What's Required in San Francisco
- A building permit is required before renovating or replacing kitchen fixtures, including in-kind cabinet, counter and sink replacement.
- DBI values a new or remodeled kitchen at no less than $24,663 for fee purposes.
- Separate plumbing and electrical permits are required alongside the building permit; plumbing Category 1P is $290 for a single kitchen remodel.
- Plans, and the plan review fee, are required when the layout or floor plan changes or a wall is removed.
- Online in-kind permits are limited to R-3 homes and pre-1991 R-2 apartment units with a legally permitted kitchen.
- A licensed B contractor files the kitchen/bath permit; homeowners may file only for an owner-occupied stand-alone single-family home and must do the work themselves.
- Wiring and piping must be inspected before being covered, and the kitchen final waits until the trade permits pass their finals.
- Removing a kitchen requires an affidavit, posted for 15 days in the building, that no dwelling unit is being removed.
- Alteration permits on one- and two-family homes built before 1979 carry a $5 lead-safe surcharge.
Do You Need a Permit to Remodel a Kitchen in San Francisco?
Yes. The Department of Building Inspection (DBI) requires a permit before renovating and replacing kitchen or bath fixtures, and it runs a dedicated online kitchen-or-bath permit for exactly the in-kind job people assume is exempt: new cabinets, counters, sink and appliances in the same places with no walls touched. The building code's exemption list only covers finish work such as painting and papering, floor coverings outside bathrooms, interior doors and minor plaster repair. Anything that cuts into water, gas, drain or duct piping needs a plumbing or mechanical permit, and new circuits, lighting or outlets need an electrical permit, each separate from the building permit.
San Francisco Kitchen Remodel Permit Rules by Scenario
| What you are doing | City filing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Paint, new flooring, interior door, minor drywall patch | None | SF Building Code 106A.2 exempt work |
| New cabinets, counters, sink and appliances in the same layout | Kitchen/bath permit online (no plans) + trade permits | PermitSF in-kind permit for R-3 homes and pre-1991 R-2 units |
| Moving the sink or range, opening or removing a wall | OTC building permit with plans + trade permits | Plans required when layout or floor plan changes |
| Replacing a dishwasher or range on existing wiring | No electrical permit; plumbing permit if pipes change | SF Electrical Code 89.121(B) appliance exemption |
| New gas line or relocated water and drain lines | Plumbing permit, Category 1P | $290 single-unit category covers a single kitchen remodel |
| New circuits, under-cabinet lights, island outlets | Electrical permit | $305 up to 10 devices, $450 for 11 to 20 |
| Removing a kitchen from a unit | Building permit + no-unit-removal affidavit | Affidavit posted 15 days in the building |
How Much Does a Kitchen Remodel Permit Cost in San Francisco?
DBI's fee is a formula on valuation, and the valuation has a floor: DBI's cost schedule assigns $24,663 to each new or remodeled kitchen and its online permit page states that as the minimum. Under the fee table effective July 12, 2026, a job valued between $2,001 and $50,000 pays a permit issuance fee of $266 for the first $2,000 plus $8.56 per additional $1,000 or fraction, so the minimum kitchen pays $266 + 23 × $8.56 = $462.88. For an in-kind remodel filed online that is the entire building-permit fee, because the code collects the plan review fee only when plans are required. Move a wall or change the layout and you file over the counter with plans, adding plan review of $310 plus $28.35 per $1,000: $310 + 23 × $28.35 = $962.05, or about $1,425 for the building permit. A $5 lead-safe surcharge applies to pre-1979 one- and two-family homes, and state fees add a few dollars. Trade permits are flat: plumbing Category 1P, which explicitly covers a single kitchen or bathroom remodel with two inspections, is $290; an electrical permit is $305 for up to 10 outlets or devices and $450 for 11 to 20, and every appliance counts as a device. That puts a same-layout kitchen with both trades near $1,050 and a layout change near $2,165. If your contract exceeds the minimum, the building fee scales with it; DBI's own OTC guide estimates 3 to 4.5 percent of construction cost.
Who Can Pull a San Francisco Kitchen Permit?
A licensed B contractor files the kitchen-or-bath permit and may have other contractors take the related electrical and plumbing permits; B contractors authorized for Express Permits skip staff review and pay immediately. A homeowner may file only for a stand-alone single-family home that is their primary residence, and only if they personally do the work; after the online form you meet an inspector at the Permit Center help desk with ID, and if you cannot show you can do the work safely you will be told to hire a contractor. Owners of condos and flats cannot use the homeowner route for the building permit or for the trade permits.
How the Process Works
File the kitchen/bath permit on PermitSF; the portal then prompts for the separate electrical and plumbing permits, each priced on its own scope, and you can assign them to your subcontractors. Plan-based remodels are submitted in person at 49 South Van Ness with two plan sets, the owner package or contractor statement and the Green Building form; DBI budgets 2 to 8 hours for the counter visit and routes the plans to the required stations the same day. Request rough inspections from your PermitSF dashboard before covering pipes or wiring. The kitchen final cannot be scheduled until the electrical and plumbing permits have passed their finals, and fees must be paid in full before sign-off.
How to Get a Kitchen Remodel Permit in San Francisco
Confirm whether walls or layout change
Same-layout replacement files online without plans; a moved sink or range, or any wall removal, means an over-the-counter permit with two sets of plans.
File the kitchen/bath permit
A B contractor, or a qualifying homeowner, applies on PermitSF; plan-based work is submitted in person at the Permit Center with the owner package or contractor statement and the Green Building form.
Open the trade permits
After the building permit, PermitSF prompts for the separate plumbing ($290, Category 1P) and electrical ($305 to $450) permits, which can be assigned to your subcontractors.
Pay and pick up the job card
The building fee is $462.88 at the minimum kitchen valuation, plus $962.05 plan review when plans are required; nothing starts until the job card is issued.
Schedule rough and final inspections
Request inspections from the PermitSF dashboard before covering pipes or wiring; the kitchen final is scheduled only after plumbing and electrical finals pass.