SEC. 175. APPROVAL OF PERMITS OR DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS.

(a) No application for a building permit, Development Application, or other permit or license, or for a permit of Occupancy, shall be approved by the Planning Department, and no permit or license shall be issued by any City department, which would authorize a new use, a change of use or maintenance of an existing use of any land or structure contrary to the provisions of this Code.

(b) No such application, permit or license shall be approved or issued by any City department for the construction, reconstruction, enlargement, alteration, relocation or occupancy of any structure if the construction or other activities that would be authorized by the requested permit or license would not conform in all respects to this Code, or if the structure or any feature thereof is designed, constructed, arranged, maintained or intended to be used for a purpose or in a manner contrary to the provisions of this Code.

(c) No such application, permit or license shall be approved or issued by any city department for the construction, reconstruction, enlargement, alteration, relocation or occupancy of any land or structure if the lot on which the use or structure is or will be situated has been created, reduced or maintained contrary to the provisions in this Code. This prohibition shall apply to all lots involved in any change of lot lines that caused any of said lots to be created or reduced in dimension or area, or in relation to any structure thereon, contrary to the provisions of this Code, regardless of whether one or more of the lots involved remained in compliance with such provisions.

(d) Notwithstanding the limitations of Subsections (a), (b) and (c) of this Section, minor alterations, maintenance and repairs shall be permitted for any such structure where ordered by an appropriate public official to correct immediate hazards to health or safety, and only for that purpose.

(e) Permits for signs shall be further regulated by the provisions of Section 604 of this Code.

(f) Whenever this Code requires a property owner to enter into a regulatory agreement with the City subjecting any dwelling units to the San Francisco Residential Rent Stabilization and Arbitration Ordinance (Chapter 37 of the Administrative Code), the Planning Department shall note the existence of the recorded regulatory agreement on a publicly-accessible website.

(Added by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; amended by Ord. 188-15 , File No. 150871, App. 11/4/2015, Eff. 12/4/2015; Ord. 170-25, File No. 240803, App. 9/5/2025, Eff. 10/6/2025)

AMENDMENT HISTORY

Nonsubstantive changes; Ord. 188-15 , Eff. 12/4/2015. Section heading and division (a) amended; division (f) added; Ord. 170-25, Eff. 10/6/2025.