The summary: San Francisco is moving to extend its contract with OpenGov, the vendor behind the city's new online permitting portal, by five years and $33 million. Regardless of how that vote goes, the practical question for anyone filing a permit right now is simpler: which permits actually work on the new system today, and which still require the old process? Here's the current breakdown, straight from the city's own status reporting.
What just happened
San Francisco's permitting system has been getting a piece-by-piece overhaul since late 2025, when Mayor Daniel Lurie's office awarded a $5.9 million no-bid contract to OpenGov to build a unified online portal. The current deal expires September 30, 2026. City leaders are now pushing to extend it through 2031 for an additional $33 million — a preliminary committee vote was scheduled for September 2, with the full Board of Supervisors expected to vote September 15.
I'm not going to wade into the politics of the contract itself here — that's Mission Local's beat, and they've covered it well if you want the fuller story on how the vendor was selected. What matters for you if you're planning a project is more basic: what can you actually do on the new portal right now, and what still requires the old system?
According to the city's own August 24 PermitSF weekly status report, the answer is: less than originally promised, and not evenly across permit types.
Currently live on the new portal, handled as over-the-counter permits with under an hour of plan review: doors, windows, siding, and re-roofing permits; fire-only construction permits (sprinklers and alarms); special event permits; and signs and awnings permits.
Still in limited "soft launch": electrical and plumbing permits — the two permit types filed most often — were originally supposed to be fully live by March 2026. As of the August status report, they're only open to a limited number of customers.
Not yet started: any permit routed through the Department of Public Works, SFPUC, the Port, the Department of Public Health, or Recreation and Parks. The city told Mission Local, in response to a public records request, that a plan for bringing those departments onto the platform won't exist until after the contract extension is approved.
Targeted for "this fall" but not committed: kitchen and bath, solar, and fire operational permits. Treat that as a hope, not a date — the original rollout plan called for 15 permit types live by mid-March 2026, and only 8 had actually deployed by the time this reporting came out.
What it means for your project
If you're filing for a door, window, siding, re-roofing, sprinkler/alarm, or signs/awnings permit: the new portal should work for straightforward, over-the-counter scope. Worth trying first.
If your project needs an electrical or plumbing permit: don't assume you can complete the whole thing online yet. Soft launch means limited availability, not full rollout — check current status before you plan your timeline around it.
If your project touches SFPUC (water/sewer connections), DPW, the Port, DPH, or Rec & Park approvals: none of that is on the new system yet, and there's no announced timeline. Continue with the existing process.
If you're planning a kitchen or bath remodel: the city hopes to add these permit types this fall, but that's not confirmed. Don't delay your project waiting for online filing — the traditional process still works.
One thing worth knowing even for the permit types that are "live": city staff told Mission Local that some permits nominally available on the new portal still require the old system on the side, because OpenGov can't yet handle certain ancillary paperwork tied to those permits. In other words, "listed as live" doesn't always mean "fully self-service." If the new portal stalls partway through your application, that's a known issue, not something you're doing wrong — be ready to finish the process the traditional way if needed.
Do you need to do anything different?
Not procedurally, for most projects. Nothing here changes what permits you need or what they cost — this is about how you file, not what you're required to file. The building permit cost and timeline guide covers the separate fee and review questions.
- Doors, windows, siding, re-roofing, fire-only, special events, signs/awnings: try the new portal at permit.sf.gov first.
- Electrical or plumbing: confirm current portal availability before counting on it; the traditional DBI process remains the reliable path for now.
- Anything touching DPW, SFPUC, Port, DPH, or Rec & Park: no change — use the existing process.
- Kitchen, bath, solar, fire operational: watch for an actual rollout announcement rather than planning around "this fall." This report describes availability at publication; our online building permit guide covers later kitchen/bath availability and points to the city's current options.
The original source
- S.F. is poised to spend $33M more on OpenGov. It's still only handling basic permits. — Mission Local, Brandon Pho, September 1, 2026
- PermitSF Portal Weekly Status Report — August 24, 2026 — City and County of San Francisco
Get your project's current permit list
Permit Compass tracks which permit types are actually available online versus which still need the traditional process — that's exactly the kind of detail that changes month to month right now. If your project's permit path shifts as the portal rolls out further, we'll flag it.
→ Get your specific permit guidance — $49
Related reading:
- San Francisco Aligns Deck & Balcony Inspections with State Rules — Plus a New Impact Fee Calculator
- San Francisco's 100-Day Permitting Legislation Package
- San Francisco Building Permits: Real Cost & Timeline Breakdown
→ Get your project's current permit list — $49
This post is for general informational purposes only and isn't legal or professional advice. Permit Compass is not affiliated with the City and County of San Francisco. Permit availability on the OpenGov portal is changing on a rolling basis as of September 2026 — always verify current status at permit.sf.gov or with SF DBI before planning your filing around a specific permit type being online.
