San Francisco’s permitting system determines what gets built, how quickly businesses can open, and whether public infrastructure projects move forward or stall. The city’s charter prescribes most aspects of the system — and therein lies the problem. Structural inefficiencies can result in lengthy delays, increased costs, and a sense of governmental obstruction, but to remedy these challenges, policymakers must submit a ballot measure to the voters for even incremental changes.
Fixing the system will require reforming the city charter and revisiting many voter-adopted land use ordinances that are highly prescriptive and impervious to evolving needs. Three main structural problems exacerbate permitting challenges: inflexible department structures that lock in responsibilities, overly specific practices that hinder operational nimbleness, and a broad appeals framework that complicates project approvals.
San Francisco could enjoy a much more efficient and accountable permitting system by unlocking departmental flexibility to better organize permitting functions, ending ballot box planning to restore legislative processes for land use decisions, and creating tailored appeals processes that balance individual rights with community benefits. SPUR offers recommendations for structural changes that can be pursued at the ballot. Together, they would equip policymakers to modernize the city’s permitting system so San Francisco can grow and adapt to change.