Contractor Authorizations Moving to the PermitSF Portal

Dear Customers,

Starting this week, licensed contractors can validate their licensing status on the PermitSF Portal and begin pulling contractor permits without having to show that they are licensed and qualified to do the work each time they apply for a permit.

Further, by validating their contractor status in the portal, contractors will be able to authorize their employees to obtain online permits under their California contractor’s license. These are important next steps towards moving all of DBI's online contractor permits, including electrical, plumbing, solar, mechanical, kitchen/bath, boiler operation and reroofing, to the PermitSF Portal later this year.

Here’s how it works. Contractors can register a free account with OpenGov using their San Francisco business license number, California contractor license number and a government-issued photo ID. They will then fill out an online contractor authorization form and be issued an authorization number (Auth Number). DBI will validate the information and activate the Auth Number.

A contractor can then use the Auth Number to apply for permits on the PermitSF Portal and, if they choose, also designate other people to obtain permits under the contractor’s license.

From then on, anyone authorized by the contractor can obtain an online permit for work under that contractor’s license. Contractors can also add or remove people under the same Auth Number by updating their status using the online system.

While the online contractor permits will not move over to the PermitSF Portal until later this year, we are encouraging all eligible contractors to sign up now so they are ready to go when the change happens.

For now, the current process remains in place for online contractor permits – contractors register with DBI, request access to the contractor permit portal and obtain permits through our automated online system.

We appreciate your partnership and patience as we continue to transition to the new online permitting system.

More to come!