REPORT
Notice of Upcoming Vietnamese Language Certification
Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant AffairsNotice announcing Vietnamese will be certified as a required language in San Francisco, under the Language Access Ordinance
Dear Mayor Lurie, President Mandelman, and Supervisors,
This letter notifies you that the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) has determined that Vietnamese has met the Substantial Number of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Persons threshold and has become eligible for certification as a required language under the Language Access Ordinance (SF Administrative Code Section 91).
The Language Access Ordinance (LAO), as amended in 2024, lowered the Substantial Number of LEP Persons threshold from 10,000 to 6,000 LEP persons in San Francisco who speak a shared language other than English, effective January 1, 2026. The LAO mandates that OCEIA determine which language(s) meet the threshold by referring to the best available data from the U.S. Census Bureau or other reliable source (Admin. Code Sec. 91.2).
The LAO specifies three steps in the language certification process: 1) Determination: based on evidence that indicates that a language has reached the threshold; 2) Notification: OCEIA posts the determination on its website for 120 days and notifies City departments; and 3) Certification, which occurs after the conclusion of the process previously described. This letter serves as notification as indicated in item 2).
Based on the American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year Estimates (2020-2024) released by the U.S. Census Bureau on January 29, 2026, and analyzed by OCEIA in partnership with the San Francisco Planning Department, 44% of the total San Francisco population over the age of five speak a language other than English at home and about 149,000 San Franciscans have Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Four languages have 6,000 or more speakers who are LEP: Chinese, Spanish, Filipino, and Vietnamese.
| Language | Idioma | 語言 | Wika | Ngôn ngữ | Total Number of Speakers in San Francisco | Número total de hablantes en San Francisco | 三藩市使用該語言的總人數 | Kabuuhang bilang ng mga nagsasalita nito sa San Francisco | Tổng Số Người Sử dụng ở San Francisco | Number of Speakers in San Francisco who are Limited English Proficient (LEP) | Número de hablantes con dominio limitado del inglés | 三藩市英語能力有限（LEP）使用者人數 | Bilang ng mga nagsasalita sa San Francisco na mga LEP | Số Người có Trình độ tiếng Anh Hạn chế (LEP) ở San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin) Chino (cantonés y mandarín) 中文（粵語及普通話） Tiếng Trung (tiếng Quảng Đông & tiếng Quan Thoại) | 139,427 | 81,451 |
Spanish Español 西班牙語 Tiếng Tây Ban Nha | 88,530 | 31,881 |
Filipino 菲律賓語 Tiếng Philippines | 22,148 | 8,180 |
Vietnamese Vietnamita 越南語 Tiếng Việt | 10,293 | 6,349 |
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic Languages Ruso, polaco u 俄語、波蘭語或其他斯拉夫語言 Russian, Polish, o iba pang Slavic na Wika Tiếng Nga, tiếng Ba Lan, hoặc các ngôn ngữ Slav khác | 13,426 | 4,321 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Language Spoken at Home for the Population 5 Years and Over)
Chinese, Spanish and Filipino are currently required languages and Vietnamese now meets the Substantial Number of LEP Persons threshold outlined in the LAO and will become certified in 120 days, on June 23, 2026. OCEIA will be sharing additional communications at the time of certification.
Implementation will begin on July 1, 2026, and will be phased in over a 12-month period. Implementation will include, among other steps, ensuring that the City's vital information and services are translated into Vietnamese and that public-contact staff are trained in the new requirement. Adequate time and resources will be required for OCEIA and City departments to prepare for and implement this requirement. OCEIA will publish an implementation plan within 45 days of certification informing City departments of the specific benchmarks to achieve compliance with the new required language.
Thank you for your leadership and commitment to language access in San Francisco.
Sincerely,
Jorge Rivas
Executive Director