The walls and ceiling of every room, lobby, entryway or hallway in an apartment house or hotel shall be well maintained. Repairs, paint or paper shall be applied as often as may be necessary to maintain clean and sanitary walls and ceilings free from mildew, dampness and vermin.

(Added by Ord. 399-89, App. 11/6/89; amended by Ord. 161-92, App. 6/4/92; Ord. 350-95, App. 11/3/95; Ord. 19202, App. 9/17/2002; Ord. 256-07, App. 11/6/2007)

The walls of courts and shafts shall be painted as often as may be necessary to maintain weatherproofing, free from dampness and mildew.

(Added by Ord. 399-89, App. 11/6/89; amended by Ord. 161-92, App. 6/4/92; Ord. 350-95, App. 11/3/95; Ord. 25607, App. 11/6/2007)

All thicknesses of wallpaper placed upon any wall, partition or ceiling of any room in any apartment house or hotel shall be well maintained, free of dampness and mildew. If any wall, partition or ceiling with two thicknesses of wallpaper in any such room is to be repapered, the old wallpaper shall be removed. Painting over wallpaper shall be permissible.

(Added by Ord. 399-89, App. 11/6/89; amended by Ord. 161-92, App. 6/4/92; Ord. 350-95, App. 11/3/95; Ord. 25607, App. 11/6/2007)

(a) A sufficient number of receptacles with close-fitting covers for garbage refuse, ashes and rubbish as may be considered necessary by the Director or the Department of Public Health, or an approved garbage chute or shaft, shall be kept in a clean condition by the following persons:

• (1) In the case of a receptacle in a hotel, by the owner or person in charge of the hotel;

• (2) In the case of a receptacle in an apartment house or dwelling, by the person in charge of the building, occupants or tenants of the building;

• (3) In the case of a chute or shaft in any building, by the person in charge of the building.

• (b) Garbage cans in apartment houses and hotels shall be of noncombustible construction. Plastic garbage cans will be acceptable when the following conditions have been met:

• (1) The room in which the can(s) are contained is fully sprinklered;

• (2) The garbage chute, if any, is sprinklered in accordance with the Building Code;

• (3) The garbage can storage room is constructed in accordance with Section 713.13 of the Building Code.

(Added by Ord. 399-89, App. 11/6/89; amended by Ord. 161-92, App. 6/4/92; Ord. 350-95, App. 11/3/95; Ord. 25607, App. 11/6/2007; Ord. 232-25, File No. 250975, App. 11/21/2025, Eff. 12/22/2025, Oper. 1/1/2026)

Every closet or compartment in a building used for storing a garbage receptacle shall be lined on all its sides and on the inside of all its doors with galvanized steel, with all joints made tight.

For garbage chute shaft construction, see Section 713 of the Building Code.

For garbage room construction, see Section 707 of this Code.

(Added by Ord. 399-89, App. 11/6/89; amended by Ord. 161-92, App. 6/4/92; Ord. 350-95, App. 11/3/95; Ord. 25607, App. 11/6/2007; Ord. 232-25, File No. 250975, App. 11/21/2025, Eff. 12/22/2025, Oper. 1/1/2026)

Each room, hallway, passageway, stairway, wall, partition, ceiling, floor, skylight, glass windows, door, carpet, rug, matting, window curtain, water closet compartment or room, toilet room, bathroom, slop-sink room, wash room, plumbing fixture, drain, roof, closet, basement, yard, court, lot, and the premises of every building shall be kept in every part clean, sanitary, and free from all accumulation of debris, filth, rubbish, garbage, vermin, mold and mildew and offensive matter. Those portions of the residential building identified by this Section that can no longer by cleaned or made sanitary shall be replaced in an appropriate manner.

(Added by Ord. 399-89, App. 11/6/89; amended by Ord. 161-92, App. 6/4/92; Ord. 192-02, App. 9/17/2002; Ord. 25607, App. 11/6/2007)

No person shall do, or permit or cause another person to do, any of the following:

• (a) Deposit any swell, garbage, bottles, ashes, cans, or other improper substance in, or in any way obstruct, any water-closet, sink, slop hopper, bathtub, shower, catchbasin, or plumbing fixture connection or drain;

• (b) Put any filth, urine or other foul matter in any place other than the place provided; or

• (c) Keep any filth, urine or other foul matter in any room, or elsewhere in or about the premises, of any building for such length of time as will result in the creation of a nuisance.

