Mayor Lurie Takes Major Step to Drive San Francisco’s Recovery, Launching Process to Create a Single, Centralized Permitting Organization

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today took a major step to save San Franciscans time and money and continue to drive the city’s economic recovery, kicking off the process to establish a single entity responsible for key city permitting functions. Beginning today, the city is launching a process to combine the Planning Department, Department of Building Inspection (DBI), and Permit Center—creating a more coordinated, accountable, and transparent permitting process with an improved customer experience for the small business owners, homeowners, and builders who seek city permits. The plan delivers on a key one-year goal of Mayor Lurie’s PermitSF executive directive to consider consolidating key permitting functions into a single department. 

Since Mayor Lurie launched PermitSF in February 2025, the city has implemented dozens of common-sense changes. The mayor has made changes to cut red tape and simplify the process for businesses and property owners to secure permits, improve how homeowners can make upgrades to their homes, and help businesses downtown expand and grow. Additional reforms are allowing San Franciscans to park in their own driveways, business owners to put tables and chairs outside of their restaurants without fees, and affordable housing builders to build homes more quickly. 

“Today, I am excited to announce that we will begin the process of combining the Planning Department, the Department of Building Inspection, and the Permit Center into one entity,” said Mayor Lurie. “For residents and small businesses alike, this will mean better coordination, time and cost savings and a more predictable permitting process, easing the way to build more housing and continue our economic recovery. I look forward to coming together with our partners in labor, builders, department heads, and community leaders on this much needed reform.” 

The Mayor’s Office will work closely in the coming months with partners in labor, construction, government, and communities to ensure a smooth transition. There are no current plans to eliminate filled positions through the merger process, and any changes to commission structure would be contemplated through the Commission Streamlining Task Force process.  

Beginning this month, the mayor will notice the Board of Supervisors of the transfer of function for certain IT roles from the Department of Building Inspection and the Permit Center into the Planning Department in order to continue to drive housing and small business success in San Francisco. Over the next 18 months, the city will work to establish a single organization that fulfills all duties of the Planning and Building Inspection departments and is responsible for coordination of key citywide permitting functions.  

“As a former commissioner for both Building Inspection and Planning, I have always recognized the opportunity for more efficiency and customer satisfaction if we had better coordination between these Departments,” said District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar. “I am grateful that the mayor is taking this bold step and leading San Francisco in a better, more transparent and efficient direction.” 

“San Francisco’s complex bureaucracy has made it the slowest city in the nation to build housing,” said District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood. “Streamlining departments into a one-stop permitting shop is a step in the right direction towards building much-needed housing for our residents.” 

“This makes an end run through bureaucratic nonsense that’s been holding small businesses back for years,” said Ben Bleiman, founder of SF Bar Owner Alliance and owner of Harrington’s Bar and Grill. “Streamline the process. Put the departments in the same room. Make it simple. I love it.” 

“PermitSF is breaking down the over burdensome, very confusing bureaucratic system that is bogged down in red tape. It allows business owners to get back to what we do best, interact with our customers and give back to our commercial corridors that define our amazing city,” said Tim Omi, San Francisco Council of District Merchants Association President. “The change to have three departments under one umbrella highlights our mayor’s understanding of the needs of small businesses and his dedication to help change an outdated system.” 

“With the creation of a single, coordinated permitting department, San Francisco will make it easier to start housing projects, reduce delays during the process, and get affordable homes built faster,” said Tiffany Bohee, Mercy Housing California President. “Mayor Lurie's PermitSF initiative is already cutting red tape for those trying to build housing in San Francisco, and this reform moves us closer to delivering the housing our communities need.” 

“San Franciscans deserve a government that is efficient and works well for the people it serves,” said Sujata Srivastava, San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association Chief Policy Officer. “By consolidating the city’s permitting process into one organization, this change will eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and help the city deliver better results for homeowners, business owners, and those trying to build housing in San Francisco.” 

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