for in-house review or at the Fire counter for over-the-counter); fire-alarm and sprinkler permits are filed separately in PermitSF; request a pre-application meeting with SFFD if you are unsure about sprinklers, hoods, exits or capacity.
Documents you’ll need
- Architectural plans with exiting and occupant load
- Hood suppression and fire alarm/sprinkler drawings
- Equipment cut sheets for the hood
Good to know
Fire Permit Center counter: 49 South Van Ness, Suite 560. A fire inspection is required before any operational fire permit (Place of Assembly, Open Flame) is approved.
Official source
SFFD — submittal guidelines for fire permit applications (AB 2.14) · SF — guide to opening a restaurant (SFFD pre-application meeting)
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.
Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Guidance only, not legal advice.