Applicability Criteria

Site Mitigation Program review and compliance are needed prior to applying for a building permit, for projects that meet any of the criteria below:

A. Soil disturbance (50 cubic yards) on a brownfield

Brownfields are facilities that have known or suspected contamination, or parcels that have any overlap with the San Francisco Property Information Map (SFPIM) Maher Area Layer.

If your project will disturb on a brownfield, include a calculation estimating the soil disturbance volume on the first grading plan, floorplan, or basement floorplan. The volume estimate must be certified (signed and stamped) by the architect or engineer.

Projects that disturb at least 50 cubic yards of soil on a brownfield are subject to Health Code 22A (Maher Ordinance).

B. New sensitive use on a brownfield

See preceding section for brownfield definition.

Sensitive uses are where vulnerable populations (pregnant people, children, elders, or people with health conditions) may live or regularly spend a lot of time. Examples include an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), residence, group home, community garden, daycare, school, or hospital.

Projects that propose a new sensitive use on a brownfield are subject to Health Code 22A (Maher Ordinance).

C. Soil disturbance (any volume) on Hunters Point Shipyard parcels

Projects that disturb soil on Hunters Point Shipyard Parcels layer on SFPIM are subject to Health Code 31.

D. Dust generation on a large parcel (greater than 0.5 acres)

Dust-generating activities include demolition, construction, and soil disturbance. Examples of soil disturbance include digging, excavation, trenching, grading, soil handling, soil transport, and backfilling.

To find your project's parcel size, search for your property on SFPIM, click on the Property tab on the left, and click Assessor Summary.

If your project parcel is larger than 0.5 acres, but the work area is significantly less, contact dph-sitemitgeneral@sfdph.org for assistance.

Construction projects that generate dust on a parcel greater than 0.5 acres are subject to Health Code 22B (Construction Dust Ordinance).

If you have any questions, please email dph-sitemitgeneral@sfdph.org