(Added by Ord. 399-89, App. 11/6/89; amended by Ord. 161-92, App. 6/4/92; Ord. 256-07, App. 11/6/2007)

In every apartment house or hotel every part of every bed, including the mattresses, sheets, blankets and bedding, shall be kept in a clean, dry and sanitary condition, free from filth, urine or other foul matter, and from the infestation of lice, bedbugs or other insects. The bed linen of a bed in a hotel shall be changed as often as a new guest occupies the bed.

(Added by Ord. 399-89, App. 11/6/89; amended by Ord. 161-92, App. 6/4/92; Ord. 256-07, App. 11/6/2007)

No roller or public towel shall be kept or maintained in a hotel for common use. (Added by Ord. 399-89, App. 11/6/89; amended by Ord. 161-92, App. 6/4/92; Ord. 256-07, App. 11/6/2007)

Neither any article that is dangerous or detrimental to life or to the health of the occupants; or any feed, hay, straw, excelsior, cotton, paper stock, rags, junk, or any material that may create a fire hazard, shall be kept, stored or handled in any part of an apartment house or hotel, or the lot on which such building is situated, except upon a written permit obtained from the officer or agency authorized by law to issue the permit. Every permit shall be made in duplicate, and a copy shall remain on file in the office of the officer or agency issuing it. Every filed copy constitutes a public record.

(Added by Ord. 399-89, App. 11/6/89; amended by Ord. 161-92, App. 6/4/92; Ord. 256-07, App. 11/6/2007)

A janitor, housekeeper or other responsible person shall reside upon the premises and shall have charge of every apartment house in which there are 16 or more apartments and of every hotel in which there are 12 or more guestrooms, in the event that the owner of any such apartment house or hotel does not reside upon said premises. If the owner does not reside upon the premises of any apartment house in which there are more than four but less than 16 apartments, a notice stating his name and address, or the name and address of his agent in charge of the apartment house, shall be posted in a conspicuous place on the premises.

(Added by Ord. 399-89, App. 11/6/89; amended by Ord. 161-92, App. 6/4/92; Ord. 256-07, App. 11/6/2007)

San Francisco, California

MECHANICAL CODE 2025 Edition

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

The full 2025 San Francisco Mechanical Code consists of the 2025 California Mechanical Code, and as further amended by these San Francisco amendments.

The San Francisco Mechanical Code amendments contained herein are designed to be used in conjunction with the 2025 California Mechanical Code.

The San Francisco Mechanical Code amendments contained herein were adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco on November 21, 2025, by Ordinance 227-25, effective December 22, 2025, and operative January 1, 2026.

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San Francisco
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Supplements to this Code and complete copies of all seven

Building Inspection Commission (BIC) Codes

(Building, Electrical, Existing Building, Green Building, Housing, Mechanical, and Plumbing)

can be ordered from:

AMERICAN LEGAL PUBLISHING

Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

800-445-5588

Fax: 513-763-3562

www.amlegal.com

PREFACE

PREFACE

Text Format:

The text in this publication is formatted to allow the user to quickly and easily determine the source of the included material. Language derived from the 2025 California Code that is unchanged by local amendment is printed in shaded text (see below). Language constituting San Francisco amendments to the California Code is printed in unformatted (or “plain”) text. In either case, bold and/or italic typefaces may be used as appropriate for emphasis, etc. See below for examples.

To further simplify use of the San Francisco amendments with corresponding sections of the 2025 California Code, explanatory remarks appearing in italics are provided (in boxes at the beginning of affected provisions) indicating whether the San Francisco amendment to the California Code is adding, revising, or replacing a section or portion of a section.

To summarize:

Explanatory remarks are boxed and italicized.

Unchanged language from the 2025 California Code is shaded, and may include bold and/or italicized formatting. San Francisco amendments are printed in unformatted ("plain") text, and may include bold and/or italicized formatting.

Marginal Markings:

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The arrow represents the location of language that has been deleted by San Francisco from the applicable California Code.

represents the location of language that has been deleted by San Francisco from the 2025 California Code.

A solid line represents a change from the original published edition of the 2025 San Francisco Mechanical Code.

Historical Notations:

Language which has been added, amended, or deleted from the 2025 publication of the San Francisco Mechanical Code is indicated with an historical notation, setting forth the ordinance number and date of adoption. Additionally, a table is included below that lists and summarizes all legislation that has affected this Code and the other Building Inspection Commission codes after their initial enactment.

Chapter 1 ADMINISTRATION

Chapter 1 ADMINISTRATION