Are SF Homeowners Using Construction Permits to Reserve Curb Parking? Here Is What Public Works Says
San Francisco's temporary street space permits let contractors reserve curb space for construction, at $209 per 20 feet per month. A Presidio Heights resident says some are being used as private parking. Public Works says abuse is not rampant, but violators can be fined up to $1,000 a day.
By the Bay Area Brief staff · Edited by Seamus McKenna · · 3 min read
Colorful Victorian houses on a sunny street in Pacific Heights, San Francisco. Photo: Nicolas Lannuzel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped, resized and color-graded). Archive photo of the area; not a photo of the events in this story.
Many of the reserved curb zones in front of San Francisco homes under construction come from a Public Works temporary street space permit. One Presidio Heights resident says some neighbors are using them to keep a parking spot for themselves.
The complaint
Greg Long raised the issue in an Instagram video, KTVU reported, pointing to permitted zones where he said little or no construction appeared to be under way.
What Public Works says
San Francisco Public Works told KTVU the abuse is "not rampant." The department says it checks street space applications against building and construction permits. People who misuse a permit can be fined up to $1,000 a day.
The rules
The permit costs $209 per 20 linear feet of curb per month, according to KTVU.
Public Works says the space is for construction work such as staging materials, equipment and work vehicles, not for parking private cars during the posted hours.
Signs must go up at least 72 hours before the zone takes effect, so drivers have time to move.
How to report a problem
If you think a zone is being used as a private parking spot, you can report it to SF311 through its website or app.
Sources
This article is an original summary based on the following reporting. We encourage readers to visit the original sources for full coverage.
The day's Bay Area housing, business and neighborhood news, plus the world headlines that matter, in one short email. Free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
We use your email only to send the Brief. Details in our privacy policy.
A man was shot and killed at about 8:38 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, on the 1100 block of Wisconsin Street at the Potrero Hill Terrace and Annex public housing complex, which borders Starr King Elementary School. It is the second fatal shooting at the complex this year.
A working group picked 'Las Campesinas,' meaning female farmworkers, over 'Si Se Puede' after 668 public comments. Supervisor Jackie Fielder introduced an ordinance Tuesday to rename the 3.2-mile street.
Javier Romero died in 2023 when an 8-foot trench at Oak and Divisadero streets caved in on a city sewer job. Prosecutors say it was not properly shored and charged the contractor and three supervisors.
ICE confirmed it arrested Milton Ramos-Rodriguez, 51, outside 360 6th St. in SoMa on Monday. Video shows a plainclothes agent with a gun drawn as he says he is a U.S. citizen; ICE says he was previously deported.
A cellphone that was charging malfunctioned and 'popped,' starting a fire at a house at 50 Corona St. in San Francisco's Ingleside Terraces around 5:50 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, the Fire Department said. Crews contained it within 10 minutes; two people went to the hospital with minor smoke inhalation injuries.
